| The Interior Castle
or
The Mansions
of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
INTRODUCTION
|
INTRODUCTION
SAINT TERESA
- began to write the Interior Castle
on June 2, 1577,
Trinity Sunday,
and
- completed it
on the eve of St. Andrew,
November 29,
of the same year. (1577)
But there was a long interruption
of five months, [1]
so that the actual time spent
in the composition of this work
was reduced to about four weeks
--a fortnight
for the first, and
another fortnight
for the second half of the book.
The rapidity
with which it was written
is easily explained by the fact
that the Saint had conceived its plan
some time previously.
On January 17, 1577,
she had written to her brother,
Don Lorenzo de Cepeda, at Avila:
'I have asked the bishop
--Don Alvaro Mendoza--
for my book (the Life)
because I shall perhaps complete it
by adding those new favours
our Lord has lately granted me.
With these,
one may even compose a new work
of considerable size,
provided God grants me
the grace of explaining myself;
otherwise the loss
will be of small account.' [2]
She never asked for permission
to write anything,
but waited until she received
a command from her superiors,
which, in this case, came
from Father Jerome Gracian,
Superior of the Discalced Carmelites
of the Provinces of Andalusia and Castille,
and
from Don Alonso Velasquez,
Canon of Toledo,
afterwards bishop of Osma. [3]
The Saint was not in good health
at the time;
she repeatedly complains of noises
in the head and other infirmities,
but, worst of all,
she was weighed down
by troubles and anxieties
resulting from the action
of the superiors of the Order and
of the Papal Nuncio
against the nuns and friars
of the Reform.
Matters became even more serious
when, in October,
the nuns of the Incarnation of Avila
proceeded to the election of a new prioress.
Notwithstanding the prohibition
of the provincial,
fifty-five electors recorded their votes
in favour of the Saint
and were immediately
declared excommunicated.
The whole work of the Reform seemed
on the brink of ruin,
the Saint, as well as all her friends,
was in disgrace,
subject to obloquy and ill-treatment.
No trace of these trials is to be found
in the Interior Castle.
Saint Teresa possessed the power
of concentration of thought
in a marvellous degree.
The early mornings and late evenings
were devoted to the composition
of the book,
while the rest of the day was taken up
by the affairs of the Order.
Mother Mary of the Nativity,
a member of the community of Toledo,
where the book was begun,
declared afterwards, [4]
that she often saw her writing,
generally after Holy Communion,
her face resplendent,
with such rapidity and
so absorbed in her occupation
that she seemed undisturbed by,
and in fact
quite unconscious of, any noise
that was made.
Mother Mariana of the Angels [5]
reports having heard
from the same witness,
that entering her cell one day
to deliver a message,
the holy Mother was just beginning
a new sheet of her book.
While taking off her spectacles
to listen to the message,
she was seized by a trance
in which she remained
for several hours.
The nun, terrified at this,
did not stir,
but kept her eyes steadily
on the Saint.
When she came to,
it was seen that the paper,
previously blank,
was covered with writing.
Noticing that her visitor
had discovered it,
Saint Teresa put the paper quietly
in the box.
Another nun, Mary of St. Francis,
left the following declaration:
'I know
that our holy Mother wrote four books,
the Life,
the Way of Perfection,
the Foundations, and
the Mansions,
which I have seen her writing.
Once, while she was composing
the last-named work,
I entered to deliver a message,
and found her so absorbed
that she did not notice me;
her face seemed
quite illuminated and most beautiful.
After having listened to me she said:
"Sit down, my child, and let me write
what our Lord has told me
ere I forget it,"
and
she went on writing
with great rapidity and
without stopping.' [6]
Mary of St. Joseph says she heard
from Mary of the Nativity
that Father Jerome Gracian
commanded the Saint
to write the Mansions;
she, however, begged to be excused,
because so many books
having been written
by holy and learned men,
there remained nothing
for a woman to write.
At length she yielded under obedience.
This nun (Mary of the Nativity)
was frequently in the Saint's cell
while she was writing
and she noticed
her resplendent face
and the
almost preternatural velocity
with which her hand travelled
over the paper. [7]
Writing to Mother Mary of St. Joseph,
Prioress of Seville,
November 8, 1581,
St. Teresa gives her a message
for Father Rodrigo Alvarez, S. J.:
'Our Father
(Jerome Gracian, then provincial)
tells me that he has handed you
a book written by me,
which perhaps you do not feel inclined
to read yourself.
