Mystics, Muslims, and Thomas Merton

Podcast-style audio & video course -
Length: 2 hrs and 28 mins
Professor, Catholic University of America
(1 customer review)
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00
Audio Download + Subscription
$0.00

Thomas Merton, one of the great mystics of the twentieth century, had a deep interest in Islam and its mystical tradition of Sufism. Now, you can join one of Catholicism’s great scholars on a fascinating journey through Merton’s encounter with Islam.

Thomas Merton (1915–1968) was a Trappist monk whose numerous books made the Christian spiritual classics accessible to modern audiences. A pioneer in interreligious dialogue, he developed a profound interest in the mystical traditions of the world’s major religions. In addition to his multiple relationships with non-Catholic Christians, he engaged in correspondence with Jewish, Muslim, Zen Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu thinkers.

Mystics, Muslims, and Merton focuses on Merton’s engagement with Islam. Your presenter is Prof. Sidney Griffith, Ph.D., an expert in Muslim-Christian relations and a lifelong reader of Thomas Merton. Throughout the course, you will journey through the broad spectrum of Merton’s encounters with Muslims.

You will look at Thomas Merton’s interest in Islamic mysticism, particularly in the traditions of Sufism. You will start by looking at his openness to “sharing the experience

Thomas Merton, one of the great mystics of the twentieth century, had a deep interest in Islam and its mystical tradition of Sufism. Now, you can join one of Catholicism’s great scholars on a fascinating journey through Merton’s encounter with Islam.

Thomas Merton (1915–1968) was a Trappist monk whose numerous books made the Christian spiritual classics accessible to modern audiences. A pioneer in interreligious dialogue, he developed a profound interest in the mystical traditions of the world’s major religions. In addition to his multiple relationships with non-Catholic Christians, he engaged in correspondence with Jewish, Muslim, Zen Buddhist, Taoist, and Hindu thinkers.

Mystics, Muslims, and Merton focuses on Merton’s engagement with Islam. Your presenter is Prof. Sidney Griffith, Ph.D., an expert in Muslim-Christian relations and a lifelong reader of Thomas Merton. Throughout the course, you will journey through the broad spectrum of Merton’s encounters with Muslims.

You will look at Thomas Merton’s interest in Islamic mysticism, particularly in the traditions of Sufism. You will start by looking at his openness to “sharing the experience of the Divine light” with members of other religions. Then, as you explore Merton’s correspondence with scholars of Sufism and practicing Sufis, you will gain great insight into the spiritual mind of Thomas Merton.

Thomas Merton was a remarkable spiritual thinker, and his interactions with Muslims provide a model of interfaith dialogue today. If you are interested in Merton’s ideas, you will love this course.

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$15.99

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Prof. Sidney H Griffith, S.T.L., Ph.D., is an expert in Muslim-Christian relations and a lifelong reader of Thomas Merton. He is Professor of Semitic and Egyptian Languages and Literature at the Catholic University of America. He has a Ph.D. in Semitic Languages from the Catholic University of America and an M.S. in Library Sciences. In 2009, Prof. Griffith was awarded a Rumi Peace Award for his efforts in interfaith dialogue.

His book The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque: Muslims and Christians in the World of Islam (Princeton University Press, 2008) was awarded the Albert C. Outler Prize for the best book on ecumenical Church history by the American Society of Church History. He has published widely on Christian-Muslim relations, and his books include The Beginnings of Christian Theology in Arabic: Muslim-Christian Encounters in the Early Islamic Period (Ashgate, 2002) and The Bible in Arabic: The Scriptures of the ‘People of the Book’ in the Language of Islam (Princeton University Press, 2013). He is a member of the International Thomas Merton Society, where he has served as treasurer for several years. He has published several articles on Thomas Merton’s engagement with Islamic mysticism.

  • Sharing the Experience of Divine Light
  • Thomas Merton Meets Louis Massignon
  • As One Spiritual Man to Another
  • Sufis at Gethsemani
  • Merton and the Perennialists
  • Final Integration

1 review for Mystics, Muslims, and Thomas Merton

  1. Christopher

    Learning new things

    Learning new things about Merton, including the incredible passage about how he prayed, and his interaction with a Sufi master.

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