B63 1;>C2 >4 C=9=>D7=5. 7BA 7=63@7B0=13 0=2 7BA 7=63@7B>@A 8EQIV 6MOHMVGL 0 BLIUMU AWFPMVVIH JRT VLI 2IKTII RJ ?L2 EV VLI CQMXITUMV[ RJ AV$ 0QHTIYU '-,+ 4WOO PIVEHEVE JRT VLMU MVIP MU EXEMOEFOI MQ @IUIETGL/AV0QHTIYU.4WOOBIZV EV. LVVS.%%TIUIETGL#TISRUMVRT[$UV#EQHTIYU$EG$WN% ?OIEUI WUI VLMU MHIQVMJMIT VR GMVI RT OMQN VR VLMU MVIP. LVVS.%%LHO$LEQHOI$QIV%'&&()%(+-* BLMU MVIP MU STRVIGVIH F[ RTMKMQEO GRS[TMKLV BLMU MVIP MU OMGIQUIH WQHIT E 1TIEVMXI 1RPPRQU ;MGIQUI The Cloud of Unknowing: Its Inheritance and its Inheritors by JANET HILDITCH Thesis submitted in application for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Divinity, St. Mary's. College at the University of St. Andrews 1987 NI ' , ý/ llRýANý - I certify that Janet Hilditch has fulfilled the conditions of the Resolution of the University Court, 1967, No. 1 (as amended), and is qualified to submit this thesis in application for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. --J, ,,,r I was admitted as ,a researc student under Ordinance 350 (General No. 12) on 1 October 1981 ad as a candidate for the degree of Ph. D. under Resolution of the University Court, 1967, No. 1 (as amended) on 1 October 1982. The following thesis is based on the results of research carried out by myself, in my own composition, and has not previously been presented for a higher degree. The research was carried out in the University of St. Andrews under the supervision of Professor J. K. Cameron. .... ßIU" ... ".. l; In submitting this thesis to the University of St Andrews I understand that I am giving permission for it to be made available for use in accordance with the regulations of the University Library, for the time being enforced, subject to any copyright vested in the work not being affected thereby. I also understand that the title and abstract will be published and that the copy of the work may be made and supplied to any bona fide Library or research worker. Abstract of Thesis 'The Cloud of Unknowing: Its Inheritance and Its Inheritors'. The thesis attempts a portrait of The Cloud in the context of its position in the history of Christian mysticism., That the anonymous work owed much to spiritual writers of the preceding. twelve hundred years is not debatable; what it owed maybe slightly less obvious. The Cloud is essentially a work of Dionysian mysticism, and various writers within that tradition who may have influenced or affected the teaching of The Cloud are examined. At the same time, however, the anonymous writer owes much to the western tradition of Augustinian theology, and the role of this, complementary to the Dionysian mysticism, is also considered. In Chapter II we look at the theological doctrine underlying the mystical doctrine of the Cloud corpus. Chapter III has two major parts, both concerned with the influence of The Cloud on the subsequent development of spiritual writing in England. The first considers the relationship with Walter Hilton. The second examines aspects of Puritan thought which may indicate that the influence of The Cloud, after the Reformation, was not restricted to Catholic thought. I wish to thank a number of people who have contributed to the' producing of this work. My supervisor, Professor J. K. Cameron, for all his help and encouragement. Katherine Roberts for the hours and the effort put into the immaculate typing. My parents, who have helped more than they can know. My husband; who has helped and supported me in every way imaginable; and our son, whose contribution is rather harder to define. Thank you very much, all of you. a CONTENTS Preface: The Current State of Research on The Cloud. p. 1: Chapter I: The Influences on The Cloud. i) The Dionysian Tradition, p. 9 ii) The Augustinian Tradition, p. 59 Chapter II: The Theology of The Cloud. p. 93 Chapter III: The Influences of The Cloud. i) The late Middle-Ages, p. 148 ii) An unacknowledged influence in English spirituality? p. 170 Afterword: p. 208 PREFACE: THE CURRENTSTATE OF RESEARCHON THE CLOUD Christian spirituality, and specifically mysticism, is currently enjoying a major resurgence of interest, not simply among devout lay-men, but also among scholars of Christian theology, a fact borne witness to both by the numbers of books and articles now appearing on the subject, and by the many new editions of actual mystical texts which now crowd the shelves of all theological bookshops. Amongthose many rediscovered works is The Cloud of Unknowing, its very title an invitation to study and read. Many aspects of the work, and the six other treatises almost' ' certainly all penned by the same author have been'considered by its commentators - including, very