Kindly read to Father Rodrigo Alvarez,
at his next visit,
the last Mansion,
but under the seal of confession,
as he asks this in his superior wisdom.
This is only for you two.
Tell him
- that the person he knows
has arrived at this Mansion and
enjoys the peace there described;
- that she is entirely at rest, and
- that some grave theologians
have assured her
that she is on a safe road.
In case you could not read
these pages to him,
do not send him the book,
for it might lead to unpleasantness.
Until I have his answer on this matter,
I will not write to him.
Give him my compliments.'
___________________
At the end of the original manuscript,
before the epilogue
(marked with IHS.),
there is a notice
in Father Alvarez' hand-writing
to this effect:
'The Mother Prioress of the convent
of Seville
has read to me this seventh Mansion,
whither a soul may arrive
in the present life.
Let all the saints praise
the infinite goodness of God,
Who communicates Himself
to His creatures
so that they truly seek
His glory
and
the salvation of their neighbour.
What I feel and judge of this matter is,
that everything
that has been read to me
is conformable to Catholic truth and
in accordance with Holy Scripture
and the teaching of the Saints
Whosoever has read the doctrine
of the Saints,
such as the books of
St. Gertrude,
St. Catharine of Siena, or
St. Bridget of Sweden,
and other saints and spiritual writers,
will clearly understand
that the spirit
of Mother Tireza (sic) of Jesus
is true,
since it leads to the same effects
as are to be found in the saints;
and because this is in truth
my judgment and opinion,
I have hereunto set my name,
this, the 22nd day of February, 1582.
P. Rodrigo Alvarez.' [8]
_________
The work was copied,
probably under the supervision
of the Saint,
who introduced many changes;
when completed,
the original was handed
to Father Jerome Gracian and
to the Dominican,
Fray Diego de Yanguas,
for approval.
Both,
particularly the former,
made numerous corrections,
which Fuente, not without reason,
calls impertinent,
scratching out whole sentences
and
adding others.
The book, thus revised,
must have enjoyed a certain celebrity,
though not to the same extent
as "the Life",
to which St. Teresa, herself, preferred it.
Scarcely a week after its completion
she wrote to Father Salazar, S.J.:
'If Senor Carillo [Salazar himself] came,
the person in question [the Saint] thinks
that he would find another jewel
which in her opinion is
superior to the former [the Life].
This one reflects nothing foreign to itself,
but is resplendent in its own beauty.
It is enriched with more delicate enamels
than the former,
the workmanship, too, is more perfect.
For, as the person in question says,
the jeweller was less experienced
when he fashioned the previous one.
Moreover,
the gold of the new one is
of better quality
than that of the former,
though the precious stones
are not so well set.
It has been done, as might be expected,
according to the designs
of the Jeweller Himself.' [9]
Later on she wrote
to Father Jerome Gracian:
'The book I have written since
seems to me
superior [to the Life];
at least I had more experience
when I wrote it.' [10]
One day,
speaking with Mother Mary of Jesus
on spiritual matters,
she said
that our Lord had communicated
so much to her
since she had reached
what she described in the seventh Mansion,
--the Spiritual Marriage,--
that she did not consider it possible
to advance further in this life,
in the way of prayer,
nor even to wish to do so. [11]
_____________________
The book was eagerly read by those
who were able to obtain copies.
At the archiepiscopal Seminary
at Salamanca,
it was read publicly after dinner;
the students,
contrary to custom,
sacrificing the recreation
rather than miss so edifying an instruction.
The result was
that several entered the religious life,
one becoming a Franciscan,
two others,
who had already taken their degrees,
joining the Discalced Carmelites. [12]
We also know of a lady
who became a Poor Clare
through reading the Interior Castle. [13]
The process of Beatification
contains the following evidence
of Don Francisco de Mora,
architect to Philip III:
'The same prioress
(of a convent of Dominican nuns)
being concerned about my salvation
gave me a book in manuscript,
called, The Mansions,
by Mother Teresa,
hoping I should derive
some benefit from it.
