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The Cloud of Unknowing: With the Book of Privy Counsel  By  cover art

The Cloud of Unknowing: With the Book of Privy Counsel

By: Carmen Acevedo Butcher - translator
Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
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Publisher's summary

This anonymous fourteenth-century text is the glory of English mysticism, and one of the most practical and useful guides to finding union with God ever written. Carmen Acevedo Butcher’s new translation is the first to bring the text into a modern English idiom - while remaining strictly faithful to the meaning of the original Middle English. The Cloud of Unknowing consists of a series of letters written by a monk to his student or disciple, instructing him (or her) in the way of Divine union. Its theology is presented in a way that is remarkably easy to understand, as well as practical, providing advice on prayer and contemplation that anyone can use. Previous translations of the Cloud have tended to veil its intimate, even friendly tone under medieval-sounding language. Carmen Butcher has boldly brought the text into language as appealing to modern ears as it was to its original readers more than five hundred years ago.Also included in the volume is the companion work attributed to the same anonymous author, The Book of Privy Counsel, which contains further advice for approaching God in a way that emphasizes real experience rather than human knowledge.

©2009 Carmen Acevedo Butcher (P)2014 Audible Inc.

What listeners say about The Cloud of Unknowing: With the Book of Privy Counsel

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Contemplation -> transformation

This classic work on Christian contemplation has influenced my life profoundly for the good in the years since I first encountered it. (Its ideas undergird the practice of Centering Prayer.) This translation by Carmen is _by far_ the most accessible IMO. I've read and listened to it multiple times. I think provides valuable illumination for contemplatives on all paths.

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29 people found this helpful

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Definitely worth listening to again and again

Butcher's modern translation and Cronin's reading make this a pleasure. I'm sure the original author would be shocked to learn that contemplation is now considered a pagan practice of far eastern religions instead of a traditional way for Christians to press deeper into their life in God. His emphasis on the work of grace in contemplation, one end result being holiness and love, and grounding contemplation in scriptural truth should appeal to Christians of all denominations. I also found the approach of waiting in quietness on God as a kind of prayer to be refreshing. In our age of social media it's a relief to be quiet, to not be constantly chattering, to not be giving God a laundry list of requests or a series of instructions posed as prayers.

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28 people found this helpful

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Amazing ! Where has this been all my life :-)

loved it. Written with such wisdom and authority. Very enjoyable to listen to with awesome content and excellent narration.

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16 people found this helpful

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Truly Magnificent!!!

Beautifully narrated! An awesome read, and beautifully translated from the old English text. They've done a marvellous job with this. Highly recommended for those walking the contemplative path.

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14 people found this helpful

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Nice Listen!!!!

Listened to it several times. Very interesting and informative. I will use this book as a reference, and would recommend this book for someone serious about contemplative prayer!

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11 people found this helpful

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Old Wisdom For a New Time!

The author does a wonderful job of letting us know the basics of Contemplation without making it sound as if we can't obtain it.

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10 people found this helpful

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Classic

I can’t speak specifically to this translation apparently done in 2009 since I don’t remember reading the earlier translation, but it feels contemporary - if at times a bit repetitive. It is of course based on the famous spiritual classic from the 14th Century. Essentially The Cloud of Unknowing is contemplative prayer - simply being in God’s presence. It’s the similar to Centering Prayer, which became well known beginning in the late 1960s in Trappist Monasteries then gradually spread and has had a powerful impact on the church. The narration is quite good. Highly recommended.

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8 people found this helpful

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Wisdom at its best!

This work on contemplation is profound and will be very meaningful for anyone being drawn more deeply into the life of God!

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7 people found this helpful

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Deep, Serious Content. Not for the Curious

I found this book to be extremely instructive. It does require the listener to hear the content multiple times to truly begin grasping the the essential concepts necessary for embarking on a genuinely contemplative journey.

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great for contemplatives

excellent source for someone looking for a deeper understanding of contemplation higly recomended ..God Bless..

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7 people found this helpful