The way of the mystics: The early Christian mystics and the rise of the Sufis

Includes bibliographical references: (p. 258-263) and index 1. The meaning and nature of mysticism -- 2. Early Christian asceticism -- 3. Asceticism and the monastic life among women -- 4. Early mysticism in the Near East -- 5. Early mysticism in the Middle East -- 6. Christianity and Islam at the beginning of the Islamic era -- 7. Asceticism and mysticism in orthodox Islam -- 8. The rise of Sufism and the early ascetic ideal -- 9. The mystical doctrines of early Sufism -- 10. Some early Sufi mystics -- 11. Conclusion