I fear this was not the case,
but it made me acquainted
with Teresa of Jesus,
the foundress
of the Discalced Carmelite nuns,
of whom I had not yet heard,
but for whom I now felt devotion.' [14]
_________________________
In August 1586,
it was decided to print Saint Teresa's works,
the Augustinian Fray Luis de Leon.
being selected as editor,
as he was unconcerned in the quarrels
raging round the Reform.
Accordingly,
the manuscript of the Interior Castle
was handed to him.
On the first leaf
he wrote the following note:
▪ 'Many passages of this book
written by the holy Mother
have been scored through,
▪ other words being substituted
or
notes being added in the margin.
▪ Most of these corrections are badly done,
the original text
being much better.
▪ It will be noticed
that the holy Mother's sentences
are superior and
agree with the context,
which is not the case
with the corrections.
▪ These improvements and glosses
may therefore be dispensed with.
Having myself
read and considered everything
with great care,
it appears to me
that the reader, too,
should have before him
the words of the author
who knew best what to say;
for this reason, I
have left out the additions,
and
have restored what has been changed,
excepting only a few corrections
made by the writer herself.
I beg of the reader
that he would in charity
▪ reverence the words and
even the letters
traced by so holy a hand,
and
▪ strive to understand
what has been written.
He will then see
that there was no need for corrections;
Should he fail to understand her,
let him believe
that the writer knew what she said,
and
that her words cannot be tampered with
if they are not to lose their meaning;
otherwise what was to the point
will seem out of place.
This is how books become
corrupted, useless,
and are finally lost.' [15]
__________________
When Luis de Leon undertook
the editing of St. Teresa's writings.
he received a long letter
from Don Diego de Yepes,
afterwards Bishop of Tarazona,
a former friend and confessor
of the Saint,
in which he records
his personal recollections.
I shall only insert here
what he says about the Interior Castle:
'This holy Mother desired to see
the beauty of a soul
in the state of grace,
a thing greatly to be coveted
both for the sake
of seeing and
of possessing it.
While this desire lasted,
she was commanded to write
a treatise on prayer,
of which
she had much personal experience.
On the eve of the Blessed Trinity,
while considering
what subject to choose
for this treatise,
God,
Who disposes everything in due season,
fulfilled her wish
and
furnished a suitable subject.
He showed her
a most beautiful globe of crystal,
in the shape of a castle,
with seven rooms,
the seventh,
situated in the centre,
being occupied by the King of glory,
resplendent with the
most exquisite brilliancy,
which shone through and adorned
the remaining rooms.
The nearer these lay to the centre,
the more did they partake
of that wondrous light.
It did not, however, penetrate
beyond the crystal,
for everything round about was
a mass of darkness and impurity,
full of toads and vipers
and other venomous animals.
She was still admiring this beauty
which, by the grace of God
dwells in the soul,
when, Lo!
the light
suddenly disappeared,
and
the crystal,
wherein the King of glory
was still residing,
became opaque and as dark as coal,
emitting an intolerable odour;
the venomous animals,
formerly held in check outside,
obtained admittance into the castle.
The holy Mother wished
that every one should behold this vision,
for she thought
that no one having seen
the beauty and splendour of grace,
which is
forfeited by sin and
replaced by such repulsive misery,
would ever dare to offend God.
'She told me this vision on the same day,
for in this
as well as in other things
she was so communicative
that on the following morning
she said to me:
"How I forgot myself yesterday!
I cannot think
how it could have happened.
Those high aspirations of mine, and
the affection I have for you
must have caused me
to go beyond all reasonable limits.
God grant I may have derived
some profit therefrom."
I promised her to say nothing about it
during her lifetime,
but since her death,
I should like to make it known to all men.
From this vision
she learnt four important matters.
'First,
she came to understand this axiom,
which in this form,
she had never heard of in her life, [16]
that God is present in all things
by His essence, presence, and power.
As she was deeply humble and
submissive and obedient
to the doctrine
of the Church
and
to the teaching
of the learned ministers of God,
she never rested
until her revelations
had been approved of
by her superiors and
by theologians,
and
were shown to be conformable
to Holy Scripture.
She went so far as to say
that if
all the angels of heaven
said one thing,
and
her superiors
another,
though she could not doubt
that the former were true angels,
yet she would hold
what was told her by her superiors,
because faith
comes through these and
there remains no room for deceit,
whereas revelations coming from angels
might be illusionary.
