Summaries / Resúmenes - Studia Moralia

REVIEWS / RECENSIONES 471human growth and development.In the eighth, “La mistica carmelitano-teresiana di fronte adalcune manifestazioni moderne della mistica cristiana” by Michel DeGoedt, O.C.D. (pp. 262-86), contrasts the mysticism of Teresa of Avilaand John of the Cross with some recent expressions of Christianmysticism. These manifestations include the pre-Christian intuitionsof Simone Weil, the spiritual itinerary of Etty Hillesum, and the mysticismof the charismatic renewal.The final essay, “Dal buddismo al cristianesimo: un pellegrinaggiodello spirito” by A. Okumura Ichiro, O.C.D. (pp. 287-311), offersan autobiographical assessment of the author’s spiritual journeyfrom an adherent of Zen Buddhism to Christianity, with specificemphasis on his interest in the mysticism of John of the Cross,Theresa of Lisieux, and his eventual entrance into the Carmel order.After this series of essays, there follows a bibliography on mysticismin the Carmelite tradition by Edmondo Caruna, O.Carm. (pp.312-21). This bibliography is divided into two parts: (1) the 12 th to16 th centuries and (2) the 17 th century to the present. Limiting itselfto the essential works of the Carmelite order and the TeresianCarmel, it should prove a useful resource for scholars interested inthe origins and historical development of Carmelite mysticism.The book’s main strength lies in its capacity to offer in-depth historicalresearch into the origins and development of Carmelite mysticism,while at the same time stressing the importance of and seekingto maintain an ongoing dialogue with other mystical traditions.Its main weakness lies in its lack of a comprehensive range of dialoguepartners on the selected themes (e.g., discussions on the relationshipbetween Carmelite mysticism and Islamic and Hindu mysticismare notably missing). Despite this shortcoming, this reviewergreatly appreciated the book’s serious attempt to investigate the distinctcharacter of Carmelite mysticism and the contributors’ willingnessto approach the subject from a variety of vantage points. Thebook’s interdisciplinary character offers a helpful model for the proponentsof other Christian mystical traditions as they study theirsources in an attempt to identify possible points of contact and dialoguewith members of other faiths.DENNIS J. BILLY, C.SS.R.