Self-Sacrifice and the Sacred

Edith Stein on Phenomenology, Christianity, and Mysticism

Bibliographic Data

ID3590159
AuthorsAnna Jani (0000-0002-8266-8009, Collegium Professorum Hungarorum, Makovecz Campus Foundation, 2081 Piliscsaba, Hungary, corresponding author)
Year2025
Volume16
Issue3
Pages336
Publication date2025-03-07
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel16030336
OpenAlexW4408170555
LanguageEN
Citations received2

In Edith Stein's thinking, there is a gradual transition from the discovery of Christianity in her phenomenological studies to the mystical realization of her own role as a Christian. The present paper explores the historical, cultural, and personal circumstances of Stein's approach to Christianity and reveals how philosophical insights contributed to her Christian commitment and supported her receptivity to mysticism. My thesis is that Stein's philosophical reflection and the deepening of her personal religiosity are mutually evolving. The thesis of this paper is based on a letter written by Edith Stein to Roman Ingarden in 1927, at a time when she had not yet entered the Carmelite Order in Cologne but was already living as a monk. In this sense, the letter represents a zigzag reflection between past and present events, describing events in the apocalyptic horizon of eternity. Through recurrent reflection on the letter, I argue for the parallel development of mystical insights and philosophical achievements in Stein's life, and finally, I show that the two are inextricably linked and contribute to a philosophical understanding of her own holocaust

Art · Christianity · Epistemology · Mysticism · Sacrifice · Theology · Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy · Philosophy

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