'With such regard for obedience,
she asked me one day at Toledo
--probably at the time
when she saw the vision
of the Castle--
whether it was true
that God was in all things
by His power, presence, and essence,
to which I replied in the affirmative,
explaining it
as best I could
on the authority of St. Paul,
particularly where he says:
"the sufferings of this time
are not worthy to be compared
with the glory to come
that shall be revealed in us," [17]
Laying stress on these words,
"shall be revealed in us,"
she was so overjoyed
that I was quite astonished.
Though in a way,
it seemed to me
a kind of curiosity,
I could not help thinking
there was some mystery about it,
for she said:
"This is the very thing."
'Secondly,
she was greatly surprised
at the malice of sin,
since,
notwithstanding the presence of God
in these various ways,
it prevents the soul
from partaking of that powerful light.
'Thirdly,
she derived such
humility and self-knowledge
from this vision,
that from that moment
she never thought of herself
in all the good she was doing;
for she learnt
that all the beauty of the soul emanates
from that resplendent light,
and
that the powers
of the soul and
of the body
are enlivened and strengthened
by the Power
established in the centre,
whence comes all our good,
so that we have
but a small share
in our good works.
All the good she did,
she
from this moment
referred to God
as its principal author.
'Fourthly,
she derived from it,
the subject of the book
which she was ordered to write
on prayer,
comparing the seven rooms
of the Castle
with as many degrees
of prayer,
whereby we
enter within ourselves and
draw nearer to God.
So that,
penetrating to the depths
of our soul
and
gaining perfect self-knowledge,
we reach the seventh room
where God Himself dwells,
with Whom we become united
by as perfect a union
as is possible in the present life,
being made partakers
of His light and love.
'I will say no more of
this vision and the Mansions,
because your Reverence
must by now have seen
this admirable book,
and
must know
with what accuracy,
with what majestic doctrine,
with what lucid examples
she describes
the progress of the soul
from the gate
to the very centre.
It is clearly seen in this treatise
how she communicated with our Lord,
and
how His Majesty vouchsafed
to place her in the centre and
to unite her with Himself,
as she puts it,
by the bonds of marriage
and an inseparable union.' [18]
______________________
After the publication of the Interior Castle,
in 1588 at Salamanca,
it became
not only more widely known,
but also more and more appreciated.
Francis Suarez,
the great theologian
of the Society of Jesus,
says in his deposition
in the process of Beatification
that he had read some of St. Teresa's works,
particularly the Mansions,
which
contain an absolutely safe doctrine
and
give proof of a wonderful spirit
of prayer and contemplation. [19]
___________________
Thomas Hurtado,
professor of theology at Seville,
speaks as follows:
'As often as I read the books
of the holy Mother,
I admire the wonderful manner
in which God instructed her
in mystical theology
for the sake of souls
giving themselves truly
to familiar intercourse
with His divine Majesty.
But where I most regret my inability
of expressing in fitting terms
my sentiments
towards this excellent teacher
is when I look at, and refresh myself
in that Castle with its seven rooms;
for there is seen
the effect of infused knowledge
such as St. Denis received
from St. Hierotheus [20]
and both
from St. Paul,
and
which has been committed to writing
in the famous book
of Mystical Theology.
Hence comes,
as from a fountain-head,
notwithstanding the obscurity
(to our manner of thinking)
of its language,
the doctrine of the great masters
of the spiritual life
such as
Hugh of St. Victor,
St. Bernard,
Ruysbroek,
Tauler,
Gerson,
and
many others whom I pass by.
'Nevertheless,
I will boldly say
that no one has given us
water more limpid
from that Apostolical
and Areopagitical well
than the holy Mother Teresa,
who, in her books,
but chiefly in the Mansions,
▪ has cleared up
in simple language
the most difficult questions
of this divine theology,
and
▪ has brought forth light from darkness,
as it is written:
(He) commanded light to shine
out of darkness.' [21]
Who has ever been able to show
as clearly as our Saint
▪ how God takes possession of the soul,
▪ how He unites Himself
with its substance,
whence comes
to the intellect
the light of faith,
to the will
the ardour of love,
and
to the senses
the jubilation over His works?
No one has ever turned theory into practice
in a more convincing
or
more catholic manner.
