導言

聖德蘭於1577年6月2日，聖三主日開始撰寫《靈心城堡》，並於同年11月29日聖安德烈節前夕完成。但中間有五個月的長時間中斷，¹因此，完成這部作品的實際時間減少到了大約四個星期——第一部分是兩週，後半部分又是兩週。它寫得如此之快，很容易解釋為聖人在很早之前就已經構思了它的計劃。 1577 年 1 月 17 日，她寫信給亞維拉的弟弟唐・洛倫索・德・塞佩達 (Don Lorenzo de Cepeda)：「我已向主教唐・阿爾瓦羅・門多薩 (Don Alvaro Mendoza)索取我的書（《生平》），因為我也許可以透過添加我們的主最近授予我的新恩惠來完成這本書。 」²她從來沒有請求允許寫任何東西，而是等到她收到上級的命令，在這種情況下，這個命令來自傑羅姆·格雷西神父，即赤腳 J. 的上級。 安達盧西亞省和卡斯提爾省的加爾默羅會，以及托萊多教士、後來的奧斯馬主教唐‧阿隆索‧委拉斯開茲 (Don Alonso Velasquez)。 ³ 聖人當時健康狀況不佳；她一再抱怨頭部有噪音和其他疾病，但最糟糕的是，她因修會上級和教宗大使針對改革派修女和修道士的行為而感到煩惱和焦慮。十月，當亞維拉化身的修女們開始選出新的女修道院院長時，事情變得更加嚴重。儘管有省級禁令，但仍有 55 名選舉人投票支持聖人，並立即被宣布逐出教會。整個宗教改革工作似乎處於毀滅的邊緣，聖人以及她所有的朋友都蒙受恥辱，遭受誹謗和虐待。

在靈心城堡中找不到這些試驗的痕跡。聖德蘭擁有驚人的集中思想的力量。清晨和傍晚都用來寫這本書，其餘時間則忙於處理騎士團的事務。耶穌誕生聖母瑪利亞是這本書開始的地方托萊多社區的成員，後來宣稱，⁴她經常看到她的寫作，通常是在聖餐之後，她的臉容光煥發，速度如此之快，如此專注於她的工作，以至於她似乎不受任何噪音的干擾，事實上完全沒有意識到。天使之母瑪麗安娜⁵報告說，她從同一位目擊者那裡聽說，有一天，聖母進入她的牢房傳遞信息，當時她剛開始寫她的新書。當她摘下眼鏡聆聽訊息時，她陷入了恍惚狀態，並持續了幾個小時。修女對此感到害怕，沒有動彈，只是目不轉睛地盯著聖人。當她回過神來的時候，發現原本空白的紙上，已經寫滿了字。 聖女德蘭注意到她的訪客發現了它，便悄悄地將這張紙放進了盒子裡。另一位修女，聖方濟的瑪麗，留下了以下宣言：「我知道我們的聖母寫了四本書，《生命》、《完美之路》、《基礎》和《居所》，我看過她寫的書。有一次，她正在寫最後一首作品，我進去傳遞訊息，發現她全神貫注，沒有註意到我；她的臉看上去容光煥發，非常美麗。 」然後她繼續以極快的速度不停地寫。」⁶

聖約瑟夫的瑪麗說，她從耶穌誕生的瑪麗那裡聽說傑羅姆·格雷西安神父命令聖人寫下居所；然而，她請求原諒，因為聖人和博學的人寫了那麼多書，沒有什麼可以留給女人寫的了。最後她屈服了。這位修女（耶穌誕生的瑪麗）在寫作時經常出現在聖人的牢房裡，她注意到她燦爛的臉龐和她的手在紙上移動的幾乎超自然的速度。 ⁷

1581 年 11 月 8日，聖德蘭在寫給塞維利亞女修道院院長聖約瑟夫聖母瑪利亞的信中，向羅德里戈·阿爾瓦雷斯神父傳達了一條信息：「我們的父親（傑羅姆·格拉西安，當時是外省人）告訴我，他給了你一本我寫的書，也許你不願意自己讀。這只適合你們兩個。告訴他，他認識的人已經來到這座居所，並享受那裡所描述的平靜；她已經完全平靜了，一些嚴肅的神學家向她保證，她走在一條安全的道路上。如果您無法將這些頁面讀給他聽，請不要將書寄給他，因為這可能會導致不愉快。在我得到他對此事的答覆之前，我不會寫信給他。請向他致意。

