The Cloud Of Unknowing By Anonymous

This short book written hundreds of years ago by an unknown Monk is interesting, concise, humbling and relevant even today for the Christian who is seriously curious about delving into the spiritual realm of a contemplative.

This is not a “scholarly” writing, but that of a mentor to his friends whom he wants to instruct on how to go deeper in their walk with Christ. Some of the writing is a bit difficult at first to understand, you must read with a meditative reading style. I would alsonsuggestnreading it out loud as it will help with your attention and understanding.

The author expresses that this will be a difficult read for someone knew to the thoughts of a contemplative lifestyle. He recommends that you need to read this through two or three times to fully grasp the thoughts and lessons.

He also acknowledges that this task will be hard work. It doesn’t come easy. It doesn’t come quickly. It is a calling from God. But after all the hard labor the rewards are worth it.

I think that this translation by Harper Collins is well done and worth your consideration.

Enjoy!

THIS BOOK IS A LITTLE GEM.
Not a light or a fast read; as it is written in ‘old English” sentence construct style and takes
an intention to being open to the message and not getting hung up on the wording.
I let the words flow through me and they unpack on their own.
It takes a contemplative approach to this book. I LOVE IT!

Il testo è un classico capolavoro della spiritualità medievale, nulla dire!
Il voto totalmente negativo è per l’ennesima frode di Amazon che ancora una volta mi ha rifilato delle fotocopie stampate dallo stesso Amazon sotto forma di pseudo libro!!!!!
Basterebbe che scrivessero chiaramente che lo stampano loro e lasciar decidere al cliente, invece ormai Amazon è un specialista di questi inganni e soltanto dovrebbe vergognarsi!!!!!
Ovviamente immediatamente restituito!!!!

I bought it for the reason that it says it’s a Christian classic, and also I’d heard a lot about this book while reading about Christian mysticism. It’s such a great book. The author is warmhearted, witty, genial, down-to-earth, very mature, contemplative, deep type of a guy. After I left the book for a while, I had the sense of a “true peace” and a “comfort with God” ( his words in quotations ) when coming back to it.

Evelyn Underhill writes the Introduction and says ” The MS from which it was made is unknown to us.” It’s still controversial who the author really was. But it was written around the latter half of the fourteenth century, England. There are so many things around and about him such as his other books, his being a cloistered monk, his being a Carthusian etc. which are still uncertain and unprovable.

No doubt that the book is a mystical treatise. It talks about how to get to God by going over the cloud of unknowing leaving behind the cloud of forgetting. All just have to be between you and God, other things else have to be forgotten. It’s the “speedily springing unto God as a sparkle from the coal.” There are two kinds of the church life, the active life and the contemplative life. The active life is the life of busying with all kind of religious activities such as helping the poor, the needy, and doing other charity works. The contemplative life “should be occupied, in reading, thinking, and praying” and “contemplative sitteth in peace with one thing.” His view of praying is that, “Prayer in itself properly is not else, but a devout intent direct unto God, for getting of good and removing of evil.” And God is, ” The everlastingness of God is His length. His love is His breadth. His might is His height. And His wisdom is His deepness.”

The quotations were just to let you know of how he writes and his main ideas. I would recommend this book for anyone, religious, or mystic. I love the author so much, he makes me feel that there’s still something good left of our humanity.