Luis de León: The Names of Christ

Cross and Crown #6

by Luis de León, Manuel Durán (Translator), William Kluback (Translator)

"Whatever it was you expected when you heard about the new Classics of Western Spirituality™ series from Paulist Press, forget it. The real thing is better." The Crux of Prayer Luis de Leó The Names of Christ translated and introduced by Manuel Duran and William Kluback preface by J. Ferrater Mora As Christ is a source or rather is an ocean which holds in itself all that is sweet and meaningful that belongs to man, in the same way the study of his person, the revelation of the treasure, is the most meaningful and dearest of all knowledge. Luis de León (1527-1591) The Names of Christ is a masterpiece of the Golden Age of Spain. Written in the style of a pastoral novel, the work is a meditation on the philosophical and theological significance of the names of Christ. Based on a careful examination of ten names given Christ in the Scriptures, the book reflects elements of Augustinian, Jewish, and Islamic spirituality that were part of sixteenth-century Spain. Luis de León was born in 1527 in Belmonte, a small village in the Castile region of Spain. An Augustinian friar, a brilliant professor, an artful poet, he was a true Renaissance man whose vision of the fullness of Christ sustained him in the face of persecution at the hands of the Inquisition and infused his writing with a sensitivity that has made The Names of Christ a treasure of Spanish literature and a classic of Catholic mysticism. †

Genres: Religion, Christianity, Philosophy

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1585

About the author

A mother bore Luis Ponce de León in 1527.

Luis de León joined Ordo eremitarum sancti Augustini (eremitic order of Saint Augustine) as an Augustinian friar (fray in Spanish). This Spanish lyric poet, theologian, and academic acted during the golden age.

Luis de León together with Francisco de Aldana, Alonso de Ercilla, Fernando de Herrera and Saint John of the Cross ranked as the most important poets of the second phase of the Renaissance in Spain. The desire of the soul to get away from everything earthly to achieve promises, identified with peace and knowledge, of God inspired his work, part of the ascetic literature of the second half of the 16th century. Moral and ascetic themes dominate all his work.

In addition, Gregory XIII oversaw consultation of Luis de León and the other experts to change the Julian calendar, used from the time of Julius Caesar in the west, to the current Gregorian calendar.

Reviews

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ESPAÑOL: Revisión de diez de los nombres aplicados a Cristo en la Sagrada Escritura. Los más interesantes (en mi opinión) son los que se aplicó Él mismo: Camino, Pastor y Esposo. Este último da pie a Fray Luis para una interpretación histórica del Cantar de los Cantares. El nombre Monte está muy bien explicado. Y "Padre del Siglo Futuro" es un alarde de sabiduría teológica.

La introducción, que trata sobre la importancia de los nombres en general, está influida por la idea, predominante en la época de Fray Luis, de que la Biblia es la palabra literal de Dios. Por eso sugiere que el sonido, y hasta la forma de las letras de los nombres, en la lengua original en que fueron escritos los libros, podría tener una intención más o menos divina.

ENGLISH: Review of ten of the names applied to Christ in Holy Scripture. The most interesting (in my opinion) are those he applied to Himself: Way, Shepherd and Bridegroom. The latter gives rise to a historical interpretation of the Song of Songs. The name Mount is very well explained. And "Father of the future century" is a display of theological wisdom.

The introduction, which deals with the importance of names in general, is influenced by the idea, prevalent in the time of Fray Luis, that the Bible is the literal word of God. Thus he suggests that the sound, and even the shape of the letters of the names, in the original language in which the books were written, may have a more or less divine intention.

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

De Leon was an Augustinian monk during Renaissance Spain of 16th century, persecuted twice by Iquisition (though not tortured because of his poor health) - which shows indirectly at least a few times during this book. He is also of importance in preserving the texts of St. Teresa Of Avila, so even if he didn't write this book his importance was great for us.

Anyway, this is his book and a book worth reading. You do need to concentrate some, but then the book blooms and gives you beautiful images. The text is written in conversation form, and is certainly livelier as a result. :)

The subject is many names given to Christ, of course including his name (Jesus) but also things like: bud, Face of God, Way, shepherd, mountain, the Everlasting Father, Arm of God, King of God, prince of peace, husband (here Song of Songs book from the Bible shows in a great way), Son of God, lamb, and beloved.
My particular favorites were shepherd, prince of peace, husband and beloved-chapters.

This book surprised me with its lushness of image (I love good images), new views and deepness. I think those who have read the Bible at least once before reading this benefit well, but even if you haven't, it's still a very satisfying experience, no matter what the cover of the book look like. It adds well to the movement of mysticism although in my opinion may be a lot less known. Recommended.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written by a Spanish priest in the Renaissance era, this book discusses the various names given to Christ in Scripture, and expounds upon their meaning. I was surprised by some of the writing, which seemed to have an almost Protestant understanding of grace, but it was a very interesting read. As always with the Classics of Western Spirituality series; there is an excellent introduction that sets the author in his time, and explains his overall philosophy.

[Brianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luis de Leon’s The Names Of Christ opened my eyes to scripture like no other book. He was a monk during the Spanish Inquisition and was inspired, or rather, called, to write this great work while in prison. He was criticized at the time for writing the book in Spanish instead of Latin, which was common for religious work. His writings for the The Names Of Christ were widely misunderstood by both his colleagues and enemies, but he managed to get it published and it has been circulating since. It is a brilliant twist on many of the common stories of the Bible, giving them new life, new meaning, and beauty—all deeply rooted in the Word of God.

I’m so happy I was lead to read this. His allegorical, poetic, and mystical approach to the Bible is exactly what I needed.

*It was a suggested read in W. Somerset Maugham’s Don Fernando, which is one of my favorites.

[SUSAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually I read the Herder edition. Second time I have read it. I'm giving a copy to my priest. I love this book!

[Gabriela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muy interesante su concepción de la teoría de los nombres

[Francisco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uno de los mejores manejos de la lengua castellana. Una delicia para la lectura.