在原稿的結尾處，在結語之前（標有“Ihs.”），阿爾瓦雷斯神父的筆跡中有一條這樣的註釋：“塞維利亞修道院的女修道院院長已向我宣讀了這座第七重居所，一個靈魂在今生可能到達的地方。”讓所有的聖徒讚美天主無限的良善，他將自己傳達給他的創造物，以便他們真正拯救他的榮耀。我對此事的感受和判斷是，所讀給我的一切都符合天主教真理，符合聖經和聖徒的教義。任何讀過聖人教義的人，例如聖格特魯德、錫耶納的聖凱瑟琳或瑞典的聖布里奇特以及其他聖人和精神作家的著作，都會清楚地理解耶穌的泰雷薩母親（原文如此）的精神是真實的，因為它會帶來與聖人相同的效果；因為這確實是我的判斷和意見，所以我特此將我的名字定為 1582 月 1582 月。 P. 羅德里戈·阿爾瓦雷斯。 ’⁸

該作品可能是在聖人的監督下被複製的，聖人進行了許多修改；完成後，原件被交給傑羅姆·格拉西安神父和多米尼加人弗雷·迭戈·德揚瓜斯批准。兩人，尤其是前者，都進行了大量的更正，富恩特認為這些更正是不恰當的，刪除了整個句子並添加了其他內容。經過如此修改的書一定享有一定的知名度，儘管程度不如聖德蘭本人更喜歡的《生活》。完成後不到一周，她寫信給薩拉查神父，S.J.：「如果卡里略先生（薩拉查本人）來，有關的人（聖人）認為他會找到另一顆寶石，在她看來，這顆寶石比前一顆寶石（生命）更優越。」這件作品沒有反映出任何陌生的東西，但它本身的美麗卻很輝煌。與前者相比，它的琺瑯更加細膩，做工也更加完美。因為，正如該人士所說，珠寶商在製作前一件珠寶時經驗不足。而且，新的黃金品質比以前的好，雖然寶石鑲嵌得不太好。 正如預期的那樣，它已經按照珠寶商本人的設計完成了。 」⁹後來她寫信給傑羅姆·格雷西安神父：從那時起我寫的書在我看來似乎優於[生活]；至少我寫的時候有了更多的經驗。’¹⁰

有一天，在與耶穌的聖母瑪利亞談論精神問題時，她說自從她達到她在第七重居所所描述的精神婚姻以來，我們的主已經向她傳達瞭如此多的信息，以至於她認為不可能以祈禱的方式在今生進一步前進，甚至也不希望這樣做。 ¹¹

那些能夠獲得該書的人都熱切地閱讀這本書。在薩拉曼卡的大主教神學院，晚餐後公開朗讀了這本書。學生一反常態，寧願犧牲娛樂，也不願錯過如此啟發性的教學。結果是，有幾個人進入了宗教生活，其中一個成為方濟會修士，另外兩個已經獲得學位，加入了赤足加爾默羅會。 ¹²我們也知道一位女士透過閱讀《靈心城堡》而成為貧窮佳蘭隱修會修女人。 ¹³列福的過程包含菲利普三世的建築師唐・弗朗西斯科・德・莫拉的以下證據：“同一個女修道院院長（多米尼加修女修道院）出於對我得救的關心，給了我一本德蘭修女寫的手稿書，名為《居所》，希望我能從中受益。

1586 年 8 月，決定印刷聖德蘭的作品，奧古斯丁派弗雷·路易斯·德萊昂被選為編輯，因為他對圍繞宗教改革的激烈爭吵漠不關心。於是，《內城》的手稿交給了他。他在第一頁寫下了以下註釋：

聖母所寫的這本書中的許多段落都已被劃掉，其他文字被替換或在頁邊添加註釋。這些更正大部分都做得很糟糕，原文也好得多。值得注意的是，聖母的句子是優越的，並且與上下文相符，而更正的情況並非如此。因此可以省去這些改良和修飾。我自己非常仔細地閱讀和考慮了所有內容，在我看來，讀者也應該了解最了解該說什麼的作者的話；因此，我省略了添加的內容，並恢復了已更改的內容，除了作者本人所做的一些更正之外。我懇求讀者本著仁愛之心，尊重如此神聖之手所寫的文字，甚至字母，並努力理解所寫的內容。然後他就會發現沒有必要進行糾正；如果他無法理解她的意思，讓他相信作者知道她說的話，並且她的話不能被篡改，只要它們不失去意義；否則的話就會顯得不合時宜。這就是書籍被損壞、無用並最終丟失的原因。 ’¹⁵

