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John of the Cross

This book examines the distinctive account of desire developed in the writings of the Spanish Discalced Carmelite friar John of the Cross (1542–1591), and locates its vital significance for modern depictions of Christian life and the transformation of the self. It contends that John’s delineation of the changes that are undergone by the ‘soul’ in the spiritual ascent is rooted in a distinctive, systematic, and neglected theological vision. A rich notion of desire animates his poetry and prose works and draws with creativity and novelty on biblical, Platonic, and Christian sources. This book traces the crucial role played by this underlying erotic driver of the spiritual ascent, and suggests that it represents a unique working out of the scholastic narrative of the graced transformation of the sensory appetites and the faculties of intellect, memory, and will. This is a neglected vision of the transformation of the self through the progressive purification of desire, which has the potential to significantly enrich current theological interest in desire and the self.