Cloud of Unknowing: Historically Annotated Edition

Including a detailed historical annotation on Monasticism. *** The Cloud of Unknowing is an anonymous work of Christian mysticism originating in the latter half of the 14th century. The text is a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer in the late Middle Ages. The mystical scripture draws on the tradition of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and Christian Neoplatonism, which focuses on the via negativa road to discovering God as a pure entity, beyond any capacity of mental conception and so without any definitive image or form. *** Echoes of the Eternal is a monumental series that brings together the defining texts of the world's spiritual, religious, and mythic heritage. From the sacred scriptures of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, and other global faiths, to the mystical writings of saints and sages, the myths of ancient civilizations, and the arcane literature of secret societies and occult traditions-this collection explores the full spectrum of humanity's search for the divine, the mysterious, and the transcendent. Each volume shapes spiritual consciousness and cultural identity across time. Whether it is the poetic wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita, the visionary revelations of the Qur'an, the esoteric allegories of the Kabbalah, the shamanic myths of indigenous peoples, or the secret doctrines of the Rosicrucians and Freemasons, this series reveals how humans have long sought to explain existence, destiny, and the unseen forces of the cosmos.