CLOUD OF UNKNOWING, THE [POP 248.22 JOHNSTON CLOUD 1973] (edizione 1973)

.

And a copy of 1996, with a Foreword by Huston Smith.

William Johnston--an authority on fourteenth century spirituality and specifically on the writings of this unknown author--provides a substantive and accessible introduction detailing what is known about the history of this text and its relevance throughout the ages. Also included here is the author's other principal work, The Book of Privy Counseling--a short and moving text on the way to enlightenment through a total loss of self and consciousness only of the divine.

The Book of Privy Counseling--a short and moving text on the way to enlightenment through a total loss of self and consciousness only of the divine.

Written in Middle English, probably by a Carthusian priest, The Cloude of Unknowyng is regarded as a foundational work of Christian mysticism. The Book of Privy Counseling is its short sequel.

Fairly esoteric stuff, and much of it I didn’t get. Towards the end there was a warning about the kind of person that won’t profit from and shouldn’t be encouraged to read the book, and it described me with painful accuracy. Free tip for anonymous Middle English Carthusian mystic authors: Put your warnings in the front of the book. ( )