Abstract
This paper takes as its starting point the increasing interest in spirituality and Scripture. This is clearly part of the relatively recent, unprecedented research in the field of spirituality studies. We are moving away from the distrust of a spiritual or mystical reading of Scripture in scientific and analytical circles, and the academy is freeing itself from the fetters of determinism. This is largely due to a major heterodox methodological explosion within the field of biblical hermeneutics within the last few decades. Without denying the value of historical-critical approaches, their hegemony has been challenged and the limitations of the positivistic framework within which the method operates have been brought to the fore. This is not to deny its validity. In spite of its shortcomings, it has been and continues to be of vital importance in determining the provenance of the text. Contemporary biblical studies bear witness to a major shift from a mechanistic to a holistic paradigm, enabling the text to come to life as transformative and life-changing: as a dynamic medium rather than a static object. In order to further elucidate this fact, the current article offers a reading of Scripture through a “mystical lens”, with particular reference to Origen’s (ca. 185–253) contribution and also that of a relatively unknown modern mystic, Elizabeth Catez (1880–1906).
An analysis of spirituality and Scripture brings to light the fact that although there has been a change of considerable magnitude with respect to academic interest in the relationship of Scripture and spirituality this is, nevertheless, not a new phenomenon. Scholars such as Bullough (1954), while acknowledging the neglect of the spiritual sense of Scripture since the 19th century, gives a short history of biblical symbolism from the time of the early church to 1950. Contemporary biblical hermeneutics is a further elucidation of the need for a “spiritually relevant interpretation” of Scripture (Schneiders 2005b). In order to understand the relationship of spirituality to Scripture, a working definition of spirituality is offered. The literature is replete with definitions. The well-known definition given by Schneiders (1986:266) is offered, viz. “the concern of all who feel drawn to the ‘fullness of humanity’ and is the capacity … [for self-transcendence] through knowledge and love ...” Furthermore, it is noted that understanding spirituality is not limited to the religious or theological domain, but crosses all boundaries, as witnessed by the emerging field of secular spirituality. Biblical spirituality is seen to offer a greater “clarification of the existential meaning” of what is offered in the text (Waaijman 2002:871). Therefore, appropriation of the essential meaning of the text in one’s life witnesses to the power and efficacy of the encounter with Scripture. This section of the article also notes that in many cases a charge of “eisegesis” has been levelled against the spiritual interpretation of Scripture. Such criticisms are not without merit; therefore, respect for established methods of exegesis and an ability to “step back” from the text and be alert to its semantic potential, without projecting one’s own preconceived notions are important. The semantic autonomy of the text, while pointing to the fact that its meaning is not limited to the “intention” of the original author, nevertheless does not mean that authorial meaning has lost all significance.
In order to examine Scripture through a mystical lens, the next section deals with an analysis of mysticism and Scripture. First, a number of definitions of mysticism are offered. For Christian mysticism, the seminal work of Deissmann (1926:149) clarifies the fact that the constitutive element is “immediacy of contact with the Deity”. More recent works include McGinn (2008) and Perrin (2005). Secondly, it is important to note that not all quarters of the academy and society accept a mystical interpretation of Scripture. Rigid orthodoxy, whether academic or ecclesial, prefers to expel the mystically inclined. For Johnson (1988:11, 14) mysticism is a “non-Christian philosophy”. Notwithstanding the aforementioned, it is nevertheless a fact that the study of mysticism has spread rapidly and has gained a social significance that was lacking three or four decades ago.
The revalorisation of mysticism also allows us to return to the seminal contribution of Origen and his teaching on the multiple meanings of Scripture. Concentrating on allegorical, moral and typological meanings of the text, Origen’s scriptural hermeneutic led the way forward to a mystical interpretation of Scripture and the ascent to the Divine. Origen emphasised the hidden or mysterious meaning of Scripture above the literal meaning. He is clearly the first major Christian scholar whose mystical hermeneutic witnesses to the multivalent meaning to be found in the Bible. The allegorical method of Origen does not fall easily upon modern ears, which are accustomed to sharp, Cartesian logic. However, polysemous readings of Scripture, just as with poetry, opens doors to a hidden dimension. The contribution of Origen is such that he has been called the father of intellectualist mysticism.
The paper then discusses a mystical reading of Paul, with reference to a relatively modern mystic, Elizabeth Catez. This section takes its cue from Tavard (1981:561), who comments on the fact that very few scholars turn to the Christology of the mystics “as a valid and valuable source for the exploration of Christ as the centre of a permanently contemporary experience”. Elizabeth, born in 1880, lived a short, intense life as a Carmelite nun in Dijon (1901–1906), where she died in 1906. Her life, which was marked by suffering, was suffused with a powerful insight into the mysticism of Paul. While her scriptural foundation was minimal, she exhibited a deep understanding of the illuminatory function of Scripture, which confirms and explains experience. Elizabeth’s radical hermeneutic manifests her epistemological activity of discrimination and integration: she does not spend time on what is peripheral and marginal, but penetrates to the heart of Paul’s mysticism, namely conformity to Christ. Her desire to be transformed into the image of Christ is seen in her choice of Gal. 2:20, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me”, for the engraving on her profession crucifix. Jesus is the one who effects a radical transformation of the total person, a “Christification”, which leads to human authentication and divinisation. The comment of Katz (1982:247) applies powerfully to Elizabeth’s hermeneutic: “[T]he historically specific is not … the essence … [it] is only the particular occasion for the iteration of transcendent, objective and trans-historic ‘truths’.” The quintessential way in which Elizabeth interprets the tenets of Scripture is by interiorisation, by assimilating and actualising them in her own life. This is particularly evident in her path of suffering, in which, with the progressive deterioration of her health, Elizabeth identified with the suffering Christ. Following Paul, Elizabeth is aware that human weakness is not an obstacle; on the contrary, it provides the ambience for divine activity. Elizabeth’s acceptance of her own personal “crucifixion” epitomises the summation of a life which consistently sought to be divested of self. She teaches that pain and suffering can be transfigured; exalted states of consciousness can exist contemporaneously with intense states of suffering. Elizabeth’s conformity to Christ, therefore, is conditioned by mystical identification with Christ crucified and risen, the didactic value of which come not from theological speculation, but from her own personal experience. Therefore, although Elizabeth did not read learned works of biblical exegesis, she discovered the transformative power of a mystical reading of Scripture. Hers was not merely a passive reading, but a personal involvement with the text, allowing herself to be “described” and “narrated” by the words of the Bible. In this respect Elizabeth witnesses to the “semantic potential” of the text, which, according to Ricoeur (1980:1981) elicits the participation of the reader.
By way of conclusion: Scripture interpretation is freeing itself from the fetters of determinism, and the limits of rationalism are becoming more apparent. Reading Scripture through a mystical lens, as exemplified by Elizabeth Catez’s interpretation of Paul, effects mystical illumination and transformation. The semantic potential of the text, in which the possibility of multiple readings comes to the fore, elucidates the illuminatory and existential significance of a mystical interpretation. A rediscovery of our mystical heritage opens the doors to a more translucent understanding of these ancient texts.
Keywords: Biblical spirituality; Elizabeth Catez; mystical readings of Scripture; mysticism; Origen; Pauline mysticism
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