The Cloud of Unknowing

The Cloud of Unknowing (English: The Cloud of Unknowing ) is the title of a book on the mystical path, which is at the end of the 14th century created ( around 1390 ) in England in Middle English vernacular. Because the author does not reveal his name in his work, it has become naturalized in the research, to talk about the Cloud -author.

The central biblical image that gave the font its name, is the cloud on the summit of Mount Sinai, God, within which was able to experience God Moses ( Exodus 16:10). To ensure that the central content of the work is named: the spiritual union of man with God, in which man gets beyond the normal range of knowledge comprehending reason out, and so God learns to übervernünftige way.

The spiritual formation of cloud - author includes psychological details that, although all developed from Christianity ago, a certain structural analogy to Asian Kontemplationsformen, in particular for Zen Buddhism have. Rediscovering the medieval font " Cloud of Unknowing " in the 20th century just happened by supporters or sympathizers of the Christian Zen movement. For this reason, a vibrant interreligious discussion focuses both in Anglo-Saxon countries and in Germany ignited, was always controversial disputed in on the " Cloud of Unknowing " ( in German Catholic area particularly by Willi Massa, Willigis hunters and Hans Urs von Balthasar ).

Author and work

The Cloud - author has, according to medieval custom that placed no value on consign his name to posterity. Some details of his person, however, can be derived easily from the work: The Cloud -author was an expert in the contemplative life priest who was asked in writing by different people to spiritual guidance. The writings, who has written the Cloud -author, bear witness to his great theological education: In the Cloud of Unknowing be theological thought of John Cassian, Augustine, Gregory the Great, Anselm of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvaux, the three Victorines Hugo, Richard and Thomas Gallus Vercellensis, Hugh of Balma, Bonaventure, Thomas Aquinas, and many more handles. This biographical details along with the manuscript tradition have lead in research at a consensus: The Cloud -author must have been a bordering certainly a Carthusian priest who lay readers formed both for young members of the Order as well as a large circle of would submit a spiritual direction. Probably lived the Cloud -author in the Charterhouse Beauval in Yorkshire.

Although the " Cloud of Unknowing " the most famous work from the pen of the author 's cloud, so should not be overlooked his other writings. Secured are:

• The Book of Privy Counsel (Book of mystical instruction ): an instruction to the mystical way that is aimed at the advanced student and already presupposes knowledge about the prayer theology.

• Epistle of Prayer ( letter on prayer ): an introduction to the basics of prayer theology, which shows how the initially weak prayer impulse to grow in the human heart and so can mature up to the edge of mystical prayer.

• Epistle of Discretion of Stirrings ( Letter on the differentiation of emotions ): Instruction how a person can distinguish its drives and motives at the career choice, so as to find out whether he is called to the mystical path.

Also from the pen of the author, but it does not completely stand-alone works, but adaptations of Latin originals into Middle English, are:

• Denis Hid Divinity, a creative transfer of the Latin version of the Mystica Theologia of Dionysius the Pseudo- Areopagite.

• Study of Wisdom, a trimmed and firming transmission of Benjamin Minor of Richard of St. Victor.

A final script was now separated you from the research as improper font, but still adjusts to the theology of cloud - author and should therefore be interpreted with the other cloud texts together:

• A Treatise of the Discretion of Spirits is a paraphrase of two sermons of St.. Bernard of Clairvaux on the question of how one can distinguish which serve internal ideas and intuitions to the growth of people and what psycho- spiritual harm him.

Theological content

The basic idea can be summarized as follows: Only when man radically emptied during the contemplation of the world, it can be quite satisfied with God. Thus, in order to arrive at an experience of God, the petitioner has any thoughts, chains of association, self-talk, considerations and the like empty and silent place, so cover as it were with a "cloud of forgetting ". Now directed the silent mind of man, after he has any thoughts to the "cloud of forgetting " covered up, to touch God, it is evident that God is not a finite object, the man with the comprehending reason ( intellectus ) may include. Only with the ecstatic will assets ( affectus ) the human can rise - and touch God above the reason in the " Cloud of Unknowing " knowingly.

This basic idea leads the Cloud -author in five different considerations continued:

• Psychologically: The cloud -author gives the worshiper tips on how he can make intrusive thoughts that bother him during contemplation, silent, and explains in detail how he is able to persevere in the midst of the "cloud of forgetting " and the " Cloud of Unknowing ".

• Ontological: The Cloud -author attempts to show how the mind can ascend to God by taking his being into view. The human being- flows from the divine source of being ( by creatio continua ); if the petitioner so tracked with his mind his own being- to the divine source of being into it, then he can mentally (not ontologically! ) are drawn into the Trinitarian life of God - and thus united with God.

• Christo Logical: The contemplation of man is following Christ. Christ was in fact robbed at the crossroads of his clothes and had to go into the dark cross. The Contemplative takes precisely this self-emptying of Christ after ( as far as man can understand it ) when he strips himself from his thoughts and enters the dark contemplative prayer.

• Eschatological if man perseveres in the cloud of ignorance, then he is, as in the mystical purgatory, is cleaned of all poor posture and so immediately prepared for the mystical union.

• Erotic: How the bride is married to the groom in the Song of Songs, the prayer is God wedded to the higher stages of the mystical path, and is therefore one spirit with him.