The most profound secrets
of this supernatural wisdom
are here treated with such ease,
so amiably,
so delightfully,
they are illustrated
by such nice and homely examples,
that
instead of awe-inspiring obscurity,
we find lovely flowers
and the sweetness of love,
through which,
as through an avenue,
the soul passes onwards.
When God made known
His exalted doctrine
to St. Dionysius and other mystical writers,
He made use of
their own language and pen.
But St. Teresa
in the Mansions
is
- like the light of dawn
whose rays are not intercepted
by the clouds of this world;
- like a soft rain from above,
whereby the soul grows and profits
by its communications with God.
Until the teaching of this great door
became known
it seemed as though God were inaccessible,
being surrounded by darkness,
through which Moses
and some other persons
had to pass when approaching Him; [22]
but they
neither explained the manner
nor showed the way
whereby they came to the enjoyment
of the sweetness of the Spouse.
Now, however,
this way is clear and patent to all,
having been pointed out
in the Mansions,
in language so straight and so methodical,
and
no longer such as
could not be understood, or
required further explanation.
In my opinion
this holy writer derived
not only the substance of her teaching
from infused knowledge,
but even the words
with which she explains it.' [23]
___________________
Likewise,
Don Alvaro de Villegas,
Canon of Toledo,
expressed his opinion
that the Way of Perfection and
the Interior Castle
contain heavenly doctrine.
' The weight of the subject-matter,
the propriety of the comparisons,
the force of the expressions,
the consistency of the teaching,
the sweetness
of her well-chosen, vivid words,
the clearness of the arguments,
all this proves
- that she was guided
by her heavenly Spouse,
in Whom are hidden the treasures
of the wisdom of God;
and
- that the Holy Ghost,
Who more than once was seen
resting on her head
like a dove,
was dilating these works.'
Villegas does not believe
that any one could read them,
as such books ought to be read,
without becoming, himself.
a master of the spiritual life.
'For they are like heavenly dew,
rendering the soul fruitful
in the matter of prayer.' [24]
__________________________
It would be a mistake
to consider the Interior Castle
a complete treatise of mystical theology.
Like St. Teresa's other works,
it is intensely personal:
she describes the road
by which she has been led,
being well aware
that others may be led in a different way.
'In the heavenly Father's house
there are many mansions,
not only seven,
and many paths lead to them.
What gives the work such high value is,
that it is the result
of a most searching inquiry
into the various phases
whereby a soul
is gradually transformed
into the likeness of God, Himself.
Here St. Teresa is always at her best.
She takes nothing for granted,
even her own personal experiences
are admitted
only after having been
fully investigated
and
found to be
consistent one with the other,
and
conformable to
the teaching of the Church and
the words of Holy Scripture.
Mystical theology
is generally divided into three parts,
respectively called
the purgative,
the illuminative,
and
the unitive life.
In the first,
man is cleansed
from sin and habitual imperfection
by the use of the sacraments and
by voluntary mortification
of the passions.
The mind is purified
by sedulous meditation
on the last end and
on the Life and Passion of Christ,
which must ever be
the great model
of the Christian.
This first portion of the way to heaven
can be covered
by the help of the ordinary means of grace,
without any direct and extraordinary
intervention of divine power.
The second part
differs in many ways from the first.
It comprises
▪ the passive purification
of the soul and
▪ the passive enlightenment
of the mind.
- By sending it keen
interior and exterior trials
and sufferings,
God completes the cleansing of the soul
in a manner
far surpassing
any voluntary effort of man.
- By raising it
to the stage of contemplation,
He gives it fresh light
on the mysteries of our Redemption.
The mind is then no longer
compelled to strain
the memory, the reason, and the will,
in order
to dwell upon the great truths of religion
and
to derive some personal benefit
therefrom,
for these truths are now
more or less permanently
before it and
fill it with holy thoughts,
sometimes giving it
consolation in trouble,
at other times striking
a warning note against imperfection.
Again,
the subtraction of sensible consolation,
and
the interior aridity arising therefrom,
leave a terrible blank in the soul,
showing it that,
without God's help,
it is mere nothingness.
This apparent estrangement from God
is the keenest trial
that can befall a soul,
but also the most powerful means
of cleansing it
from
the least,
the most subtle imperfections.
