The Third Spiritual Alphabet  (English, Paperback, de Osuna OFM Francisco)

For the first time, in 35 years, here is a complete analytical and comparative study of the only two English translations of this marvelous work. This particular effort makes references back to our copy of the Spanish text for clarity. More importantly, this effort is coordinated with Teresa of Avila's works. Thus an additional 400 notes, in combination with comparatives between the variant references are supplied. This work has been translated by the sisters of Stanbrook. Francisco de Osuna draws on the ancient doctrine of the spiritual senses to describe the psychological experience that takes place as spiritual attentiveness is gradually deepening. He takes up the traditional analogies of the darkness of blindness, the silence in deafness, the passivity in dumbness to draw out the ways that the prayer of recollection belongs to the apophatic way of contemplating the divine. He connects and places his reflections in the context of the gospel beatitudes - the vision of humanity described by Jesus Christ.