iiiABSTRACT^
Tom Schwanda
Soul Recreation: Spiritual Marriage and Ravishment in the Contemplative-Mystical
Piety of Isaac Ambrose(^)
This thesis examines the theology and piety of Isaac Ambrose (1604-1664), a
moderate Lancashire Puritan minister. More specifically it raises the question about
the nature of his spiritual practices and whether they reflect what Bernard McGinn
calls the “mystical element” of Christianity? This reseAmbrose has never been the primary focus of research. There are six chapters to this arch is distinctive since
thesis.
Chapter 1 examines the definition of three key terms: “mysticism”, “Puritanism”, and
“Puritan mysticism” and then substitutes “contemplative-mystical piety” for
McGinn’s mystical element since this language is more familiar to the Reformed
community. A review of the literature reveals the prevalence of contemplative-
mystical piety within mainstream Puritanism. Chapter 2 explores the theological foundations of union with Christ, which the Puritans often called spiritual biblical and
marriage. Contrary to common perception, the Puritans encouraged intimacy and
sexual enjoyment in their godly marriage that they often perceived as a reciprocal
relationship with their spiritual marriage. The third chapter creates a contemplative
biography of Ambrose through his diary entries and examines his relationship with
God and his neighbor through his annual retreats, the struggles of his soul, serving as
a physician of the soul, times of public fasting and worship, and the significance of specific places or environment to his piety. Chapter 4 narrows the focus to
Ambrose’s teaching on meditation and contemplation. The influence of Bernard of
Clairvaux is clearly evident as Ambrose contemplatively looks at Jesus throughout all
the manifestations of Jesus’ life. The fifth chapter considers Ambrose’s use of
ravishment and examines the nature, dynamics and benefits of this ambiguous term of
delight and enjoyment. The final chapter moves from the seventeenth-century to the
present and inquires whether Ambrose’s contemplative-mystical piety can guide
contemporary Reformed Christians. That requires an examination into the resistance of Karl Barth as well as the more receptive possibility of retrieval through Herman
Bavinck. This work concludes with seven principles from Ambrose to encourage
those who are members of the Reformed tradition.
(^)