當路易斯·德萊昂著手編輯聖德蘭的著作時，他收到了一封來自唐·迭戈·德·耶佩斯（Don Diego de Yepes）的長信，他後來成為塔拉索納的主教，聖人的前朋友和懺悔神父，在信中記錄了他的個人回憶。我只在這裡插入他關於靈心城堡的說法：

這位神聖的母親渴望看到處於恩典狀態的靈魂的美麗，這是為了看到和擁有它而令人垂涎的東西。當這個願望持續存在時，她被命令寫一篇關於祈禱的論文，她對此有很多個人經驗。在聖三位一體的前夕，當她考慮為這篇論文選擇什麼主題時，在適當的時候安排一切的天主滿足了她的願望，並提供了一個合適的主題。他向她展示了一個最美麗的水晶球，呈城堡形狀，有七個房間，第七個房間位於中央，由榮耀之王佔據，閃耀著最精緻的光彩，照亮並裝飾著其餘的房間。它們離中心越近，就越能感受到那奇妙的光芒。然而，它並沒有滲透到水晶之外，因為周圍的一切都是一片黑暗和雜質，充滿了蟾蜍、毒蛇和其他有毒的動物。

她還在欣賞這種美麗，靠著天主的恩典，住在靈魂裡，什麼時候，到了！光芒突然消失，榮耀之王所在的水晶變得不透明，漆黑如煤炭，散發著難以忍受的臭味。以前被控制在外面的有毒動物現在獲準進入城堡。聖母希望每個人都能看到這一景象，因為她認為，沒有人見過恩典的美麗和輝煌，而恩典卻被罪惡所喪失，並被如此令人厭惡的苦難所取代，因此沒有人敢冒犯天主。

她在同一天告訴了我這個異象，因為在這件事上以及在其他事情上，她都非常健談，以至於第二天早上她對我說：「我昨天忘記了自己！我無法想像這怎麼會發生。我的那些遠大抱負，以及我對你的感情一定使我超越了所有合理的限度。天主保佑我可能從中得到了一些好處。我答應過她在生前不會談論這件事，但自從她去世後，我想讓所有人都知道這件事。從這個異像中，她學到了四件重要的事情。

首先，她開始理解這條公理，這是她一生中從未聽說過的公理，¹⁶天主透過祂的本質、存在和力量存在於萬物之中。由於她非常謙卑、順從並服從教會的教義和天主博學的傳道人的教導，所以她從不休息，直到她的啟示得到她的上級和神學家的認可，並被證明與聖經相符。她甚至說，如果天上所有的天使都說一件事，而她的上級說另一件事，儘管她不能懷疑前者是真正的天使，但她會保留上級告訴她的話，因為信仰是透過這些天使而來的，沒有欺騙的餘地，而來自天使的啟示可能是幻覺。

有一天，她在托萊多，懷著對服從的重視，問我——可能是在她看到城堡異象的時候——天主是否真的通過他的力量、臨在和本質存在於萬物之中，對此我的回答是肯定的，並根據聖保羅的權威盡我所能地解釋這一點，特別是他說“現在的苦難不值得與將來所顯現的榮耀相提並論”。我們，”¹⁷ 強調這句話，“將在我們身上顯現”，她非常高興，我感到非常驚訝。雖然在某種程度上，我覺得這似乎是一種好奇，但我不禁覺得其中有什麼神秘之處，因為她說：“就是這樣。 」

其次，她對罪惡的惡意感到非常驚訝，因為儘管天主以各種方式存在，它仍然阻止靈魂分享那強大的光。

第三，她從這個願景中獲得瞭如此謙卑和自知之明，從那一刻起，她從來沒有想到自己所做的一切善事；因為她了解到，靈魂的所有美麗都源自那燦爛的光芒，而靈魂和身體的力量都被建立在中心的力量所激活和加強，我們所有的善行都來自於此，因此我們在我們的善行中只佔一小部分。她所做的一切善事，從這一刻起，她都將天主視為其主要作者。

