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St John of the Cross – Dark Night of the Soul

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St John of the Cross – Dark Night of the Soul Dark Night of the Soul St. John of the Cross Dark Night of the Soul St. John of the Cross Table of Contents About This Book. p. ii Title Page. p. 1 Preface to the Electronic Edition. p. 2 Principal Abbreviations. p. 3 Introduction. p. 4 Manuscripts Of The Dark Night. p. 9 Prologue. p. 13 Book The First. p. 15 Chapter I. Sets down the first line and begins to treat of the imperfections of beginners.. p. 15 Chapter II. Of certain spiritual imperfections which beginners have with respect to the habit of pride.. p. 16 Chapter III. Of some imperfections which some of these souls are apt to have, with respect to the second capital sin, which is avarice, in the spiritual sense.. p. 19 Chapter IV. Of other imperfections which these beginners are apt to have with respect to the third sin, which is luxury.. p. 20 Chapter V. Of the imperfections into which beginners fall with respect to the sin of wrath.. p. 23 Chapter VI. Of imperfections with respect to spiritual gluttony.. p. 24 Chapter VII. Of imperfections with respect to spiritual envy and sloth.. p. 27 Chapter VIII. Wherein is expounded the first line of the first stanza, and a beginning is made of the explanation of this dark night.. p. 28 Chapter IX. Of the signs by which it will be known that the spiritual person is walking along the way of this night and purgation of sense.. p. 30 Chapter X. Of the way in which these souls are to conduct themselves in this dark night.. p. 33 Chapter XI. Wherein are expounded the three lines of the stanza.. p. 35 Chapter XII. Of the benefits which this night causes in the soul.. p. 37 Chapter XIII. Of other benefits which this night of sense causes in the soul.. p. 40 Chapter XIV. Expounds this last line of the first stanza.. p. 43 Book The Second. p. 46 Chapter I. Which begins to treat of the dark nights of the spirit and says at what time it begins.. p. 46 iii Dark Night of the Soul St. John of the Cross Chapter II. Describes other imperfections which belong to these proficients.. p. 47 Chapter III. Annotation for that which follows.. p. 48 Chapter IV. Sets down the first stanza and the exposition thereof.. p. 50 Chapter V. Sets down the first line and begins to explain how this dark contemplation is not only night for the soul but is also grief and torment.. p. 51 Chapter VI. Of other kinds of pain that the soul suffers in this night.. p. 53 Chapter VII. Continues the same matter and considers other afflictions end constraints of the will.. p. 55 Chapter VIII. Of other pains which afflict the soul in this state.. p. 59 Chapter IX. How, although this night brings darkness to the spirit, it does so in order to illumine it and give it light.. p. 61 Chapter X. Explains this purgation fully by a comparison.. p. 65 Chapter XI. Begins to explain the second line of the first stanza. Describes how, as the fruit of these rigorous constraints, the soul finds itself with the vehement passion of Divine love.. p. 68 Chapter XII. Shows how this horrible night is purgatory, and how in it the Divine wisdom illumines men on earth with the same illumination that purges and illumines the angels in Heaven.. p. 70 Chapter XIII. Of other delectable effects which are wrought in the soul by this dark night of contemplation.. p. 72 Chapter XIV. Wherein are set down and explained the last three lines of the first stanza.. p. 76 Chapter XV. Sets down the second stanza and its exposition.. p. 77 Chapter XVI. Explains how, though in darkness, the soul walks securely.. p. 78 Chapter XVII. Explains how this dark contemplation is secret.. p. 83 Chapter XVIII. Explains how this secret wisdom is likewise a ladder.. p. 86 Chapter XIX. Begins to explain the ten steps of the mystic ladder of Divine love, according to Saint Bernard and Saint Thomas. The first five are here treated.. p. 87 Chapter XX. Wherein are treated the other five steps of love.. p. 90 Chapter XXI. Which explains the word `disguised,' and describes the colours of the disguise of the soul in this night.. p. 92 Chapter XXII. Explains the third line of the second stanza.. p. 95 Chapter XXIII. Expounds the fourth line and describes the wondrous hiding place wherein the soul is set during this night. Shows how, although the devil has an entrance into other places that are very high, he has none into this.. p. 96 iv Dark Night of the Soul St. John of the Cross Chapter XXIV. Completes the explanation of the second stanza.. p. 101 Chapter XXV. Wherein is expounded the third