ABSTRACT
The very widespread and popular expression ‘to have God’ which occurs in mystical texts has been interpreted—not without some justification—as an attempt ‘to speak of the unio mystica with completely unabashed directness’. A glance at the English mystics shows that precisely this theme ‘having God’, which is widespread in German mysticism, finds immense favour in their works, which is a further proof that a dynamic element is certainly not lacking in their mystical language. The image of the soul dwelling in God or God dwelling in the soul, an image widespread in the Bible, is frequently used to express this mystical union. In English mysticism the theme of God dwelling in man is appreciably more widespread. The image of God sitting in the soul is also very popular in medieval mysticism, especially in the texts of the women mystics.
