معرفت ادیان (Ma`rifat Adyan)

Abstracts The Bible is one of the sources of Christian mysticism. In the Old Testament, the direct meeting and conversation with God, realization of miracles and, generally, God’s contribution to the human history have been the concern of Christian gnostics since early Christianity. According to the New Testament and Synoptic Gospels, the goal of human’s spiritual journey is reaching the angelic world, and this goal is achieved by means of self-denial and adherence to Jesus Christ. In John’s Gospel, the position of Jesus Christ is clearly highlighted as the path to perfection. In this Gospel, Jesus, Logos is prior to the creation of all creations and is the medium of creation, and human perfection is unattainable without being like him and uniting with him. According to this Gospel, unity with Jesus can be achieved through worship and observance of religious laws. Saint Paul holds that strengthening the position of Jesus Christ, which was given special attention by some mystics who came after him, contributes to the real life of man with regard to union with Jesus. According to him, even observance of religious injunctions and divine law is considered ineffective, and this does not conform with the clear teachings of the Christ.