Seekers Who Found a Path to God
A Review of
Tending the Garden: A History of Christian Mysticism
Jennifer Hornyak Wojciechowski
Paperback: Fortress Press, 2025
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Reviewed by Maryanne Hannan
Sixty years ago, Catholic theologian Karl Rahner wrote that “the devout Christian of the future will either be a ‘mystic’ – someone who has ‘experienced something’ – or will cease to be anything at all.” In Tending the Garden: A History of Christian Mysticism,” Jennifer Hornyak Wojciechowski, a professor at Luther Seminary, considerably broadens the “somethings” that qualify along the mystical path.
First, the author establishes a basic definition, that Christian mysticism depends on “an intimate and experiential relationship, set within a Christian framework, with the Triune God.” The book covers a lot of ground, more than I thought possible at the outset: 45 brief biographical sketches of spiritual seekers ranging from Late Antiquity through the Modern era, organized thematically to “highlight a particular aspect of their life that will be accessible and relatable to the reader.”
After the introduction, she explores “Prayer,” how mystics inevitably use language to approach the Divine and to communicate their experiences. Then she groups the spiritual figures according to seven topics that typify their lives as mystics, such as “Escape” from the world, “Leadership” for those who became more engaged in worldly struggles, “Changed Life” for those whose mystical experience caused a radical break in their lives, “Controversy” for those who were castigated, even executed for their proclamations, and so forth. The book concludes with a discussion of “Mysticism in Modernity” and is complete with footnotes, an index and a fourteen page bibliography,
By the end, I decided she delivered what she promised, but a word to the reader: this book should be read and pondered in short sittings. Despite the simple, readable writing style and format (there are many sidebars, discussing or clarifying tangential topics), the ideas are dense and somewhat controversial. While construed as an introduction to mystical thought and historically important figures, at least for me, it was not a simple summary. At times, I imagined it functioning as a spiritual Rorschach for any reader struggling to discern a personal path. A hero to one reader may seem a nut to another, because many of these mystics were strange individuals, if seen through the eyes of the world.
As a Catholic brought up to appreciate our roster of mystically-inclined saints, I enjoyed seeing them placed in the broad swathe of history: Augustine, Teresa of Avila, Francis de Sales, Ignatius of Loyola, Thérèse of Lisieux, Edith Stein. The author rounded the edges of some problematic issues; for instance, Stein’s conversion was very difficult for her Jewish mother, and Catherine of Siena’s premature death, at the age of thirty-three, would be considered a mental health emergency, were she alive today. Of course, to delve too much into these issues would have muddied the main story.
I was intrigued by figures I was unfamiliar with, such as Jakob Boehme, Angelus Silesius, Phoebe Palmer, Rufus Jones, Raimon Panikkar. Hornyak Wojciechowski wonders whether Boehme could be considered a mystic and, based on his “deeply powerful encounters with God that without question changed his life,” she includes him. Palmer is another question mark, because she specifically rejected a mysticism for the spiritually elite. The path to God, as she understood it, was for everyone and had three steps: “entire consecration, faith, and testimony.” Hornyak Wojciechowski calls her “an interesting intersection of mystical theology and public ministry within a Protestant framework.” As such, Palmer is a figure I want to read about in more depth. Likewise, I want to pursue the Quaker Jones and the ecumenist Pannikar, who intersected with Thomas Merton.
In the chapter “Literature,” the author considers mystics whose writings go beyond abstract theological treatises into the realm of poetry. In this chapter and elsewhere, the Beguines, communities of holy women, unregulated by Church laws, get their just examination. Two Beguines of the 13th Century Mechthild of Magdeburg and Hadewijch wrote memorable poetry, as did 16th Century John of the Cross. To prove it, here is a line from Hadewijch: “God is a way for the passage of the soul into its liberty” and one from John: “Where have you hidden away? / You left me whimpering, my love.” Then there is T. S. Eliot whom Hornyak Wojciechowski offers as a modern example of a mystic expressing himself through poetry. I am not totally convinced, but I should humbly return to his work.
In that quibble lies the issue. Who is a mystic? And who has the authority to determine it? Does contemporary mysticism still take the medieval path of purgation, illumination, and union with God? If mysticism today “demonstrates humanity’s dependence on a loving God who breaks into our lives and offers both salvation and transformation,” then does an active spiritual interiority qualify a person as a mystic? Maybe. Both Rahner and Hornyak Wojciechowski appear to move in that direction.
Maryanne Hannan
Maryanne Hannan is a poet and frequent book reviewer, and also a member of the National Book Critics Circle. She lives in upstate New York and is the author of Rocking like It’s All Intermezzo: 21st Century Psalm Responsorials (Wipf and Stock, 2019). More information at www.mhannan.com.
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