Full Answer
What are some interesting facts about St John of the cross?
St. John of the Cross Facts. The Spanish Carmelite St. John of the Cross (1542-1591) is the most important mystical writer in the Catholic tradition. He also played a leading role in the 16th-century reform of the Carmelites. Juan de Yepes, later St. John of the Cross, was born at Fontiveros.
How did the Apostle John die?
We know that the apostle John was exiled for his faith late in life ( Revelation 1:9 ). The Bible does not give us details on how the apostle John died, but tradition gives us a few theories.
What is the best translation of St John of the cross?
His prose has been influential on the development of the literary language of his culture. The best-known English translation of St. John's works is Edgar Allison Peers, The Complete Works of St. John of the Cross (3 vols., 1934-1935).
What happened to St John the Baptist after he died?
The morning after John's death huge numbers of townspeople in Úbeda entered the monastery to view his body; in the crush, many were able to take home bits of his habit. He was initially buried at Úbeda, but, at the request of the monastery in Segovia, his body was secretly moved there in 1593.
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What happened to St John of the Cross?
There he fell ill, and travelled to the monastery at Úbeda for treatment. His condition worsened, however, and he died there, of erysipelas on 14 December 1591.
Where is John of the Cross buried?
Convento de las Carmelitas Descalzas, Fitoria, SpainJohn of the Cross / Place of burial
Where are St John's remains?
Bone fragments of St John the Baptist appear to have been found on Sveti Ivan Island near Bulgaria's southern Black Sea. He is considered one of the most important figures in Christianity. Further tests are still to be carried out on the fragments, which were discovered late last month.
How many St John's are there?
Who was St John? If you look at Wikipedia's list of St Johns, you will find 61 saints with the name John. The index of saints provided by Catholic Online lists even more saints with the name John, 126.
Does the tomb of Jesus still exist?
The tomb is at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It is the most widely accepted burial site of Christ. People previously thought the tomb had been no more than 1,000 years old.
Where is the tomb of Jesus located today?
The renovated Tomb where Jesus is thought to be buried, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Can you see Jesus tomb?
The Garden Tomb is open to visitors Monday through Saturday between 8:30 – 12:00 and 2:00 – 5:30pm. English tours are available but must be booked in advance. Visitors are serviced with good facilities which include toilets, drinking water, benches and a well stocked gift shop.
Where is Golgotha located?
JerusalemGolgotha, also called Calvary in Latin, is usually said to be connected to the traditional site of Christ's Crucifixion, now in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem., This site is within the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem.
When did John of the Cross change his name?
On 28 November 1568 , the monastery was established, and on that same day, John changed his name to "John of the Cross". Soon after, in June 1570, the friars found the house at Duruelo was too small, and so moved to the nearby town of Mancera de Abajo, midway between Ávila and Salamanca.
Who is the saint of the cross?
John of the Cross (born Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; Spanish: Juan de la Cruz; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591), venerated as Saint John of the Cross, was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin .
How many nuns were there in 1581?
By the time of the Provincial Chapter at Alcalá in 1581, there were 22 houses, some 300 friars and 200 nuns among the Discalced Carmelites. Saint John of the Cross' shrine and reliquary, Convent of Carmelite Friars, Segovia. Reliquary of John of the Cross in Úbeda, Spain.
How many verses does John of the Cross have?
John of the Cross is considered one of the foremost poets in Spanish. Although his complete poems add up to fewer than 2500 verses, two of them, the Spiritual Canticle and the Dark Night of the Soul, are widely considered masterpieces of Spanish poetry, both for their formal style and their rich symbolism and imagery. His theological works often consist of commentaries on the poems. All the works were written between 1578 and his death in 1591.
What did Teresa ask John to do?
Teresa asked John to delay his entry into the Carthusian order and to follow her. Having spent a final year studying in Salamanca, in August 1568 John travelled with Teresa from Medina to Valladolid, where Teresa intended to found another convent. After a spell at Teresa's side in Valladolid, learning more about the new form of Carmelite life, in October 1568, John left Valladolid, accompanied by Friar Antonio de Jesús de Heredia, to found a new monastery for Carmelite friars, the first to follow Teresa's principles. They were given the use of a derelict house at Duruelo, which had been donated to Teresa. On 28 November 1568, the monastery was established, and on that same day, John changed his name to "John of the Cross".
What is John's mystical theology?
It has rarely been disputed that the overall structure of John's mystical theology, and his language of the union of the soul with God, is influenced by the pseudo-Dionysian tradition. However, it has not been clear whether John might have had direct access to the writings of Pseudo-Dionysius, or whether this influence may have been mediated through various later authors.
What were John's influences?
In John's time they included the influences of Thomas Aquinas, of Scotus and of Durandus. It is often assumed that John would have absorbed the thought of Aquinas, to explain the scholastic framework of his writings.
Facts
Saint John of the Cross was born Juan de Yepes y Alvarez, in Fontiveros, Avila, Spain in 1542. His father was employed by wealthy family members as an accountant, but they disowned him when he married a poor woman from the lower class. As a result of his family's poverty, John's family suffered greatly.
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John became a priest in 1567 and considered joining the Carthusian Order where monks lived cloistered in individual cells. He was attracted by the simple and quiet life. However, he encountered Theresa of Avila, a charismatic Carmelite nun. Theresa asked John to follow her.
