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The Journey to God Through the Spirituality of Teresa of Ávila (1515−1582)

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The Journey to God Through the Spirituality of Teresa of Ávila (1515−1582) THE JOURNEY TO GOD THROUGH THE SPIRITUALITY OF TERESA OF ÁVILA (1515−1582) By CHRISTOPHER DANIEL VIETRI Submitted in part fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF THEOLOGY In the subject CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PROF. C KOURIE CO-SUPERVISOR: DR. M.J. VAN HEERDEN NOVEMBER 2007 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank Almighty God for giving me the call and then the fortitude to proceed with a Masters in Theology in order that I could gain further knowledge of Him through my study of Teresian Spirituality and thereby enrich my own spiritual journey to God. I wish to thank especially my supervisor Professor Celia Kourie who was my mentor during this project and who stimulated my thoughts on spirituality with the result that my dissertation is a more comprehensive and fulfilling document on Teresian spirituality than I originally planned. I also wish to thank my friend, Fr. Michael van Heerden for not only accepting the position of co-supervisor for this dissertation, but also for encouraging me to complete this task and sharing with me his insights into various aspects of theology as pertinent to this dissertation. I am also particularly indebted to Sister Bridgit Edman OCD of the Carmelite Convent in Retreat, Cape Town, whose knowledge of Teresa of Ávila and John of the Cross is exceptional and who did not hesitate to be critical of the contents of this dissertation where any aspects of this work were not accurate concerning these two doctors of the church. I would especially like to thank Regine Lord for her advice, her many questions, and her editing of this dissertation. Finally I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my wife, Suzanne who manifested extraordinary patience while I worked on this dissertation even when we were on holiday. i SUMMARY This study sets out to determine whether Teresa of Ávila’s spirituality, especially her treatise, The Interior Castle, can still provide an appropriate guide for the journey to God in the world of the 21st century. This remarkable book offers a particularly unique contribution to Christian literature. To accomplish this goal, a study of the nature of Christian Spirituality is undertaken, followed by a brief history of Christian spirituality. This provides a backdrop for an examination of the historical setting against which the Interior Castle was written. The study then explores the seven mansions of the Interior Castle to gain an understanding of the journey to God and examines some of the most important and recurring themes in the book. The stages and forms of prayer which are central to the Interior Castle are discussed and the mystical experiences of the ‘dark night of the spirit’ and union with God are analysed. Lastly, the findings are evaluated to ascertain whether Teresa’s writings are still relevant in this contemporary era for those embarking upon the journey towards God. KEY WORDS Christian Spirituality, Teresa of Ávila, Interior Castle, Mysticism, Contemplation, Prayer, Meditation, Humility, Union with God, Dark Night of the Spirit ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .........................................................................................i SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................ii KEY WORDS...............................................................................................................ii CHAPTER ONE: Introduction ..................................................................................1 1.1 The Research Problem .............................................................................................1 1.2 Aim of the Research.................................................................................................2 1.3 Research Methodology ............................................................................................3 1.4 Theological Framework...........................................................................................4 1.5 Demarcation of Research.........................................................................................6 CHAPTER TWO: An Understanding of Spirituality ..............................................9 2.1 Introduction..............................................................................................................9 2.2 History of the Term ‘Spirituality’............................................................................9 2.3 Definition of Spirituality in Contemporary Understanding...................................12 2.4 Spirituality and Theology ......................................................................................15 2.5 Spirituality and Mysticism.....................................................................................18 2.6 Spirituality and Psychology ...................................................................................23 2.7 The History of Christian Spirituality .....................................................................26 2.7.1 Early Christian Spirituality (50–500 CE) .......................................................26 2.7.2 Medieval Spirituality (500–1500 CE) ............................................................29 2.7.3 Renaissance and Reformation Spirituality (1500–1600 CE)..........................31 2.7.5 Post-modern Spirituality (Post-1900 CE).......................................................35 2.8 Conclusion .............................................................................................................38 CHAPTER THREE: The Historical Setting of the Interior Castle .......................41 3.1 Introduction............................................................................................................41 3.2 The Early Spiritual Development of Teresa ..........................................................41 3.3 Sixteenth Century Spain ........................................................................................44 3.4 Backbone of the Teresian Reform .........................................................................49 3.5 The Events surrounding the Writing of the Interior Castle...................................55 3.6 Conclusion .............................................................................................................59 CHAPTER FOUR: The Seven Mansions of the Interior Castle ............................61 4.1 Introduction............................................................................................................61 4.2 The Text of the Interior Castle ..............................................................................63 4.2.1 Purpose of this book .......................................................................................64 4.2.1.1 The presence of God in the soul ..............................................................64 4.2.1.2 The spiritual life as a progressive interiorisation.....................................65 4.2.1.3 Union with God: The goal of Teresian spirituality..................................67 4.3 The Seven Mansions..............................................................................................68 4.3.1 Introduction to the Seven Mansions ...............................................................68 iii 4.3.2 The First Mansions .........................................................................................70 4.3.3 Second and Third Mansions ...........................................................................73 4.3.4 Fourth Mansions .............................................................................................75 4.3.5 Fifth Mansions................................................................................................77 4.3.6 Sixth Mansions ...............................................................................................80 4.3.7 Seventh Mansions...........................................................................................83 4.4 Conclusion .............................................................................................................85 CHAPTER FIVE: Humility, Self-knowledge and Silence ....................................87 5.1 Introduction............................................................................................................87 5.2 Self-Knowledge .....................................................................................................88 5.2.1 Psychological Knowledge ..............................................................................89 5.2.2 Spiritual Knowledge .......................................................................................91 5.3 Humility .................................................................................................................93 5.3.1 Degrees and Forms of Humility .....................................................................96 5.3.2 The Way to Gain Humility .............................................................................97 5.3.3 Pride as Opposed to Humility.........................................................................98 5.3.3.1 General Comments...................................................................................98 5.3.3.2 Pride of Self ...........................................................................................100 5.3.3.3 Pride of the Will and Intellect................................................................101 5.3.3.4 Spiritual Pride ........................................................................................102
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