intriguingly, a comparison with Zen Buddhism'; it may even seem that the last word has been spoken on The Cloud, that every one of its ideas and utterances has been thoroughly examined, and all that is left to would-be commentators is to comment on their fore-runners. Relatively few books are given over entirely to the Cloud corpus, the bulk of study is to be found in general books about mysticism, books on the English mystics in particular, and numerous articles. But among these, a great deal of ground has already been covered, and the major contributor to the collective work, on The Cloud, and undisputed expert, is Phyllis Hodgson. In her editions of all the known works of the author in the EETS series, complete with comprehensive introductions, and in numerous articles, she shows herself equally conversant with all the major issues of theology, background sources and influences, 2 and possible authorship. The other major contributors include Dom David Knowles, Dom Justin McCann, Evelyn Underhill, J. P. H. Clark, Fr. Constantino Nieva and Fr. William Johnston. Study of the manuscripts of the Cloud corpus has been carried out comprehensively by Dr.. Hodgson, who has collated all the information available on each of the seventeen existing manuscripts, which, along with her minute textual study, contributes much to our knowledge of other areas of interest, for example the history of its dissemination, its possible sources, and even the question of authorship. The issue of authorship is one which, indeed, seemed for a long time to dominate all study, even over and above that of the content of the works. However, we must ask whether the answer is any nearer than it was in 1500 when Grenehalgh first attempted to end the mystery by identifying the anonymous man with Walter Hilton. {Hilton is undoubtedly the most serious contender for the title, his claims being considered over and again in this century aloneýby Dom Noetinger2', DomMcCann3, Dr. Hodgson4, Ms. Gardner5, and Fr. Nieva6. It would certainly. be a convenient solution, but it is-by no means a convincing one. The relationship between the author of The Cloud and Hilton is discussed at length below; suffice it to say here that, inuthis thesis, they are not regarded as being one and the 7 same person. To claim that, as strong evidence shows us, because two men lived in the same area, at the same time, and wrote on the same subject, they were in fact one man, involves. a tremendous leap of logic which in fact is too weak to withstand the weight of other evidence. 3 Inevitable failure to name the man who wished to, remain nameless has led to the attempt to paint a picture of him at least, even if it is impossible to put a name beneath it. Again, a great deal of this must be, conjecture, some of which may be more valuable than the rest. The one certain thing is that he was a mystic well advanced in the contemplative life; as regards anything else, where there is no proof, some conclusions are at least more probable than others. For example, Fr. Nieva seems to wish to intimate that the writer need not necessarily have been an ordained priest8. Against this is his respect for the authority of the priesthood coupled with his own very obvious tone of authority. There is likewise discussion as to whether the author was a recluse, a member of an-enclosed order, or lived as a secular priest. In The Cloud itself we find evidence that he had lived the communal life9, which suggests an order, but not the Carthusian, however tempting this association is when we consider the many links between The Cloud and the, Carthusiansl°. Such discussion, while interesting, is not necessarily enlightening, and it seems that, in the study of The Cloud the chapter on authorship has been winding to a necessarily inconclusive and really-rather welcome close. What the corpus of writings has to say is of far greater value than the identity of its author, and when our - understanding of it is not impaired by his anonymity, it-is perhaps as well-to leave it so. This is not the case, however,, with another area which has likewise already been the subject of much scrutiny and study, namely, the literary sources of The Cloud. As with the 4 authorship, it is a study which can never be 'concluded', but there is both more scope, and more justification, for research in this area. A great deal has been carried out by the afore- mentioned scholars, but it is such a vast field that there still remains much to be done. One very commonfault among studies already carried out is that, *while names are mentioned with great frequency, not much more is done with them, "there is little attempt to describe how St.