The Life of the Servant is one of the world's greatest religious biographies. It is the work of a saint - one of that remarkable trio of 14th century German mystics, of whom the others were Eckhardt and Tauler - who was also a poet. The book was never intended for publication, and owes its preservation to an accident. What Suso confided to his 'spiritual daughter' was meant for her ears alone. In order to console a highly gifted woman in the acute sufferings that preceded her death he unfolded his own hidden life. The value of the book lies in its remarkable simplicity coupled with its unsurpassed poetic beauty. The translation by James Clark, late Professor of German at Glasgow University, brings out both the beauty and the meaning of this classic.

Life of the Servant

Politics & Social Sciences

Suso, Henry

Philosophy

James Clarke & Co.

'The Life of the Servant' is one of the world's greatest religious biographies. It is the work of a saint - one of that remarkable trio of 14th century German mystics, of whom the others were Eckhardt and Tauler - who was also a poet. The book was never intended for publication, and owes its preservation to an accident. What Suso confided to his 'spiritual daughter' was meant for her ears alone. In order to console a highly gifted woman in the acute sufferings that preceded her death he unfolded his own hidden life. The value of the book lies in its remarkable simplicity coupled with its unsurpassed poetic beauty.Table of ContentsTranslator's PrefacePart OnePrologueOf the Divine ImpressionI. Of the First Trials of a BeginnerII. Of the Supernatural Ecstasy which befell HimIII. How He married Eternal Wisdom in a Spiritual MannerIV. How He wrote the Beloved Name of Jesus on His HeartV. Of the Prelude of Divine Consolation by which God encourages many BeginnersVI. Of Various VisionsVII. The Rules He observed at TableVIII. How He celebrated New YearIX. Of the Words 'Lift up Your Hearts'X. How He celebrated CandlemasXI. How He observed LentXII. How He celebrated May DayXIII. Of the Sorrowful Way of the Cross, which He walked with Christ when He was led to His DeathXIV. Of the Useful Virtue that is known as SilenceXV. Of the Mortification of the FleshXVI. Of the Sharp Cross that He carried on His BackXVII. Of His BedXVIII. How He broke off the Habit of DrinkingXIX. How He was led to the Spiritual School and instructed in the Knowledge of the true Self-SurrenderXX. Of the Painful DescentXXI. Of Inner SufferingsXXII. How He set out to bring Wholesome Help to His NeighboursXXIII. Of Manifold SufferingsXXIV. Of the Great Sorrow that came to Him through His Own SisterXXV. Of the Deep Sorrow that once came upon Him through One of His CompanionsXXVI. Of the MurdererXXVII. In Perils of WatersXXVIII. Of a Short Respite that God once vouchsafed to HimXXIX. Of a Loving Account that He once Settled with GodXXX. How He once came Near to Death in His SufferingsXXXI. How a Man should offer up His Sufferings in a Praiseworthy Manner to GodXXXII. How God in This World compensates a Suffering Man for His SufferingPart TwoXXXIII. Of the Servant's Spiritual DaughterXXXIV. Of the First Steps of a BeginnerXXXV. Of the First Examples and Teachings for a Beginner, and the Need for Moderation in AusteritiesXXXVI. Of the Childlike Devotion of a Beginner in ReligionXXXVII. How He drew Dissolute Persons to God, and comforted the SufferingXXXVIII. Of a Sore Affliction that befell Him about this TimeXXXIX. Of Inner SufferingXL. What Sufferings are the Most Useful to Man and the Most Praiseworthy to GodXLI. How He drew some Loving Hearts from Earthly Love to Divine LoveXLII. Of Certain Suffering Persons who were attached to the Servant with Particular AffectionXLIII. How Christ appeared to Him in the Shape of a Seraph, and taught Him how to SufferXLIV. How Firmly he must contend Who would win the Spiritual PrizeXLV. Of the Beloved Name of JesusEpilogue

The Life of the Servant

Biographies & Memoirs

Leaders & Notable People

Lutterworth Press

The most in-depth and scholarly panorama of Western spirituality ever attempted!In one series, the original writings of the universally acknowledged teachers of the Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox, Jewish, Islamic and Native American traditions have been critically selected, translated and introduced by internationally recognized scholars and spiritual leaders.The texts are first-rate, and the introductions are informative and reliable. The books will be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of every literate religious persons". -- The Christian Century

Henry Suso: The Exemplar, With Two German Sermons (CLASSICS OF WESTERN SPIRITUALITY) (English and Middle High German Edition)

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Paulist Pr

Written by Dominican preacher and mystic Bl. Henry Suso (c. 1300-1366), Horologium Sapientiae, or Wisdom's Watch upon the Hours, was one of the most successful religious writings of its time. Now it is offered to the English-speaking world in a new translation based on Pius Knzle's critical Latin edition. 
Essentially a dialogue between the author and Divine Wisdom, the Watch tells of Suso's service to and espousal of Wisdom, his "most cruel bride," with a charm reminiscent of contemporary chivalric romance literature. The Watch's many readers doubtless esteemed it for its devotional fervor and for the solutions Suso offers to the problems inseparable from a sincere Christian life. He teaches that a devotion of sharing in the Savior's self-sacrifice is the path to spiritual perfection, as well as a consolation for the soul amid life's cares. Based on his own shrewd observations on shunning "sensory forms and earthly imaginings," Suso develops the essential elements of ascetic and mystical theology. He keenly observes and judiciously criticizes the abuses of his own times and the rise of secularism, hedonism, and materialism. He writes of his yearning for a way of life that was fast disappearing, for the piety and simplicity of the country folk he had known as a boy. For Suso, the "Christocentric Boethius," the men and women of his youth were heirs of the Eternal Wisdom, founded on Christ and found in Christ, which was being lost and forgotten in the new urban cultures. 
The Watch's autobiographical content is especially interesting for those who follow the repercussions of the condemnation of Meister Eckhart, Suso's revered teacher, in 1329. Eckhart had been condemned for heresy, and Suso uses allegory to show perceptive readers how he found a way to dissent from this judgment and yet remain the Holy See's loyal and faithful servant. Throughout most of his life, Suso suffered the jealousy of his confreres and remained ever conscious of the dangers of uncritically applying Eckhart's principles; these troubles too are expressed allegorically here. 
ABOUT THE TRANSLATOR:
 Edmund Colledge, O.S.A., was professor of vernacular literature at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies from 1969 until 1982, when he retired with the title of emeritus professor of the University of Toronto. He is co-author of The Chastising of God's Children (1957) and A Book of Showings to the Anchoress Julian of Norwich (1978).

Wisdom's Watch upon the Hours (Fathers of the Church Medieval Continuations)

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

The Catholic University of America Press

Little Book of Eternal Wisdom

This book was originally published prior to 1923, and represents a reproduction of an important historical work, maintaining the same format as the original work. While some publishers have opted to apply OCR (optical character recognition) technology to the process, we believe this leads to sub-optimal results (frequent typographical errors, strange characters and confusing formatting) and does not adequately preserve the historical character of the original artifact. We believe this work is culturally important in its original archival form. While we strive to adequately clean and digitally enhance the original work, there are occasionally instances where imperfections such as blurred or missing pages, poor pictures or errant marks may have been introduced due to either the quality of the original work or the scanning process itself. Despite these occasional imperfections, we have brought it back into print as part of our ongoing global book preservation commitment, providing customers with access to the best possible historical reprints. We appreciate your understanding of these occasional imperfections, and sincerely hope you enjoy seeing the book in a format as close as possible to that intended by the original publisher.

Benediction Books

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