The Golden Epistle: A Letter to the Brethren at Mont Dieu

by William Of Saint Thierry, Theodore Berkeley (Translator)

An apology for a transcendent way of life, a practical guide to transcendence, time-proven ascesis and deep spiritual insight—warm, personal, practical, lofty, sublime, mystical—justly is it called, The Golden Epistle. William's rich and many faceted personality, made richer by years of pastoral care and personal experience of the Divine, shines through as the wise old monk shares with a novice, and traces out for him the sure way to the fulfillment of all his deepest aspirations.

Since it first appeared in 1145 William of St Thierry's Letter to the Brethren has been reproduced many times in many languages and men of each succeeding age have found it still "Golden." It speaks to men of every age because it speaks to man and to what is deepest in him, his unquenchable desire to transcend himself and find the fullest meaning of his being, personal union with the Divine.

While the Epistle will be of greatest interest to those whoa re striving for a deeper, richer inner life, its value nonetheless goes beyond this. It contains a theology which promises many new insights as it invites the theologian to consider his object from William's uncommon vantage points. For the historian it is a gold mine relating as it does numerous details of the everyday life of the ordinary monk of the twelfth century. For one who wants to know William better, a very personal, existential theologian of genius and depth and a great spiritual master, this his penultimate work, a labor of leisure and love, is most revealing. For any perceptive reader it will be a source of pleasure for, as Etienne Gilson has aptly said, "William has everything: power of thought, the orator's eloquence, the poet's lyricism and all the drawing power of an intensely ardent and very human man of God."

Genres: Spirituality, Theology, Medieval

117 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1145

Reviews

[Alex Strohschein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic work of medieval (ascetical) theology that was for long attributed to other writers, including William of Saint-Thierry's friend, St. Bernard of Clairvaux. William examines the spiritual life, distilling how the believer gradually evolves or progresses from the "animal" to the "rational" to the "spiritual" man. I was struck by this passage:

It is called unity of spirit not only because the Holy Spirit brings it about or inclines a man's spirit to it, but because it is the Holy Spirit himself, the God who is Charity. He who is the Love of Father and Son, their Unity, Sweetness, Good, Kiss, Embrace and whatever else they can have in common in that supreme unity of truth and truth of unity, becomes for man in regard to God in the manner appropriate to him what he is for the Son in regard to the Father or for the Father in regard to the Son through unity of substance. The soul in its happiness finds itself standing midway in the Embrace and the Kiss of Father and Son. In a manner which exceeds description and thought, the man of God is found worthy to become not God but what God is, that is to say man becomes through grace what God is by nature (pp. 95-96).

[Damien Rappuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent treatise in mystical theology of the progression of a monk through the spiritual life in the knowledge of God. This should be read by all monks.

[John Medendorp · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful little treatise by William of St. Thierry on how to be a good Christian. Has some good stuff on asceticism and spiritual discipline.