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I am quite sure of not having been alone in my waiting with great anticipation for the publication of this volume. Bernard McGinn's multi-volume history of Western Christian mysticism—The Presence of God—has long been recognized as foundational for those who study its subject. The release of this volume covering the Golden Age of Spain might be seen as of particular importance, given that it addresses figures often regarded as paradigmatic for Western Christian mysticism: Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross. Given this, McGinn sets out two interrelated objectives in the book's preface. The first is to challenge the view that these figures represent the peak of Christian mysticism for all times and places. The second is to show that, even within Spanish mysticism, Teresa and John are but two of a number of diverse voices that deserve consideration. In McGinn's words, he seeks to contribute to a "contemporary recognition of the symphonic nature of the Christian mystical tradition," in which there is "a renewed and deeper appreciation of Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross, as well as of the many other Spanish mystics of early modernity, and of their place both in the mysticism of Spain's Golden Age and in the wider mystical tradition" (ix). I believe McGinn accomplishes both of these objectives; in doing so, he makes an important contribution to our under-standing of Christian mysticism.
The book begins with an introduction outlining the religious culture of Catholicism in the Golden Age of Spain. Chapter 1 addresses aspects of the...