Dark Night of the Soul - Carmelite Monks

1 dark Night of the of the CrossTable of Contentsp. iiAbout This Book..p. 1 Title Page..p. 2 Preface to the Electronic Edition..p. 3 Principal Abbreviations..p. 4 Introduction..p. 9 Manuscripts Of The dark Night ..p. 13 Prologue..p. 15 Book The First..p. 15 Chapter I. Sets down the first line and begins to treat of the imperfectionsof ..p. 16 Chapter II. Of certain spiritual imperfections which beginners have withrespect to the habit of ..p. 19 Chapter III. Of some imperfections which some of these souls are apt tohave, with respect to the second capital sin, which is avarice, in the ..p. 20 Chapter IV. Of other imperfections which these beginners are apt to havewith respect to the third sin, which is ..p. 23 Chapter V. Of the imperfections into which beginners fall with respect tothe sin of.

2 P. 24 Chapter VI. Of imperfections with respect to spiritual ..p. 27 Chapter VII. Of imperfections with respect to spiritual envy and ..p. 28 Chapter VIII. Wherein is expounded the first line of the first stanza, and abeginning is made of the explanation of this dark ..p. 30 Chapter IX. Of the signs by which it will be known that the spiritual personis walking along the way of this Night and purgation of ..p. 33 Chapter X. Of the way in which these souls are to conduct themselves inthis dark ..p. 35 Chapter XI. Wherein are expounded the three lines of the ..p. 37 Chapter XII. Of the benefits which this Night causes in the ..p. 40 Chapter XIII. Of other benefits which this Night of sense causes in ..p. 43 Chapter XIV. Expounds this last line of the first ..p. 46 Book The Second.

3 P. 46 Chapter I. Which begins to treat of the dark nights of the spirit and says atwhat time it ..iiiSt. John of the CrossDark Night of the Soulp. 47 Chapter II. Describes other imperfections which belong to ..p. 48 Chapter III. Annotation for that which ..p. 50 Chapter IV. Sets down the first stanza and the exposition ..p. 51 Chapter V. Sets down the first line and begins to explain how this darkcontemplation is not only Night for the soul but is also grief ..p. 53 Chapter VI. Of other kinds of pain that the soul suffers in this ..p. 55 Chapter VII. Continues the same matter and considers other afflictions endconstraints of the ..p. 59 Chapter VIII. Of other pains which afflict the soul in this ..p. 61 Chapter IX. How, although this Night brings darkness to the spirit, it doesso in order to illumine it and give it.

4 P. 65 Chapter X. Explains this purgation fully by a ..p. 68 Chapter XI. Begins to explain the second line of the first stanza. Describeshow, as the fruit of these rigorous constraints, the soul finds itself with thevehement passion of Divine ..p. 70 Chapter XII. Shows how this horrible Night is purgatory, and how in it theDivine wisdom illumines men on earth with the same illumination that purgesand illumines the angels in ..p. 72 Chapter XIII. Of other delectable effects which are wrought in the soul bythis dark Night of ..p. 76 Chapter XIV. Wherein are set down and explained the last three lines ofthe first ..p. 77 Chapter XV. Sets down the second stanza and its ..p. 78 Chapter XVI. Explains how, though in darkness, the soul ..p. 83 Chapter XVII. Explains how this dark contemplation is.

5 P. 86 Chapter XVIII. Explains how this secret wisdom is likewise a ..p. 87 Chapter XIX. Begins to explain the ten steps of the mystic ladder of Divinelove, according to Saint Bernard and Saint Thomas. The first five are ..p. 90 Chapter XX. Wherein are treated the other five steps of ..p. 92 Chapter XXI. Which explains the word disguised, and describes the coloursof the disguise of the soul in this ..p. 95 Chapter XXII. Explains the third line of the second ..p. 96 Chapter XXIII. Expounds the fourth line and describes the wondrous hidingplace wherein the soul is set during this Night . Shows how, although thedevil has an entrance into other places that are very high, he has none ..ivSt. John of the CrossDark Night of the Soulp. 101 Chapter XXIV. Completes the explanation of the second ..p. 102 Chapter XXV.

