The Cloud of Unknowing

This spiritual classic has been an enigma for centuries. This contemporary English translation ushers you into the way of knowing God that can be dark at times, and luminous at others. It offers an accessible invitation to enter into God's presence through a "cloud of unknowing."

Bernard Bangley has authored and edited many books, including the Paraclete Press edition of Butler's Lives of the Saints: Concise, Modernized Edition; and By Way of the Desert: 365 Daily Readings. He lives in Lexington, Virginia.

Foreword	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
Prayer	p. xviii
Preface	p. xix
Four degrees of Christian living	p. 3
Spiritual preparation	p. 4
A superior discipline	p. 6
Knowledge and imagination	p. 7
The cloud of forgetting	p. 11
A brief dialogue	p. 12
Intellectual curiosity	p. 13
Regarding uncertainties	p. 15
Contemplative prayer	p. 18
Discernment	p. 19
Evaluating thoughts	p. 20
Results of contemplation	p. 21
Perfect and imperfect humility	p. 23
Begin with imperfect humility	p. 24
Understanding humility	p. 25
Contemplative humility	p. 26
A critical world	p. 28
Ignorance	p. 29
Complaining	p. 30
God responds	p. 31
The text	p. 32
Love and contemplation	p. 34
God's spiritual provision	p. 35
Contemplative love	p. 37
Details	p. 38
When difficult prayer becomes possible	p. 39
Who should attempt contemplation?	p. 40
Begin by seeking forgiveness	p. 41
Endurance	p. 42
Critics	p. 43
Beginners and temptation	p. 44
Spiritual devices	p. 45
Perfect rest	p. 46
God's gift	p. 47
Reading, reflection, and prayer	p. 49
Meditation	p. 50
Special prayers	p. 51
Why short prayers pierce heaven	p. 52
The nature of prayer	p. 53
Forgetting virtue and vice	p. 54
Contemplation and indiscretion	p. 56
Indiscretion produces discretion	p. 57
Forgetting the self	p. 58
Suppressing the self	p. 59
Spiritual illusions	p. 61
Spiritual enthusiasm	p. 63
Approaching God	p. 64
Physical aspects of prayer	p. 66
Essence of perfection	p. 68
Pure love	p. 69
Misinterpretation	p. 70
Beginners' mistakes	p. 72
Outward behavior	p. 73
Controlling the body	p. 75
Condemning others	p. 77
Common sense and common doctrine	p. 79
Presumptuous beginners	p. 80
Forcing imagination	p. 82
Time, place, and prayer	p. 85
Desire	p. 87
Spirit and flesh	p. 88
Understanding spiritual activity	p. 89
Mind	p. 90
Reason and will	p. 91
Imagination	p. 92
Sensuality	p. 93
The spiritual way	p. 94
Nowhere is everywhere	p. 96
Nothingness and love	p. 98
Comprehending God	p. 99
Variety of experience	p. 101
Differences	p. 103
Contributions	p. 104
Recognition	p. 105
Certainty	p. 107
Appendix: Essay on The Cloud of Unknowing by Evelyn Underhill	p. 109
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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The Cloud of Unknowing

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Table of Contents

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