TEHRAN – Sidney Spencer’s “Mysticism in World Religion” has recently been published in Persian.

Hermes is the publisher of the book translated into Persian by Mohammadreza Adli.

The framework for this study is world religion. It describes and explains mystical thought in virtually all its contexts, primitive, Hindu, Chinese, Hellenistic, Hebrew, Christian and Muslim.

It is illustrated with numerous quotations from the sayings and writings of famous mystics. The final chapter surveys the main tendencies of mystical religions and their relevance to humanity’s recurring and fundamental problems.

In a preface to the book, Spencer wrote, “It is my conviction that mysticism is of the utmost importance to religion and so to the future of mankind.

“At a time when religion is met, as never before on a similar scale, with the challenge of materialist philosophy, and when the growth of scientific knowledge of the forces of nature and the power which this brings with it are a constant temptation to men to neglect the things of the spirit, it is all the more necessary that the inner life should be quickened and renewed.

“But if the life of religion is to be renewed, there must be a renewal of vision and of understanding; and nothing can be of as much value from this standpoint as the study of the experience and teaching of the mystics.”

“Mysticism in primitive religions”, “Hindu mysticism”, “The Upanishads”, “Buddhist mysticism”, “The Hinayana & the Mahayana”, “Mysticism in the Hinayana”, “Hebrew & Jewish mysticism”, “Mysticism in the Old Testament”, “Christian mysticism”, “Islamic mysticism” and “The growth of Sufism” are some of the topics discussed in the book.

Photo: Front cover of the Persian translation of Sidney Spencer’s “Mysticism in World Religion”.

MMS/YAW