THE CLASSICS OF WESTERN SPIRITUALITY A Library of the Great Spiritual Masters President and Publisher Kevin A. Lynch, C.S.P. EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Richard J. Payne Editorial Consultant Ewert H. Cousins-Professor and Director of Spirituality Graduate Program, Fordham University, Bronx, N.Y. John E. Booty-Professor of Church History, Episcopal Divinity School, Cambridge, Mass. Joseph Dan-Professor of Kaballah in the Department of Jewish Thought, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel. Albert Deblaere-Professor of the History of Spirituality, Gregorian University, Rome, Italy. Louis Dupre-T.L. Riggs Professor in Philosophy of Religion, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. Rozanne Elder-Executive \'ice President, Cistercian Publications, Kalamazoo, Mich. Mircea Eli ade-Professor in the Department of the History of Religions, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill. Anne Fremantle-Teacher, Editor and Writer, :\'ew York, :\'.Y. Karlfried Froelich- Professor of the History of the Early and Medieval Church, Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, :\'.J. Arthur Green-Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Thought, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. Stanley S. Harak as-Dean of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Seminary, Brookline, Mass. Jean Leclercq -Professor, Institute of Spirituality and Institute of Religious Psychology, Gregorian University, Rome, Italy. Miguel Leon-Por tilla- Professor Mesoamerican Cultures and languages, National University of Mexico, University City, Mexico. George A. Maloney, S.J.-Direcror, John XXI II Ecumenical Center, Fordham University, Bronx, :\'.Y. Bernard McGinn-Associate Professor of Historical Theology and History of Christianity, University of Chicago Divinity School, Chicago, Ill. John Meyendorff-Professor of Church History, Fordham University, Bronx, N.Y., and Professor of Patristics and Church History, St. Vladimir's Seminary, Tuckahoe, N.Y. Seyyed Hossein Nasr-Professor of lslamics, Department of Religion, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pa., and Visiting Professor, Harvard University, Cambridge, Ma. Heiko A. Oberman-Director, lnsititue fuer Spaetmittelalter and Reformation, Universitaet Tuebingen, West Germany. Alfonso Ortiz-Professor of Anthropology, University of New �texico, Albuquerque, N. Mex.; Fellow, The Center for Advanced Study, Stanford, Calif. Raimundo Panikkar-Professor, Department of Religious Studies, University of California at Santa Barbara, Calif. Jaroslav Pelikan-Sterling Professor of History and Religious Studies, Yale University, New Haven, Conn. Fazlar Rahman-Professor Islamic Thought, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, University of Chicago, Chicago, Ill. Annemarie B. Schimmel-Professor of Hindu Muslim Culture, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. Sandra M. Schneiders-Assistant Professor of New Testament Studies and Spirituality, Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, Calif. Huston Smith-Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion, Adjunct Professor of Philosophy, Syracuse University, Syracuse, N.Y. John R. Sommerfeldt-President, University of Dallas, Irving, Texas. David Steindl-Rast-Monk of Mount Savior Monastery, Pine City, N.Y. William C. Sturtevant-General Editor, Handbook of North American Indians, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. David Tracy-Professor of Theology, University of Chicago Divinity School, Chicago, Ill. Victor Turner-William B. Kenan Professor in Anthropology, The Center for Advanced Study, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. Kallistos Ware-Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford; Spalding Lecturer in Eastern Orthodox Studies, Oxford University, England. Other volumes in this series Julian of No rwich • SHOWINGS Jacob Boehme • THE WAY TO CHRIST Na hman of Bratslav • THE TALES Gregory of Ny ssa • THE LIFE OF \10SES Bonaventure • THE SOUL'S JOURNEY INTO GO D, THE TREE OF LIFE, and THE L!FE OF ST. FRANCIS William Law • A SERIOCS CALL TO A DEVOUT AND HOLY LIFE, and THE SPIRIT OF LO\'E Ab raham Isaac Kook • THE LIGHTS OF PENITENCE, LIGHTS OF HOLINESS, THE \1 0RAL PRINCIPLES, ESSAYS, and POE\1S Ibn 'Ata' Illah • THE BOOK OF WISD0\1 and Kwaja Abdullah An sari • INTI\1ATE CONVERSATIONS Johann Arndt • TRCE CHRISTIANITY Richard of St. Victor • THE TWELVE PATRIARCHS, THE \1YSTICAL ARK, BOOK THREE OF THE TRINITY Origen • AN EXHORTATION TO \1 ARTYRDOM, PRAYER AND SELECTED WORKS Catherine of Ge noa • PCR GATION AND PCR GATORY, THE SPIRITUAL DIAL OGCE l"a tive No rth American Spirituality of the Eastern Woodlands • SACRED MYTHS, DREA\1S, \'ISIONS, SPEECHES, HEALING FORMCL AS , RITUALS AND CEREMONI ALS Teresa of Av ila • THE Il"TERIOR CASTLE Ap ocalyptic Spirituality • TREATISES AND