Emerging from this state of probation,
the soul enters upon the third stage,
in which,
though perhaps in the midst of
severe suffering and
sharp persecution,
it knows itself to be
a chosen child of God,
to Whom it is united
by perfect conformity of the will.
____________________
Such phenomena as
revelations, visions, locutions,
and even more wonderful manifestations,
like the wound of love,
spiritual betrothal and nuptials,
are incidental rather than essential
to the second and third stages.
Some great contemplatives
have never experienced
anything of the kind,
while, on the other hand,
some of these occurrences
may sometimes have been
merely the work
of an exuberant imagination,
or
even the result
of diabolical illusion.
They should therefore
never be
wished for, or
cherished,
but rather
shunned and
ignored,
in as far as that is possible.
If they are real and come from God,
they will do their work
without the co-operation of the soul.
The danger of self-deception
is so great
that a person
labouring under such phenomena
should offer every resistance,
and
the spiritual director should exercise
the utmost vigilance.
St. Teresa
is very eloquent on this point,
and
undeceived many would-be ontemplatives,
while her disciple,
St. John of the Cross,
is even more thorough-going
in the deprecation of spiritual favours.
Among the numerous marks
whereby the trained theologian
may discriminate
between real and imaginary phenomena,
there is one
about which Saint Teresa speaks
with wonderful clearness.
If they proceed from hysteria,
the imagination alone is active and
the higher powers of the soul
are torpid;
if, however, they come from God,
the intellect and the will
are so intensely active,
that the lower powers and even the body
lose all strength for the time being.
____________________
It will be noticed that
- the first two Mansions belong
to the purgative life,
- the third and fourth
to the illuminative,
and
- the remaining three
to the unitive life.
Compared with similar works,
the treatment of the first stage
must be called meagre.
True,
in her Life and
in the Way of Perfection,
St. Teresa has dealt with this subject
somewhat more fully.
Indeed, the last-named work
( Way of Perfection)
was designed
as a treatise on Christian Ascetics,
dealing with
- the purgation of the soul
by mortification
and
- the enlightenment of the mind
by meditation.
There, too, appears
the first idea of the Mansions, [25]
and Fuente remarks
that the passage in question
may be taken for the parting
of the ways
between the two works.
However, this is
not the only,
nor, indeed, the chief reason
why St. Teresa is so reticent
about the preliminary stage
of the contemplative life.
The fact is
that she herself did not pass through
these experiences.
By God's grace
she was preserved from childhood
from grievous sin and gross imperfection.
Though she never grows tired
of bewailing her faults and unfaithfulness,
these avowals must be taken
cum grano salis.
While yet a child, she sometimes
gave way to vanity in dress and
wasted her time in reading romances.
As a young religious,
she was sought after
by friends and relatives
who took pleasure
in her attractive conversation.
This proved further loss of time
and caused distractions.
Owing to acute suffering,
she for some years
left off the practice of mental prayer,
though she faithfully performed
all her religious obligations,
as far as her weak state of health allowed.
This is all.
The war
of the flesh against the spirit,
the insubordination
of the lower parts of nature,
the fickleness
of the will,
which so often thwart
the most noble aspirations of a soul,
were unknown to her.
Under these circumstances,
we cannot be surprised
to find her entering upon the journey
towards God
at a point which in many cases
marks but the closing stage.
___________________
As to the remaining parts of this book,
it will be seen from the parallel passages
that they cover much the same ground
as her
Life
and
The Relations.
With her singular gift
of introspection and analysis,
the Saint studied her own case
from every point of view,
so as to make sure
that her extraordinary experiences
were due to no illusion,
and
offered no obstacle to the safety
of her soul.
Although the Interior Castle
contains little
that we do not already know
from her other works,
it is superior to them
by reason of
- its logical order
and
- the masterly treatment
of the most recondite matters
of mystical theology.
While ostensibly dealing with general facts,
St. Teresa in reality
records her personal experiences.
How definite these were,
how little room there remained
for the freaks of the imagination,
will appear from the fact
that she nearly always repeats
the very words she had used
in her Life and
in the other reports
of her interior progress,
although she
did not have these writings
before her eyes,
nor had she ever seen them
since they first left her hands.
Every one of her experiences
must have produced a profound impression
to be remembered so minutely
after an interval of years.
There is that
in the Interior Castle
which reminds one of Dante's Paradiso.
