For those who wish to know the "intimate" St. John of the Cross, you probably could do no better than to read the very brief, but very rich "Sayings of Light and Love" from which the quotation below is extracted.
16. O sweetest love of God, so little known, whoever has found this rich mine is at rest!
Where your heart is, there is your treasure. Where your treasure is, so you will find your heart. I can think of no greater treasure than the love of God, and yet my heart dwells there so infrequently.
Hi Steve,
I was wondering which book and translation of St John of the Cross would you recommend the most for beginners. And also for St Teresa of Avila? I couldn't finish my books and then I realized they were all translated by Allison Peers. In your opinion is there a better translator or is it the material itself that's the problem?
Thanks,
Hannah
Dear Hannah,
St. John of the Cross is very difficult to understand properly even in the best translations. However, Peers's translations are in an artificially archaic language that seeks to preserve the Spanish of St. John of the Cross. Many people like these translations; however, I always recommend the translation of Kiernan Kavanaugh and Otilio Rogriguez which is available through the Institute of Carmelite Studies. All of the translations of the ICS are up-to-date and accurate to the highest degree. These are what I would recommend.
In addition, I would also recommend reading the intro to The Collected Works and following the path they suggest there through the works. Many people try to leap right into Dark Night or Ascent, both of which are tough; they recommend the Spiritual Canticle and Living Flame of Love after The Sayings of Light and Love.
Hope this helps some. If you need more,please write.
shalom,
Steven
Thanks for your recommendation. I think you're referring to the Collect Works that I saw on Amazon. I'll get that one and try again.
I found Allison Peer's footnotes to be distracting as well. Tons and tons of footnotes about minute variations in the text. Not one footnote to explain a historical reference or provide some context.