The Cloud of Unknowing

This 14th century text by an anonymous English monk has been rendered into modern English, making it far more readable and understandable than the original. Although the author is anonymous, the reason for his anonymity is obvious. He emphasized the importance of independent inquiry and individual experience in the search for God, and in his day, the Catholic Church called such views heresy.

Translator Prokoff says of the author, “He proceeded upon the belief that when an individual undertakes to bring his life into relation to God, he is embarking upon a serious and demanding task, a task that leaves no leeway for self-deception or illusion.” Nor for interference from an orthodox religion. This monk was one of those quiet, but persistent, mystics who appear in every age and impact other lives long after their own deaths.

Reissue edition 1989