第四，她從中衍生出她被命令寫的一本關於祈禱的書的主題，將城堡的七個房間與盡可能多的祈禱程度進行比較，從而我們進入自己的內心並更加接近天主。這樣，滲透到我們靈魂的深處，獲得完美的自我認識，我們就到達了神自己居住的第七個房間，我們與祂在今生盡可能完美地結合在一起，分享祂的光和愛。

「我不再談論這個異象和居所，因為尊敬的閣下現在一定已經看過這本令人欽佩的書，並且一定知道她以多麼準確、多麼雄偉的教義、多麼清晰的例子描述了靈魂從大門到最中心的進程。在這篇論文中可以清楚地看到她如何與我們的主溝通，以及陛下如何將她置於中心，並如她所說，通過將她和不.

1588 年《靈心城堡》在薩拉曼卡出版後，它不僅變得更加廣為人知，而且越來越受到讚賞。耶穌會偉大的神學家弗朗西斯·蘇亞雷斯（Francis Suarez）在宣福真福過程中的證詞中表示，他讀過聖德蘭的一些著作，特別是《居所》，其中包含絕對安全的教義，並證明了祈禱和沈思的奇妙精神。 ¹⁹

塞維利亞神學教授托馬斯‧烏爾塔多 (Thomas Hurtado) 的演講如下：

同樣，托萊多教士唐·阿爾瓦羅·德·維勒加斯（Don Alvaro de Villegas）也表達了他的觀點，即《完美之路》和《內堡》包含“天國教義”。主題的分量、比較的恰當性、表達的力度、教義的一致性、她精心挑選的甜美、生動的言語、清晰的論證，所有這些都證明她受到了她天上配偶的指導，她的智慧寶藏藏在她的裡面。天主；人們不只一次看到聖靈像鴿子一樣停在她的頭上，正在擴展這些作品。維勒加斯認為，如果沒有成為精神生活的大師，任何人都可以閱讀這些書，因為這些書應該被閱讀。因為它們就像天上的露水，使靈魂在祈禱方面結出碩果。 ²⁴

如果認為《靈心城堡》是一部完整的神秘神學論文，那就錯了。與聖德蘭的其他作品一樣，這本書具有強烈的個人色彩：她描述了自己所走的道路，同時也清楚地意識到其他人可能會以不同的方式走下去。在天父的家裡，有許多府邸，不只是七間，而且還有許多條路通往這些府邸。這部作品之所以具有如此高的價值，是因為它是對靈魂逐漸轉變為天主本人的各個階段進行最深入探究的結果。在這裡，聖德蘭始終處於最佳狀態。她不認為任何事情都是理所當然的，就連她自己的個人經歷，也是經過充分的考察，發現前後一致，符合教會的教義和聖經的話語之後，才被承認的。

神秘神學一般分為三個部分，分別稱為煉獄神學、啟蒙神學、合一生命。首先，透過使用聖禮和自願克制情慾，人可以清除罪惡和習慣性的不完美。透過潛心默想最後的結局以及基督的生命和受難，心靈得到淨化，這永遠是基督徒的偉大典範。通往天堂之路的第一部分可以透過普通的恩典手段來完成，而不需要任何直接和非凡的神聖力量的干預。第二部分在許多方面與第一部分不同。它包括心靈的被動淨化和心靈的被動啟蒙。天主透過給予靈魂強烈的內在和外在的考驗和痛苦，以遠遠超過人類自願努力的方式完成了靈魂的淨化。透過將其提升到默觀的階段，祂為我們救贖的奧秘提供了新的啟示。 這樣，心靈就不再被迫絞盡腦汁地思考宗教的偉大真理，並從中獲得一些個人利益，因為這些真理現在或多或少地永久地擺在它面前，並充滿神聖的思想，有時在困境中給予它安慰，有時又對不完美提出警告。再一次，感官安慰的減少，以及由此產生的內心枯乾，在靈魂中留下了可怕的空白，表明如果沒有天主的幫助，靈魂就只是虛無。這種與天主明顯的疏離是靈魂所面臨的最嚴峻的考驗，但也是清除靈魂中最微小、最微妙的缺陷的最有力的方法。