LETTERS OF LACTANTI US, AD SO OF \1 0NTIER-EN-DER, JOACHI\1 OF FIORE, THE FRAl"CISCAN SPIRITCAL S, SA\' ON AR OL A At hanasius • THE LIFE OF Al"TONY, A LETTER TO \1ARCELLI NUS Catherine of Siena • THE DIALO GUE Sharafuddin Maneri • THE HCNDRED LETTERS Martin Luther • THEOLOGI A GER\1 ANICA Na tive \1esoamerican Spirituality • ANCIENT MYT HS, DISCOURSES, STORIES, DOCTRINES, HYMNS, POE\1S FROM THE AZ TEC, YUCATEC, Q!,JICHE-MAY A AND OTHER SACRED TRADITIONS Symeon the Ne w Theologian • THE DISCOCRSES TRANSLATION AND INTRO DUC TION BY R. W.J. AUSTIN PREFACE BY TITUS BURCKHARDT PAULIST PRESS NEW YORK • RAMSEY • TORONTO Cover Art The artist, Gloria Ortiz, is a native of Cali, Colombia. Currently a free lance designer and artist in Manhattan, Ms. Ortiz studied art at Marymount College in Ta rrytown, New York and has shown her paintings in Bogota and Ne w York. Design: Barbini, Pesce & Noble, Inc. Copyright© 1980 by The Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle in the State of Ne w York Al l rights re served. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval syst em without permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 80-83892 ISBN: 0-8091-2331-2(Paper) 0-8091-03 13-3 (C loth) Published by Paulist Press 545 Island Road, Ramsey, N.J. 07446 Printed and bound in the United States of America Contents PREFACE XI FOREWORD XVII 1::'\TRODUCTION THE LIFE A:\'D WORK OFMUHY1 AL-DIN IBN AL-'ARABI I HIS HISTORICAL AND SPIRITUAL CONTEXT 14 THE BEZELS OF WISDOM 16 HIS THOUGHT 21 THE BEZELS OF WISDOM PREFACE 45 I THE WISDOM OFDI\'IN ITY IN THE WORD OF ADAM 47 II THE \VJSD0�1 OF EXPIRATION IN THE WORD OF SETH 60 III THE WISD0�1 OFEXALTATION IN THE WORD OF :\"OAH 71 I\" THE WISD0\1 OF HOLINESS IN THE WORD OFE:\"OCH 82 \' THE \VJSD0\1 OF RAPTUROUS LO\'E IN THE WORD OFABR AHAM 90 \"1 THE WISD0\1 OF REALITY IN THE WORD OFISAAC 96 \'II THE \VISD0\1 OFSU BLIMITY IN THE WORD OF ISH\1AEL 104 \"III THE WJSD0�1 OFSP IRIT I� THE WORD OFJACOB Ill IX THE WISD0\1 OFLIGHT IN THE WORD OF JOSEPH 119 X THE \VISD0\1 OF UNITY IN THE WORD OF HUD 128 XI THE \VISD0\1 OFOPENING IN THE WORD OFSALIH 139 XII THE WISDOM OF THE HEART IN THE WORD OF SHU'AIB 145 XIII THE WISDOM OF MASTERY IN THE WORD OF LOT 156 XI\' THE WISDOM OF DESTINY IN THE WORD OF EZRA 163 X\' THE WISDOM OF PROPHECY IN THE WORD OF JESUS 172 X\'1 THE WISUOM OF COMPASSION IN THE WORD OF SOLOMON 187 X\'II THE WISDOM OF BEING IN THE WORD OF DA \'10 198 X\'III THE WISD0�1 OF BREATH IN THE WORD OF JONAH 206 XIX THE WISDOM OF THE UNSEEN IN THE WORD OF JOB 212 XX THE WISDOM OF MAJESTY IN THE WORD OF JOHN 218 XXI THE WISDOM OF DOMINION IN THE WORD OF ZAKARIAH 222 XX II THE WISDOM OF INTIMACY IN THE WORD OF ELIAS 228 XXIII THE WISDOM OF \'IRTUE IN THE WORD OF LUQ_MAN 236 XXI\' THE WISDOM OF LEADERSHIP IN THE WORD OF AARON 241 XX\' THE WISDOM OF EMINENCE 11\: THE WORD OF �10SES 249 XXVI THE WISDOM OF RESOURCE 11\: THE WORD OF KHALID 267 XX\'11 THE WISDOM OF SINGULARITY I� THE WORD OF MUHA�1�1AD 269 BIBLIOGRAPHY 2H5 I�DEXES 2HH Editor of this \'olume RALPH AUSTIN was born in 1938 in Willerby, England. He holds an Honours degree in Classical Arabic and a Ph.D. in Islamic Mys­ ticism, both from the University of London. During the year 1962-63 he worked as a Research Assistant at the University of California, Los Angeles. Since 1963 he has taught Arabic and Islamic Studies in the School of Oriental Studies at the University of Durham, fi rstly as lec­ turer and currently as senior lecturer. During this period he has done research in Islamic mysticism in general and in the work of Muhyl al-Din Ibn al-' Arabi in particular. In this connection he has spent pe­ riods of time in Morocco and Turkey studying relevant manuscripts. In 1971 he produced a translation of two of Ibn al-'Arabls autobio­ graphical works, together with introduction and notes, entitled Sufis of Andalusia, published by George Allen & Unwin, and later pub­ lished in French by Editions Orientales of Paris. In addition he con­ tributed the first part of a Swiss book on the Arab world, as also several articles on Islamic questions published in various journals. He has presented papers at various conferences in England and Europe on the subject of Islamic spirituality. During the past ten years he has been invited to take part in many inter-religious consultations, nota­ bly at St. Georges House, Windsor in 1975 and 1976. Currently, he is particularly interested in the symbolic and archetypal significance of the Feminine in Islamic mysticism. IX Author of the Preface TITUS BURCKHARDT, the son of the fa mous Swiss sculptor Carl Burckhardt, was born in 1908 in Florence. Although at first he fol­ lowed in his father's footsteps as a sculptor and illustrator, since childhood he had been strongly attracted to oriental art. This interest led him to a theoretical study of eastern doctrines and to repeated so­ journs in Islamic countries.