Dark Night of the Soul

St. John of the Cross

Dark Night of the Soul

St. John of the Cross

Translated by E. Allison Peers from the critical edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa.

Dover Thrift Editions. General Editor: Paul Negri. Editor of this volume: T. N. R. Rogers.

Copyright

Introductory Note copyright © 2003 by Dover Publications, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Bibliographical Note

This Dover edition, first published in 2003, is a republication of Dark Night of the Soul from Volume I of the revised (1953) edition of The Complete Works of Saint John of the Cross, Doctor of the Church, translated and edited by E. Allison Peers from the critical edition of P. Silverio de Santa Teresa, C. D., which was originally published by The Newman Press, Westminister, Maryland, in 1935. The text is unabridged, but some of Silverio’s and Peers’s footnotes and the second part of Silverio’s introduction have been omitted. We have written a new introductory Note especially for the Dover edition.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

John of the Cross, Saint, 1542–1591

[Noche oscura del alma. English]

Dark night of the soul / St. John of the Cross; translated by E. Allison Peers; from the critical edition of Silverio de Santa Teresa.

p. cm.

Originally published: 3rd ed. Westminster, Md.: Newman Press, 1953. With new introd.

9780486115535

1: Mysticism—Catholic Church. I. Peers, E. Allison (Edgar Allison), 1891–1952. II. Silverio, of St. Teresa, 1878-1954. III. Title.

BV5082.3.J6513 2003

248.2’2—dc21

2002041721

Manufactured in the United States by Courier Corporation

42693905

To the Discalced Carmelites of Castile, with abiding memories of their hospitality and kindness in Madrid, Avila and Burgos, but above all of their devotion to Saint John of the Cross, I dedicate this translation.