John Ruusbroec: The Spiritual Espousals, The Sparkling Stones, and Other Works

The Classics of Western Spirituality

by Jan van Ruusbroec, James A. Wiseman OSB (Translator)

"The books will be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of every literate religious person." The Christian Century John Ruusbroec: The Spiritual Espousals, The Sparkling Stones, and Other Works translated and introduced by James A. Wiseman, O.S.B. preface by Louis Dupre "God's interior stirring and touch make us hunger and strive, for the Spirit of God is pursuing our spirit. The more there is of the touch, the more there is of the hunger and striving. This is a life of love at the highest level of its activity." John Ruusbroec (1293-1381) The fourteenth century in Europe has been called "the age of adversity." It was a time when medieval society was racked by the Hundred Years' War, the Black Death, and peasant turmoil of the age, saw the decline of its mendicant orders, the "Babylonian Captivity" of the papacy in Avignon, and the rise of wide-ranging heretical movements such as the Free Spirit heresy that disparaged the Church and its sacraments in favor of an immediate experience of God. In this context John Ruusbroec (1293-1381) lived as a monk in the duchy of Brabant and produced a corpus of works on the spiritual life that has made him the most important Flemish mystic in an age of such greats as John Tauler, Julian of Norwich, and Birgitta of Sweden. For the first time in English, four of Ruusbroec's most influential writings have been collected in one volume: The Spiritual Espousals, A Mirror of Eternal Blessedness, The Little Book of Clarification, and The Sparkling Stone. This new translation by James Wiseman offers a fresh, contemporary rendering of Ruusbroec's brilliant discourses that caused Abbot Cuthbert Butler to comment that "in all probability…there has been no greater contemplative; and certainly there has been no greater mystical writer." †

Genres: Religion, Philosophy, Theology, Christianity, Mysticism, Catholic

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1985

About the author

Jan (Johannes) van Ruusbroec of Ruysbroeck, ook "de Wonderbare" genoemd wordt beschouwd als een van de grootste mystici van de zuidelijke Nederlanden. Zijn werk, oorspronkelijk geschreven in het Middelnederlands, werd algauw vertaald in het Latijn.
Zijn studies aan de kapittelschool in Brussel werden bekostigd door zijn oom Jan Hinckaert, een rijke priester en kapelaan van de Sint-Goedelekerk te Brussel. Vanaf 1317 was hij op zijn beurt gedurende vijfentwintig jaar kapelaan van Sint-Goedele. Over deze episode uit zijn leven is verder slechts weinig gekend.
Rond 1339 besloten zijn oom, hijzelf en een jonge kanunnik, Vrank van Coudenberg, zich terug te trekken en in afzondering te gaan leven. Vanaf 1343 betrokken ze de kluis van Groenendaal en in 1350 stichtten ze een klooster van reguliere kanunniken (Augustijnen). Alhoewel hij geen overste van het klooster was en in geleerdheid moest onderdoen voor magister Vrank werd hij toch de centrale figuur van de gemeenschap door zijn uitzonderlijk mystieke roeping. Zijn reputatie groeide en vele machtige en belangrijke figuren kwamen hem in Groenendaal opzoeken. Na zijn dood kreeg hij de bijnaam 'admirabilis' ("de wonderbare"), en hij wordt momenteel tot één van de grootste mystici uit de wereldliteratuur gerekend. In 1908 werd hij zalig verklaard door Paus Pius X.

Jan (Johannes) van Ruusbroec of Ruysbroeck, also known as the "Blessed" is considered one of the greatest mystics of the southern Netherlands. His work, originally written in Middle Dutch, was soon translated into Latin.
His studies at the collegiate school in Brussels were paid for by his uncle Jan Hinckaert, a wealthy priest and chaplain of St. Goedele Church in Brussels. From 1317 on he was also chaplain of St. Goedele for twenty-five years. We know very little about this episode in his life.
Around 1339 he decided, together with his uncle and a young canon, Vrank (Francis) van Coudenberg, to withdraw and to live in seclusion. From 1343 they moved into the hermitage of Groenendaal and in 1350 they founded a convent of canons regular. Although he was not the leader of the monastery and was inferior to master van Coudenberg in scholarship, he nevertheless became the central figure of the community through his extraordinary mystical vocation. His reputation grew and many powerful and important people came to see him in Groenendaal . After his death , he was nicknamed "admirabilis", and he is now considered one of the greatest mystics of the world literature. He was beatified by Pope Pius X in 1908.

Reviews

[Irene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having the editor teach me this text really helped me to understand and appreciate this terrific spiritual writer and mystic.

[Michael Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since an early age I was fascinated by marriage.

Marriage of course comes in all shapes and sizes. When I finally realized what Claude Levi-Strauss was up to in his Elementary Structure of Kinship, I realized that marriage is often considered from a sociological or anthropological point of view. In other words, marriage is first and foremost a form of social organization where "society" duplicates itself through children. Oddly enough, many men and women are confused and struggle with finding the right partner, when all that nature asks for is another human being. These remarks lead me to John Ruusbroec, the noted Flemish mystic who lived in the fourteenth century. His little book "The Spiritual Espousals" is the final word on marriage, not from the point of view of the natural or socially condition man and woman, but from the perspective of the Father's love for all His creatures.

Real marriage, holy matrimony, is best understood within the narrative provided by Ruusbroec in the introduction to his works. Christ is our true lover, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or race. In order to approach this momentous event, "SEE." Those who do not SEE the Lord are certainly troubled in spirit. In fact, if I may allow Ruusbroec to comment on those who do not SEE, "they are damned."

Okay, smartass, what are we suppose to SEE? since you like capital letters so much. I respond: SEE the coming of the Lord. He solicits you for your own good. Do you wish to perish in loneliness, isolation, duplicity, cunning? Do you know why Odysseus lives forever in Hell?

When you Go Out to SEE/sea, then you will SEE/sea the coming of the Lord and you are ready to Meet Him. This is called conversion. It has three steps: the active life, a life that everyone lives no matter his social status; the interior life, the life that few live because they understand the vanity of all human existence; and the contemplative life, those who are perfect in the Father's love.

[Sebat Hadah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
I found a PDF of an older translation by Evelyn Underhill. I took the time to extract and print just "The Sparkling Stone," and while I found it interesting, I wondered if there wasn't traces of pantheism and quietism present in this work. I'm no stranger to mystical theology, but I did find this confusing at times and referred to other texts for clarification. For the record, I'm not accusing Blessed John Ruysbroeck of the aforementioned errors. If those errors are present in this work, then they will be exposed by those who are more learned than I am God willing.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read The Sparkling Stone, and should probably read it again, not on my phone. I should also take notes and try to understand better. These recommendations are challenging - to completely clear one's mind. There were many seemingly opposite things that one must do, but I appreciate them. Contemplation and action.