The Way of Perfection (Christian Classic)

By Teresa of Ávila and Teresa d'Avila

Book Overview

Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) is one of the world's most beloved mystics. Her autobiography has enchanted millions of readers through her use of everyday language to describe her quest for union with God.

The Way of Perfection presents Teresa's approach to incorporating spirituality into everyday life. Using earthy language, Teresa encourages spiritual seekers to engage in a life of prayer and contemplation. In the first half of her book, Teresa speaks to the nuns in her order about the requirements necessary for a life of prayer: mutual love, detachment from self and the world, and humility. In the second half of her book, Teresa meditates on individual sections of the Lord's Prayer.

Teresa's luminous mystical classic is enlivened by her passion for an active life of prayer and her down-to-earth suggestions about ways to achieve it. For centuries, readers of Teresa's work have been inspired to walk the way of perfection.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1557252483
• ISBN13: 9781557252487
• Release Date: January 2000
• Publisher: Paraclete Pr
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.67 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Good introduction to this Doctor of the Church

OK, let's say you have made a beginning on the way of prayer, and you have been looking for good sources to read. You have heard a lot about St. Teresa of Avila. After all, she was one of the first women ever named a Doctor (in the Latin meaning of "teacher") of the Church. But lo and behold, you have found her Life puzzling and The Interior Castle just about impossible to understand.Then this is the place to start. Yes, Teresa was writing 400 and more years ago, and her audience was cloistered contemplative nuns. But this was written almost like a letter. The personal tone gives it great charm and readability. Very little of it is hard to understand, and almost all of it can be applied to our lives here and now.My only difficulty with Peers' translation is the huge number of footnotes. They would be invaluable to a scholar, but I can never keep myself from looking at them, and they are not really necessary or even helpful when your desire is to learn the spiritual wisdom of one of our greatest saints. I love her and love this book, and highly recommend it.review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in God

Teresa's Personal Revelation on Prayer

St. Teresa of Avila lived nearly four hundred years ago. Her work, The Way of Perfection, comes very soon after the completion of her autobiography. The way of which she speaks is a life of prayer. The book is addressed to the nuns of whom she is prioress. It is mainly intended for their use, but it is riddled with introspective knowledge on a prayer-filled relationship with God. This book is undoubtedly a work deeply rooted in Catholicism. However, Teresa's own intimate relationship with the Father is one to be marveled by all Christians. She begins her work by laying out the requirements to begin a prayerful life: aesthetic poverty, perfect love, and self-mortification. She follows with a discussion on the contemplative life and vocal and mental prayer. She meticulously dissects the Lord's Prayer and gives her nuns guidance in praying through the Paternoster. She intends to do the same with the Ave Maria but reconciles to let it alone for lack of space.There are two versions of The Way of Perfection: the Escorial version and the Valladolid version. The Escorial version was written first and is directed uniquely toward the nuns of Avila. The edition above comes from the Valladolid text. It is a more formal manuscript intended for a larger audience. The translator and editor E. Allison Peers does a wonderful job of footnoting the differences between the two versions and inserting italicized sections from the Escorial text. The reader is given a feel for both versions in one book. It can be tiresome to constantly refer to footnotes, but a straight read-through is very enjoyable. It is nice to know the footnotes are there for any academic study. Teresa often meanders from her main point and talks at length about issues that her writing leads her to discuss. At first it may seem annoying that her focus is not always succinct, but her conversational tone greatly attests to the intimacy she has with her fellow nuns and with God. In all, The Way of Perfection is a pleasant and inspiring read.

This is one of St. Teresa of Avila's great books.

The Way of Perfection is one of St. Teresa of Avila's great books, in which she discusses the nature of the path to God (perfecting oneself) and offers advice and spiritual insights about this. As with all of her writings, this book is remarkable because St. Teresa was a mystic who had close and ongoing communion with God on a level few ever reach, that is rare. She was also charming, funny, and delightful - so reading her is a joy. Highly recommended.