6 Wherein is expounded the third ..p. 104 Indexes..p. 104 Index of Scripture References..p. 105 Latin Words and Phrases..vSt. John of the CrossDark Night of the SoulviSt. John of the CrossDark Night of the SoulDARK Night OF THE SOULbySaint John of the CrossDOCTOR OF THE CHURCHTHIRD REVISED EDITIONT ranslated and edited, with an Introduction,by E. ALLISON PEERS from the critical edition ofP. SILVERIO DE SANTA TERESA, THEDISCALCED CARMELITES OF CASTILE,WITH ABIDING MEMORIES OF THEIR HOSPITALITY AND KINDNESSIN MADRID, VILA AND BURGOS,BUT ABOVE ALL OF THEIR DEVOTION TOSAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS,I DEDICATE THIS TRANSLATIONSt. John of the CrossDark Night of the SoulPREFACE TO THE ELECTRONIC EDITIONThis electronic edition (v ) was scanned in 1994 from an uncopyrighted 1959 Image Books thirdedition of the dark Night .

7 The entire text except for the translator s preface and some of the footnoteshave been reproduced. Nearly 400 footnotes (and parts of footnotes) describing variations amongmanuscripts have been omitted. Page number references in the footnotes have been changed tochapter and section where possible. This edition has been proofread once, but additional errors mayremain. The translator s preface to the first and second editions may be found with the electronicedition of Ascent of Mount John of the CrossDark Night of the SoulPRINCIPAL Authorized Version of the Bible (1611). Douai Version of the Bible (1609). The Complete Works of Saint Teresa of Jesus, translated and edited by E. AllisonPeers from the critical edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, London, Sheed and Ward, E.

8 Allison Peers: Handbook to the Life and Times of St. Teresa and St. John of the , Burns Oates and Washbourne, The Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus, translated and edited by E. Allison Peers from the criticaledition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, London, Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1951. 2 National Library of Spain (Biblioteca Nacional), (P. Silv.) Obras de San Juan de la Cruz, Doctor de la Iglesia, editadas y anotadas por elP. Silverio de Santa Teresa, Burgos, 1929 31. 5 E. Allison Peers: Studies of the Spanish Mystics. Vol. I, London, Sheldon Press, 1927;2nd ed., London, , 1951. Vol. II, London, Sheldon Press, Jose Antonio de Sobrino, : Estudios sobre San Juan de la Cruz y nuevos textos desu obra. Madrid, John of the CrossDark Night of the SoulDARK Night OF THE SOULINTRODUCTIONSOMEWHAT reluctantly, out of respect for a venerable tradition, we publish the dark Night as aseparate treatise, though in reality it is a continuation of the Ascent of Mount Carmel and fulfils theundertakings given in it:The first Night or purgation is of the sensual part of the soul, which is treated in thepresent stanza, and will be treated in the first part of this book.

9 And the second isof the spiritual part; of this speaks the second stanza, which follows; and of this weshall treat likewise, in the second and the third part, with respect to the activity ofthe soul; and in the fourth part, with respect to its fourth part is the dark Night . Of it the Saint writes in a passage which follows that justquoted:And the second Night , or purification, pertains to those who are already proficient,occurring at the time when God desires to bring them to the state of union with this latter Night is a more obscure and dark and terrible purgation, as we shallsay his three earlier books he has written of the Active Night , of Sense and of Spirit; he now proposesto deal with the Passive Night , in the same order. He has already taught us how we are to deny andpurify ourselves with the ordinary help of grace, in order to prepare our senses and faculties forunion with God through love.

10 He now proceeds to explain, with an arresting freshness, how thesesame senses and faculties are purged and purified by God with a view to the same end that ofunion. The combined description of the two nights completes the presentation of active and passivepurgation, to which the Saint limits himself in these treatises, although the subject of the stanzaswhich he is glossing is a much wider one, comprising the whole of the mystical life and endingonly with the Divine embraces of the soul transformed in God through stanzas expounded by the Saint are taken from the same poem in the two treatises. Thecommentary upon the second, however, is very different from that upon the first, for it assumes amuch more advanced state of development. The Active Night has left the senses and faculties wellprepared, though not completely prepared, for the reception of Divine influences and illuminationsin greater abundance than before.