Paul Whitehill

The Origins of Spanish Golden Age Mysticism Paul Whitehill

Spanish mystical writing begins in the early 1500s, though its most famous exponents appear later. The first truly mystical book is the Third Spiritual Alphabet by Francisco de Osuna. This study will illuminate the historical factors, the prior writings, and the maneuvers of persuasion utilized. The major historical factor was the debate with the religiously heterodox groups known as the alumbrados. Osuna needed to demarcate his mysticism against theirs. Much of his work was a careful and multilayered attack on them. The Alphabet departed from earlier writings that had begun the transition from the asceticism of the 1400s toward the mysticism of Osuna. He relied on the key concept of recollection, which will be analyzed for its meaning and as literature. The most persuasive tactic was the employment of Christ to buttress the authority of the Alphabet, and his methods to achieve this will be clarified. Finally, the combining of literary theory and comparative mysticism will illustrate how we can better understand this important work.