In the one and the other,
the soul,
purified from earthly dross,
is gradually being invested
with new and glorious qualities,
and
is being led through regions unknown
until it arrives at the very threshold
of the throne of God.
Not even the boldest imagination
could have designed
so wonderful a picture of a soul
adorned with graces
at once so varied and so true.
In one case we know,
the poet has drawn abundantly
from the treasury
of the Angelical Doctor,
putting in verse the conclusions
of the scholastic theologian.
In the other case we can follow,
chapter by chapter,
the influence of the teaching
of St. Thomas Aquinas.
St. Teresa had never studied it herself,
but her directors and confessors
were deeply versed in it
and
solved her doubts and perplexities
on the lines of the greatest
of the school men.
The Interior Castle might
almost be considered
a practical illustration
of certain parts
of the Summa theologica, [26]
as it describes
the progress of the soul
through every stage of perfection.
When we have reached
the second chapter
of the seventh Mansion,
there remains but one thing:
the Beatific Vision,
and
this is reserved for the next life.
____________________
After the publication of the Interior Castle
by Luis de Leon,
the manuscript came into the possession
of Father Jerome Gracian,
who,
after having made a copy of it
which is still extant,
presented the original,
on the occasion of a visit
to the convent of Seville,
to Don Pedro Cereso Pardo,
a great friend of the Saint, and
a benefactor to the convent.
When his only daughter
took the habit there,
the precious manuscript was
part of her dowry.
Dona Juana de Mendoza,
Duchess of Beguiar,
a novice in the same convent,
had it bound in silver and precious stones.
It is still there, [27]
and the present writer had
the privilege of seeing it.
It comprises
a hundred and thirteen leaves in folio,
but originally there must have been
some more leaves
which at a later period were torn out.
These, it is presumed,
contained the headings of the chapters.
Unlike the Life and the Foundations,
the text of the Castle is divided
only by figures,
without indication of the contents
of each chapter,
but the arguments
which have come down to us
are so entirely similar to those
of the two works named,
that it is impossible
to consider them otherwise
than the genuine work of the author.
In the present translation
they have been inserted
in their proper places.
________________
On the occasion of the tercentenary
of Saint Teresa's death,
a photo-lithographic edition
of the original
was published under the direction of
Cardinal Lluch,
Carmelite of the old observance,
Archbishop of Seville:
El Castillo Interior
or
Tratado de las Moradas,
escrito por Sta. Teresa de Jesus.
Litografia de Juan Moyano
(Seville) 1882.
______________________
The present translation,
the third in English, [28]
has been made directly
from this autograph edition.
It has been thought advisable
- that,
as far as the genius of the language
allows it,
the wording of the author should be
strictly adhered to,
and
- that not even a shade of her expression
should be sacrificed.
For Teresa is
not only a saint
whose every word is telling,
but she is a classic
in her own language
who knows how to give expression
to her deepest thoughts.
Having compared word for word
the translation
with the original,
I am in a position to affirm
that this programme has been
faithfully carried out.
For the foot-notes--
with few exceptions--
as well as for the Index,
I am responsible.
It seemed to me
important to point out
all the parallel passages
from the various works of the Saint.
Only by this means
can it be seen
how consistent Saint Teresa is
in all her writings. [29]
It would have been easy
to multiply quotations from the works
of other writers on mystical theology.
Thus, the influence
of the Imitation of Christ
and
of the Life of our Lord
by Ludolphus the Carthusian
can be distinctly traced
in the Interior Castle.
Both these works,
as well as some Spanish books,
were held in such esteem
by St. Teresa,
that she ordered the prioress
of each convent
to keep them at the disposal of the nuns.
As there is a limit to footnotes,
I have contented myself
with such references
as seemed to me
conducive to the elucidation
of the doctrine laid down in this treatise.
In conclusion
I venture to express the hope
that this new translation
will be found helpful by those
who feel called to a higher life.
BENEDICT ZIMMERMAN,
Prior, O.C.D.
ST. LUKE'S PRIORY,
WINCANTON, SOMERSET.
July, 1, 1905, and December 25, 1911.
Foot Notes:
[1]
Castle, Mansions v. ch. iv. I.
[2]
Letters of St. Teresa, Vol. ii.
