Etty Hillesum,an atypical Mystic

it is possible to speak of mystique when referring to Etty Hillesum? This present essay aims to answer to that question, which has been raised by several scholars and philosophers, with the help of Antonietta Potente's reflections, which can be considered parallel to Etty Hillesum's, at least to some extent. On the one hand, it has to be discarded the idea that the young Dutch- Dutch Jewish thinker had “mystical experiences” in the same sense that is given to those terms by the tradition of Giovanni della Croce o Teresa di Avila. On the other hand, quoting Loet Swart, Hillesum wrote just a few texts, which are not comparable to the production of other female mystics of the past, who possess a wider intellectual and cultural background. Nevertheless, influences of mystical tradition can be found in her works, as it is also testified by her attentive and “empathic” reading of Eckart and Agostino, and by her familiarity with the Bible in the experiences she lived. However, if a link with those evolved spirits can be traced, her works do not reach the level of other female mystics of the past, as it will be argued. -