從這種試用狀態中出來，靈魂進入第三階段，在這個階段，儘管可能處於嚴重的痛苦和尖銳的迫害之中，但它知道自己是天主所選擇的孩子，透過完全符合意志而與天主結合在一起。諸如啟示、異象、言語等現象，甚至更奇妙的表現，如愛情的傷口、精神訂婚和婚禮，對於第二和第三階段來說都是偶然的而不是必要的。一些偉大的默觀者從未經歷過類似的事情，而另一方面，其中一些事件有時可能只是豐富的想像力的結果，甚至是惡魔幻覺的結果。因此，我們不應該希望或珍惜它們，而應該盡可能地迴避和忽視它們。如果它們是真實的並且來自天主，它們將無需靈魂的合作而完成它們的工作。自欺欺人的危險是如此之大，以至於在這種現像下工作的人應該竭盡全力地抵抗，而精神導師應該保持高度的警惕。英石。 德蘭在這一點上非常雄辯，使許多潛在的默觀者不被欺騙，而她的弟子，十字聖約翰，在貶低精神恩惠方面更加徹底。在訓練有素的神學家可以用來區分真實現象和想像現象的眾多標誌中，聖德蘭以極其清晰的方式談論了一個標誌。如果他們是從歇斯底里開始的，那麼只有想像力是活躍的，而靈魂的更高的力量是遲鈍的。然而，如果它們來自天主，智力和意志就會如此強烈地活躍，以至於較低的能力甚至身體暫時失去所有力量。

值得注意的是，前兩個宮殿屬於淨化生活，第三個和第四個屬於啟蒙生活，其餘三個屬於合一生活。與同類作品相比，第一階段的待遇不得不稱得上是微薄。確實，聖女德蘭在她的《一生》和《完美之路》中更全面地討論了這個主題。事實上，最後一部作品被設計為基督教禁慾主義的專著，討論透過禁慾淨化靈魂和透過默想啟迪心靈。那裡也出現了《居所》的第一個想法，²⁵，富恩特評論說，所討論的段落可能被視為兩部作品之間的分界線。然而，這並不是聖女小德蘭對默觀生活的初級階段如此沉默的唯一原因，實際上也不是主要原因。事實上，她自己並沒有經歷過這些經歷。靠著天主的恩典，她從小就沒有犯下嚴重的罪和嚴重的缺陷。儘管她樂此不疲地哀嘆自己的過錯和不忠，但這些坦白必須被認真對待。 當她還是個孩子的時候，她有時就會在衣著方面陷入虛榮心，把時間浪費在閱讀浪漫小說上。作為一名年輕的宗教人士，她受到朋友和親戚的追捧，他們對她迷人的談話感到高興。事實證明，這進一步浪費了時間並造成了乾擾。由於嚴重的痛苦，她多年來不再進行精神祈禱，但在她虛弱的健康狀況允許的範圍內，她忠實地履行了所有宗教義務。這就是全部。肉體與精神的戰爭、自然低等部分的不服從、意志的變化無常，這些往往會阻礙靈魂最崇高的願望，但她對此一無所知。在這種情況下，我們毫不奇怪地發現她進入了通往天主的旅程，在許多情況下，這只是最後階段。

至於本書的其餘部分，從平行的段落可以看出，它們所涵蓋的內容與她的《生活和關係》大致相同。聖人憑藉她獨特的內省和分析天賦，從各個角度研究自己的案例，以確保她的非凡經歷不是幻覺，也不會對她的靈魂安全造成任何障礙。儘管《靈心城堡》包含的內容我們從她的其他作品中知之甚少，但由於其邏輯順序和對神秘神學最深奧問題的巧妙處理，它優於其他作品。聖德蘭表面上處理的是一般事實，實際上記錄的是她的個人經歷。這些內容是多麼明確，想像的空間是多麼有限，這一事實可以從以下事實中看出：她幾乎總是重複她在她的生活和其他關於她內心進步的報告中使用過的詞語，儘管她沒有看到這些作品，自從它們第一次離開她的手以來，她也從未見過它們。她的每一次經歷一定都給她留下了深刻的印象，時隔多年仍被銘記在心。