[3]
The French Carmelite nuns
in their new translation,
Oeuvres completes de Sainte Therese,
t. vi, Introduction, p. 5,
quoting the Ano Teresiano, t. vii
ad 7 July,
and Father Gracian's Dilucidario,
as well as his additions to Ribera,
show the exact share
of Fr. Gracian and Dr. Velasquez
in the preliminaries of this work.
[4]
Fuente, Obras de Santa Teresa de Jesus.
Edit. 1881, Vol. vi, p. 278.
[5]
Ibid. p. 178.
A somewhat similar incident is reported
by Mother Anne of the Incarnation
(Ibid. p. 213),
but it appears to be wrongly
brought into connection
with the composition of the Castle.
The nun in question had belonged
to the convent of St. Joseph at Segovia
at an earlier period,
but there is no evidence
that St. Teresa visited this place
in the course of the six months
during which she composed this work.
The Bollandists, indeed, maintain
that it was
commenced at Toledo,
continued at Segovia and
completed at Avila
(n. 1541),
but their sole authority
for including Segovia
is the passage in question,
which, however, must refer to
some other work of the Saint.
The sister,
passing St. Teresa's door,
saw her writing,
her face being lit up as by a bright light.
She wrote very fast
without making any corrections.
After an hour, it being about midnight,
she ceased and the light disappeared.
The Saint then knelt down
and remained in prayer for three hours,
after which she went to sleep.
[6]
Fuente, p. 223.
[7]
Ibid. p. 255.
[8]
Autograph, fol. cx.
[9]
December 7, 1577.
Letters Vol. II.
[10]
Jan. 14, 1580.
Letters Vol. IV:
[11]
Fuente,
Obras. l.c. p. 275.
[12]
l.c. p. 217.
[13]
Ibid. p. 227.
[14]
Fuente,
Obras. p. 190.
[15]
Autograph. fol. 1.
[16]
See Life, ch. xviii. 20.
Mansions v. ch. i. 9.
The ignorance of the priest
who had told her
that God was only present by His grace,
made a lasting impression on St. Teresa.
She was first undeceived by a Dominican.
[17]
Rom. viii. 18.
[18]
Fuente; pp. 131-133.
[19]
l.c. 184.
[20]
Allusion to the famous Mystical Theology
attributed to Dionysius the Areopagite,
and
long considered the chief authority
on this subject.
[21]
2 Cor. iv. 6.
[22]
The example of Moses
is scarcely to the point
(cf. Exod. xxxiii. 11, and
Num. xii. 7, 8).
[23]
Fuente, pp. 330-332.
[24]
l.c. p. 334.
These testimonies could be
easily multiplied.
[25]
Way of Perf.
ch. xx. 1
[26]
S. Theol. 2da 2dae, qq. 171-184.
[27]
Bollandists,
Acta, n. 1495.
See also Impressions in Spain.
By Lady Herbert.
London, 1867, p, 171.
[28]
The first translation is to be found
in the Works of the Holy Mother
St. Teresa of Jesus (third part).
Printed in the year MDCLXXV,
pp. 137-286.
It bears the title:
The Interiour Castle: or, Mansions.
As to the authors of this translation
-- Abraham Woodhead and another,
whose name is not known --
see my book Carmel in England,
p. 342, note.
It is stated there that the third part,
containing
the Way of Perfection and
the Castle,
has no title-page.
This is true with regard to the copy
I had before me
when writing that book.
The one I have now
is more complete.
The second translation,
by the Rev. John Dalton,
appeared in 1852
and has been repeatedly reprinted.
It was dedicated to Bishop Ullathorne.
Of foreign translations
it will be sufficient to mention
the one by Cyprien de la Nativite,
in OEuvres de la
Sainte Mere Terese de Jesus,
Paris, 1657,
and the new one in OEuvres
already mentioned.
[29]
The present translation ought to dispose
of the reservations
expressed by an able critic
in his otherwise valuable appreciation
of the works of the Saint.
See Santa Teresa,
by the late Alexander Whyte,
D.D. London, 1898, p. 32.
Criticisms which
have appeared in various papers, or
have been privately conveyed,
have been gratefully received
and acted upon
in the second and the present edition.
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End of
Introduction
The Interior Castle
or
The Mansions
of S. Teresa of Jesus
of the Order of our Lady of Carmel
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