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Who is buried at Ephesus?
The Basilica of St. John was a basilica in Ephesus. It was constructed by Justinian I in the 6th century. It stands over the believed burial site of John the Apostle. It was modeled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.
Who was brother of Jesus?
The New Testament names James the Just, Joses, Simon, and Jude as the brothers (Greek adelphoi) of Jesus (Mark 6:3, Matthew 13:55, John 7:3, Acts 1:13, 1 Corinthians 9:5).
Who were John the Baptist disciples?
John the Baptist sees Jesus walking by the day after His baptism, and tells two of his own disciples, “Behold, the Lamb of God!” The two disciples follow Jesus, who tells them, “Come, see (where I am staying).” These disciples are soon identified as Andrew (first), the other is not specifically named — but, “The first
Why is John of the Cross a saint?
Saint John of the Cross’ Story. John is a saint because his life was a heroic effort to live up to his name: “of the Cross.”. The folly of the cross came to full realization in time. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34b) is the story of John’s life.
What is John of the Cross's message?
In his life and writings, John of the Cross has a crucial word for us today. We tend to be rich, soft, comfortable. We shrink even from words like self-denial, mortification, purification, asceticism, discipline. We run from the cross. John’s message—like the gospel—is loud and clear: Don’t—if you really want to live!
What is John's spirit?
There are many mystics, many poets; John is unique as mystic-poet, expressing in his prison-cross the ecstasy of mystical union with God in the Spiritual Canticle.
Who was the Reformer in the Paschal Mystery?
The Paschal Mystery—through death to life—strongly marks John as reformer, mystic-poet, and theologian-priest. Ordained a Carmelite priest in 1567 at age 25, John met Teresa of Avila and like her, vowed himself to the primitive Rule of the Carmelites.
When did John return to Castile?
It was only toward the end of his life, in 1588, that he returned to Castile as prior of the house of Segovia and as councilor of the provincial.
Where did John join Theresa?
After some short stays in Pastrana and Alcalá, John joined Theresa as confessor in the unreformed Carmelite convent of Á vila, of which she had become prioress. During this period they stayed in constant spiritual contact, in which John was Theresa's director as well as her spiritual son.
How old was Juan de Yepes when his father died?
Juan de Yepes, later St. John of the Cross, was born at Fontiveros. His father died when Juan was 2 years old and left the family of three children penniless.
What is the spiritual process of Mount Carmel?
In The Ascent of Mount Carmel and The Dark Night of the Soul, the process of spiritual life is considered mainly from the purgative point of view: to reach the union of light the soul must pass through the night of purification . Yet in this purifying night John also includes the illumination of faith and even the union with God.
Overview
John of the Cross, O. Carm (Spanish: Juan de la Cruz; born Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591), venerated as Saint John of the Cross, was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major figure of the Counter-Reformation in Spain, and he is one of the thirty-seven Doctors of the Church.
John of the Cross is known gratefully for his writings. He was mentored by and corresponded wi…
Life
He was born Juan de Yepes y Álvarez at Fontiveros, Old Castile into a converso family (descendants of Jewish converts to Catholicism) in Fontiveros, near Ávila, a town of around 2,000 people. His father, Gonzalo, was an accountant to richer relatives who were silk merchants. In 1529 Gonzalo married John's mother, Catalina, who was an orphan of a lower class; he was rejected by his family an…
Veneration
The morning after John's death huge numbers of townspeople in Úbeda entered the monastery to view his body; in the crush, many were able to take home bits of his habit. He was initially buried at Úbeda, but, at the request of the monastery in Segovia, his body was secretly moved there in 1593. The people of Úbeda, however, unhappy at this change, sent a representative to petition the pope to move the body back to its original resting place. Pope Clement VIII, impressed by the pe…
Literary works
John of the Cross is considered one of the foremost poets in Spanish. Although his complete poems add up to fewer than 2500 verses, two of them, the Spiritual Canticle and the Dark Night of the Soul, are widely considered masterpieces of Spanish poetry, both for their formal style and their rich symbolism and imagery. His theological works often consist of commentaries on the poems. All the wo…
Intellectual influences
The influences on John's writing are subject to an ongoing debate. It is widely acknowledged that at Salamanca university there would have existed a range of intellectual positions. In John's time they included the influences of Thomas Aquinas, of Scotus and of Durandus. It is often assumed that John would have absorbed the thought of Aquinas, to explain the scholastic framework of his writings.
Books
• John of the Cross, Dark Night of the Soul, London, 2012. limovia.net ISBN 978-1-78336-005-5
• John of the Cross, Ascent of Mount Carmel, London, 2012. limovia.net ISBN 978-1-78336-009-3
• John of the Cross, Spiritual Canticle of the Soul and the Bridegroom Christ, London, 2012. limovia.net ISBN 978-1-78336-014-7
See also
• A lo divino
• Book of the First Monks
• Byzantine Discalced Carmelites
• Calendar of saints (Church of England)
Sources
• Hardy, Richard P., The Life of St John of the Cross: Search for Nothing, London: DLT, 1982
• Thompson, C.P., St. John of the Cross: Songs in the Night, London: SPCK, 2002
• Tillyer, Desmond. Union with God: The Teaching of St John of the Cross, London & Oxford: Mowbray, 1984