Thank you for that helpful explanation. Although I still contend that mystics are more frequently than not associated with Gnostics in todays thinking. The push now by the universal church is to explain the mysteries in terms of a broad range of "mixed" beliefs, including those found very close to MT Carmel in the direction of Egypt...they are for the most part attributed to the Gnostics and their "influence over Jesus". Perhaps another name would lead to less confusion?
In any case. Thank you for the civil discussion.
You wrote:
“Although I still contend that mystics are more frequently than not associated with Gnostics in todays thinking.”
Exactly WHO is doing this supposed “thinking”? I read several books on Gnosticism several years ago. Knowledge was their focus, not Christian mysticism. If you take a class on Christian mysticism, you will barely hear anything - in fact you probably won’t hear anything - about the Gnostics since they were not Christians. You will hear about St. Teresa of Avila. You will hear about Thomas a Kempis. You will hear about St. John of the Cross. Gnostics? No.
This class at Emory University on Christian Mysticism even has this as a lecture topic: “-How mysticism differs from occultism, esotericism, gnosticism and piety” http://cll.emory.edu/classes.cfm?cla=-1605317625&pt=3
Here’s a 320 page book on Christian Mysticism. The Gnostics (really their books) are mentioned ONCE in the entire book. Are you starting to get the picture? The picture is that you are seriously off base. Period.