Transformation of Perspectives in St. John of the Cross’s Notion of Union with God

초록

This essay aims to discuss St. John of the Cross’s notion of union with God. St. John is one of the most significant mystics in the history of mysticism, along with St. Teresa of Avila. Yet the readers are often frustrated when they try to figure out his notion of union with God. The way of attaining the union requires a person to go through the dark nights, which is John’s famous term even to the extent that it is identified with the union itself. The dark nights are associated with suffering, and therefore union is regarded as a sort of suffering. The implication is that, for John, the way of union consists of various layers, but the notion seems to be often misunderstood as dark nights or suffering. Accordingly, this essay is going to show the main features of the way of attaining union and to discuss the notion of the union. For John, the union is not the change of substance, but the transformation of perspectives, in relation to the knowledge of the world and the knowledge of God.

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