Mysticism has fascinated scholars of Religion since the beginning of the History of Religions (Religionswissenschaft) as academic discipline. Meanwhile, German scholarship has turned away from phenomenology. This cultural turn has resulted in a perceived need for a non-essentialist terminology on which a systematic discipline can be built. This study attempts to describe the theological roots of theories about mysticism in the German History of Religions and their implications for the current debate, demonstrates its descriptive potential, advocates a text-based approach and raises specific aisthetic questions: how do mysticism and the role and function of the physical senses in Bernhard of Clairvaux’ Sermons on the Canticle fit together and how are they connected with his opinions on art and music?

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