Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
51st out of 150 books
—
15 voters
The Cloud of Unknowing and Other Works
In the fourteenth century there was a great flourishing of religious writings in English, both orthodox and heretical. Many of these works focused on Christ's Passion and humanity, whereas The Cloud of Unknowing describes an abstract, transcendent God beyond human knowledge and human language. Drawing upon radically different traditions, it is a rich work full of intriguin...more
Paperback, 208 pages
Published
January 29th 2002
by Penguin Classics
(first published May 30th 1961)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
428)
Very liberating ideas about accessibility to God. The plan of establishing a "cloud of forgetting" between you and everything that was ever created. Then to work on piercing through a "cloud of unknowing" which separates from truly knowing God as He exists within Himself.
This theology is very appealing and quite extraordinary in coming from an author assumed to be a Catholic monk as the author describes the process as being a personal journey, "free from any intermediaries".
The author leads the...more
This theology is very appealing and quite extraordinary in coming from an author assumed to be a Catholic monk as the author describes the process as being a personal journey, "free from any intermediaries".
The author leads the...more
very solid and interesting book. I definitely recommend it to anyone with any theological interest. You have to be dedicated and committed to reading it, but it without a doubt pays off and is an interesting and thought provoking read.
Professor Spearing retains the density and ambiguity of the original Middle English and understands and preserves the author's preoccupation with the vernacular as a medium of religious discourse. His introduction is very informative and introduces the reader to most of the Cloud-author's important arguments and ideas. His discussion of the Cloud-author's cup and wine metaphor is particularly interesting and highlights the work's complexity. Professor Spearing's translation is the best that I ha...more
The Cloud of Unknowing: So crush all knowledge and experience of created things and of yourself above all. For it is on your own self-knowledge and experience that the knowledge and experience of everything else depend.
Heraclitus: Most do not perceive things in the way they encounter them, nor do they understand what they have learned but instead take belief from their own opinions.
David Bowie: Don't believe in yourself/don't deceive with belief/knowledge comes with death's release.
The Chandogya...more
Heraclitus: Most do not perceive things in the way they encounter them, nor do they understand what they have learned but instead take belief from their own opinions.
David Bowie: Don't believe in yourself/don't deceive with belief/knowledge comes with death's release.
The Chandogya...more
Anonymous medieval mystical work on knowing God through accepting His total mystery in the "cloud of unknowing." Although the work is written for contemplatives, it has much to teach any serious Christian. The book focuses on God's grace and its necessity in finding Him, a somewhat unusual theme for a medieval work.
I felt an urge to reread "The Cloud of Unknowing" this Lent, so I dug out our copy and read it slowly, as one should. I found it most helpful to my efforts at contemplative prayer, filled with practical advice and simple steps one can/should take.
I have read the book and also have the Hovel House audiobook. It has been quite an inspiring writing in releasing my views and allowing more. Love the Hovel House recording but can't beat a book in hand.
I could not concentrate on this book and skimmed the last third of it. I'm sure it will be helpful to others, but perhaps I read it too soon after reading Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ, which is very similar and which I prefer.
Despite having been in the written in the Middle Ages, no other texts I've read collapse the distance between one's self and whatever one considers to be infinite so well. Using langauge, they try to strip away the conventions of language to bare expereince. Because the period in which they were composed is distant, it is much easier to peel off the Medieval Catholic theology in which they are imbedded and begin to grasp what the words are actually pointing at than it would be if the same were p...more
Nov 16, 2011
Anne D.
is currently reading it
Very grateful that a reading group directed me to this translation, still, I'm reading it very slowly.
One of the best things to quote back at people who quote Julian of Norwich at you.
A great book to help reflect ok the power of love and our need for God.
Mystical search Manuel deeper
Typical religous banter
INi buku tentang mistisisme Inggris abad keempatbela. Di mana Tuhan dikenali melalui jalan penyangkalan. Kita tidak akan pernah mengenal Tuhan kecuali melalui Cinta. Tak diketahui siapa penulisnya.
One of the early texts on Christian mysticism, formulated before The Imitation of Christ, which it arguably informed. I found it quite dense going, but then, I'm not a theologian.
sorta uneasy about all the godlove herein but the whole base idea of the thing was liberating and swirly.
If you are even somewhat familiar with Middle English, I'd recommend hunting down the untranslated version. It's absolutely beautiful.
A profound book of contemplation by a 14th Century monk. Originally attributed to Thomas a Kempis (Imitation of Christ).
This is a great book, its not for everyone or anything but I just totally dig it a hundred percent.
"finished"
Jun 04, 2013
Matt
marked it as to-read
Jun 03, 2013
Jinda Jenkins green
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:
* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
More about Anonymous...
* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author
Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
