The Doctrine of St. John of the Cross: The Structure of the Human Person

Abstract

As the opening words of his Precautions suggest, all of John’s works were written to teach his readers how to attain “union with God” in a short time (see also Counsels, i & x, and the heading of the Ascent). The three major treatises (Ascent-Night, Canticle, and Flame), composed as commentaries on mystical poems, describe the various experiences and obstacles which one encounters on the way to this goal. If today the teaching of John of the Cross (and that of his companion, St. Teresa) is “regarded by most continental scholars as the point of reference to which all other writings [in the field of mystical theology] must be brought” (Dicken 1963, p. 5), it is largely because he was more successful than any of his predecessors in giving a complete and systematic account of mystical phenomena, and in clearly distinguishing the principal phases of spiritual development.