靈心城堡中的一處讓人想起但丁的天堂。在兩者之中，靈魂從塵世的渣滓中淨化出來，逐漸被賦予新的、光榮的品質，並被引導穿過未知的領域，直到到達天主寶座的門檻。即使是最大膽的想像力也無法設計出如此美妙的一幅靈魂圖畫，其中的靈魂裝飾著如此多樣和如此真實的恩典。我們知道，在一個例子中，詩人從天使博士的寶庫中汲取了大量的靈感，將經院神學家的結論寫在詩中。在另一種情況下，我們可以逐章追述聖多瑪斯‧阿奎那學說的影響。聖女德蘭本人從未研究過它，但她的指導者和告解神師對此非常精通，並按照最偉大的經院人士的方式解決了她的疑慮和困惑。靈心城堡幾乎可以被認為是《神學大全》某些部分的實際例證，²⁶，因為它描述了靈魂在每個完美階段的進步。當我們到達第七重居所的第二章時，只剩下一件事：幸福願景，這是為來世保留的。

路易斯·德萊昂的《靈心城堡》出版後，手稿落入傑羅姆·格拉西安神父手中，他在製作了一份至今仍存在的副本後，在訪問塞維利亞修道院時將原件贈送給了聖徒的好朋友、修道院的捐助者唐·佩德羅·塞雷索·帕爾多。當他唯一的女兒在那裡養成這種習慣時，這份珍貴的手稿就成了她嫁妝的一部分。貝吉亞爾公爵夫人多納·胡安娜·德·門多薩 (Doña Juana de Mendoza) 是該修道院的一名學徒，她用銀和寶石將這本書裝訂成冊。它仍然在那裡，²⁷並且本作者有幸看到它。它有一百一十三頁對開頁，但最初肯定還有一些頁，後來被撕掉了。據推測，這些包含各章的標題。與《生平》和《基礎》不同，《城堡》的文本僅以數字劃分，沒有註明每一章的內容，但我們所得到的論點與這兩部作品的論點完全相似，以至於不可能將它們視為作者的真實作品。在目前的翻譯中，它們已被插入到適當的位置。

在聖德蘭逝世三百週年之際，原件的平版印刷版在塞維利亞大主教、舊加爾默羅會紅衣主教盧赫的指導下出版：

目前的譯本是第三個英文譯本，²⁸    第二個譯本由約翰·道爾頓牧師 (Rev. John Dalton) 於 1852 年出版，並已多次重印。它是獻給烏拉索恩主教的。    在外國譯本中，提及 Cyprien de la Nativité 所著的《Œuvres de la Sainte Mère Térèse de Jésus》，巴黎，1657 年，以及《Œuvres》中已經提到的新譯本就足夠了。  是直接根據此親筆簽名版本製作的。人們認為，在語言天才允許的範圍內，應該嚴格遵守作者的措辭，甚至不應該犧牲她的表達的一絲一毫。因為德蘭不僅是一位字字句句都在講述的聖人，而且是她自己語言中的經典，她知道如何表達她最深刻的思想。在將譯文與原文逐字對比後，我可以肯定這個計劃得到了忠實的執行。對於腳註（除少數例外）以及索引，我負責。在我看來，指出這位聖人的各種作品中的所有平行段落很重要。 只有透過這種方式，才能看出聖德蘭在她所有著作中的一致性。 ²⁹    出現在各種報紙上或私下傳達的批評，在第二版和當前版本中都得到了感激的接收和採取行動。  大量引用其他神秘神學作家的著作是很容易的。因此，卡爾特會教徒魯道夫斯對基督和我們主的生活的模仿的影響可以在靈心城堡中清晰地看出。這兩部作品以及一些西班牙書籍都受到聖德蘭的推崇，以至於她命令每個修道院的女修道院院長將它們保留給修女們使用。由於腳註有限，我對那些在我看來有助於闡明本文所闡述的學說的參考文獻感到滿意。

最後，我冒昧地表示，希望這個新譯本能對那些感到召喚到更高生活的人有所幫助。

齊默曼 (BENEDICT ZIMMERMAN)，前醫生，強迫症患者

英石。路加修道院，

薩默塞特郡溫坎頓。

1905年7月1日及1911年12月25日。

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. 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 J. 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 Angels⁵ 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 Señor Carillo [Salazar himself] came, the person in question [the Saint] thinks 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 aconvent 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, to! 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 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 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:

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 contemplatives, 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 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. Doña 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 ter-centenary 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:

The present translation, the third in English,²⁸
   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 Nativité, in Œuvres de la Sainte Mère Térèse de Jésus, Paris, 1657, and the new one in Œuvres already mentioned.  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
   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.  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.