This collection of essays investigates the fundamental question of whether mystical experiences are universal and uniform across disparate religious traditions or if they are culturally and linguistically mediated. Steven T. Katz, a prominent scholar in the field of religious studies, utilizes a comparative framework to challenge the perennialist view that all mystics share an identical core experience. By analyzing specific historical and theological contexts, he argues that the conceptual framework of the mystic determines the nature of the experience itself.

Experts in religious studies frequently cite this work as a foundational text for the constructivist approach to mysticism. Readers often note the academic density of the prose and the rigorous historical methodology employed throughout the essays.