The Theoretical and Practical Structure of Christian mysticism in Augustine's Thoughts

Augustine is a theologian who has mystical states and a mystic who holds theological ideas. In his mysticism, wisdom is combined with mysticism, and asceticism with holding religious and social positions. Practically, love of God and His creatures constitutes the basis of his mystical thoughts. He considers humility as an important prerequisite for achieving perfection in love i.e. dissatisfaction with the current position and the need to move towards perfection. This objective can be accomplished through self-purification, and by having religious virtues and supplicating. With these three things, a mystic starts his mystical journey from the vegetative, sensory and cognitive (reasoning) stage, and passes through the stage of morality and serenity of mind to reach the ultimate goal, that is, the stage of contemplation. Those who pass through these stages have, in fact, passed imaginary, sensory, material and spiritual perception and have achieved an unchanging luminous knowledge through their intellectual perception. At this stage, man considers God as a ubiquitous viewer and as the source of all realities.