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with The Book of Truth & The Sparkling Stone
author: Jan van Ruysbroeck
This is an incredibly powerful book - covering the most important works of the 14th century Flemish mystic Jan van Ruysbroeck. At the age of eleven van Ruysbroeck left his home in the country village of Ruysbroeck to journey to the city of Brussels, where he came under the tutelage of his uncle, the Reverend Jan Hinckaert, a priest and canon of the Cathedral of St. Gudule. At the age of twenty-four he took holy orders, and was presented with a prebend (a stipend or pension from the cathedral) in St. Gudule's, where he would serve as a chaplain for over twenty-five years. It was during this time that a conflict developed between van Ruysbroeck and the heretical sect, the Brethern of the Free Spirit.
In 1343, at the age of fifty, van Ruysbroeck and two older companions, Jan Hinckaert and Franco de Coudenberg, left Brussels to live the life of hermits in the vale of Groenendael, in the heart of the forest Soignes. In March of 1349, because of the followers they had attracted, they adopted the rule of the Augustinian Canons. the community of Augustinian Canons developed into a very strong community, and it was here, in the midst of the forest, that van Ruysboeck did most of his writing. Eleven of his works have survived, in various manuscripts. Three of his books are presented within the context of this present book. To me, it is such a marvel that works from back this far are available for us to study.
The translation has been done very well, in my opinion. The language and phraseology are easily understandable, and written to the level that the "common man" could read and interpret it. (As with all religious writings, there are levels of understanding here, and hidden or symbolic meanings, but this does not take away from the understanding that an average person could obtain from this material.)
The Adornment of the Sacred Marriage is a commentary written on the biblical text "Behold, the Bridegroom cometh: go ye out to meet him." It is a form of spiritual instruction, as it explains in detail how to place religion actively in your life. Because the understanding that it contains can be interpreted on many levels, is can also be seen as a manual on living the mystical life. I found the book intriguing, as my childhood church studies came back to me. Needless to say, now I see them in an entirely different light!
The first book (which comprises almost three-quarters of the present book) also introduces the mechanism of the sacred trinity - each thought or action is presented in the form of three. The development of the soul is traced through the active life of Christian virtue, through the inner life of contemplation, and through the super-essential life of union with God.
The Sparkling Stone discusses the three-fold division of man: the three things through which a man becomes good; the three things through which man becomes inward; and the three things through which a man becomes God-seeing. van Ruysboeck also writes of the five kinds of sinners, and the difference between the hirelings and the faithful servants of God. He then goes on to the difference between the faithful servants and the secret friends of God, the difference between the secret friends and the hidden sons of God, and how we may become hidden sons of God and attain to the God-seeing life. This is also where I had to remember the time period this work was written in, and pay close attention to one simple word: abysmal. I will not share the secret here, but the meaning does not come close to modern day usage!
The Book of Truth explores the three degrees of union with God, but it is also van Ruysboeck's defense against the charges of pantheism that were being made against him at the time of the writing.
I found this material easy to follow, well translated, and presented in a manner that was easily accessible. This is excellent reference material, and could easily be used for either personal or group study. It has a place in the library of anyone interested in mysticism, or in the study of religion per se.
Bonnie Cehovet
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