stanza.. p. 102 Indexes. p. 104 Index of Scripture References. p. 104 Latin Words and Phrases. p. 105 v Dark Night of the Soul St. John of the Cross vi Dark Night of the Soul St. John of the Cross DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL by Saint John of the Cross DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH THIRD REVISED EDITION Translated and edited, with an Introduction, by E. ALLISON PEERS from the critical edition of P. SILVERIO DE SANTA TERESA, C.D. TO THE DISCALCED CARMELITES OF CASTILE, WITH ABIDING MEMORIES OF THEIR HOSPITALITY AND KINDNESS IN MADRID, ÁVILA AND BURGOS, BUT ABOVE ALL OF THEIR DEVOTION TO SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS, I DEDICATE THIS TRANSLATION Dark Night of the Soul St. John of the Cross PREFACE TO THE ELECTRONIC EDITION This electronic edition (v 0.9) was scanned in 1994 from an uncopyrighted 1959 Image Books third edition of the Dark Night. The entire text except for the translator's preface and some of the footnotes have been reproduced. Nearly 400 footnotes (and parts of footnotes) describing variations among manuscripts have been omitted. Page number references in the footnotes have been changed to chapter and section where possible. This edition has been proofread once, but additional errors may remain. The translator's preface to the first and second editions may be found with the electronic edition of Ascent of Mount Carmel. 2 Dark Night of the Soul St. John of the Cross PRINCIPAL ABBREVIATIONS A.V.ÐAuthorized Version of the Bible (1611). D.V.ÐDouai Version of the Bible (1609). C.W.S.T.J.ÐThe Complete Works of Saint Teresa of Jesus, translated and edited by E. Allison Peers from the critical edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, C.D. London, Sheed and Ward, 1946. 3 vols. H.ÐE. Allison Peers: Handbook to the Life and Times of St. Teresa and St. John of the Cross. London, Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1953. LL.ÐThe Letters of Saint Teresa of Jesus, translated and edited by E. Allison Peers from the critical edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, C.D. London, Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1951. 2 vols. N.L.M.ÐNational Library of Spain (Biblioteca Nacional), Madrid. Obras (P. Silv.)ÐObras de San Juan de la Cruz, Doctor de la Iglesia, editadas y anotadas por el P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, C.D. Burgos, 1929±31. 5 vols. S.S.M.ÐE. Allison Peers: Studies of the Spanish Mystics. Vol. I, London, Sheldon Press, 1927; 2nd ed., London, S.P.C.K., 1951. Vol. II, London, Sheldon Press, 1930. Sobrino.ÐJose Antonio de Sobrino, S.J.: Estudios sobre San Juan de la Cruz y nuevos textos de su obra. Madrid, 1950. 3 Dark Night of the Soul St. John of the Cross DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL INTRODUCTION SOMEWHAT reluctantly, out of respect for a venerable tradition, we publish the Dark Night as a separate treatise, though in reality it is a continuation of the Ascent of Mount Carmel and fulfils the undertakings given in it: The first night or purgation is of the sensual part of the soul, which is treated in the present stanza, and will be treated in the first part of this book. And the second is of the spiritual part; of this speaks the second stanza, which follows; and of this we shall treat likewise, in the second and the third part, with respect to the activity of the soul; and in the fourth part, with respect to its passivity.1 This `fourth part' is the Dark Night. Of it the Saint writes in a passage which follows that just quoted: 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 God. And this latter night is a more obscure and dark and terrible purgation, as we shall say afterwards.2 In his three earlier books he has written of the Active Night, of Sense and of Spirit; he now proposes to deal with the Passive Night, in the same order. He has already taught us how we are to deny and purify ourselves with the ordinary help of grace, in order to prepare our senses and faculties for union with God through love. He now proceeds to explain, with an arresting freshness, how these same senses and faculties are purged and purified by God with a view to the same endÐthat of union. The combined description of the two nights completes the presentation of active and passive purgation, to which the Saint limits himself in these treatises, although the subject of the stanzas which he is glossing is a much wider one, comprising the whole of the mystical life and ending only with the Divine embraces of the soul transformed in God through love.
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