The Cloud of Unknowing: A New Translation [Paperback]

Carmen Acevedo Butcher (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2009

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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This classic deserves to be read by every age in its own cultural idiom. Dr. Butcher has done just that and has preserved a valuable treasure for our time. This is the book that balances our lust for knowing with the freedom of not needing to know at all!”—Richard Rohr, OFM, author of Radical Grace and Everything Belongs: The Gift of Contemplative Prayer

“Brilliant, bold, and breathtaking. Carmen Acevedo Butcher is called to this work, and I have no doubt the anonymous author of The Cloud of Unknowing is the one calling her. I loved her sensitivity to the original Middle English, her fascinating background details, and her high level of accuracy. I am delighted that this passionate and readable new translation of the Cloud is on the planet!”—Cynthia Bourgeault, author of The Wisdom Jesus and Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1 edition (April 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590306228
• ISBN-13: 978-1590306222
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #31,807 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Mysticism
  • #27 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > New Age > Mysticism

More About the Author

Dr. Carmen Acevedo Butcher received the 46th Georgia Author of the Year award for The Cloud of Unknowing with the Book of Privy Counsel. She was Carnegie Professor of the Year for Georgia and recipient of the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship. As a Fulbright Senior Lecturer, she taught graduate and undergraduate students for a year at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea. She studied medieval literature at The University of Georgia with Dr. John Algeo. Dr. Butcher also studied at The University of London on a Fulbright grant and at Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg on a Rotary International Graduate Scholarship. She has published numerous books and articles in medieval studies and linguistics with Cambridge University Press, Mercer University Press, Cengage Learning / Wadsworth, Paraclete Press, Shambala Publications, and others. She is a professor of English and Scholar-in-Residence at Shorter University and is frequently asked to speak at universities, colleges, and community venues and leads retreats on Bible study and prayer. She writes regularly for Christianity Today and has served as a commentator for Georgia Public Broadcasting (97.7 FM). She is also a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Her husband, Sean, and she met in London during the first Fulbright grant. Her website is www.carmenbutcher.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The answer to your troubles, big or small, April 29, 2009

By 

Benjamin P. Mcfry - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cloud of Unknowing: A New Translation (Paperback)

Having studied the Cloud of Unknowing and Book of Privy Counsel in the original Middle English and through its many subsequent translations, I confidently say that Dr. Carmen Butcher's is the most accessible book to the layman yet still retains all the mystique of the contemplative genre. Her introduction contextualizes this book both historically and in our own times, giving the reader an objective view of its place in the Middle Ages as well as a personal understanding of why this book is still so important to our daily lives and current times.

Many of us wish we could only strengthen our relationship with God and have sought numerous, often unfufilling methods for accomplishing that goal; however, this text is a spiritual guidebook for coming to know God in the only way He can be known, rendered in the most transparent language for a most mystical subject. I can say no more about the specifics of the text, and anyone who reads it will know why I cannot.

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Butcher opens a door for the non scholar, April 28, 2009

By 

Wilson Hall PhD - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cloud of Unknowing: A New Translation (Paperback)

In her beautiful translation of The Cloud of Unknowing and Book of Privy Counsel, Dr. Carmen Butcher does what every good scholar should do from time to time: she writes a very readable, knowledgeable and probing book for the non scholar. This is not to say that her book is beneath the professional scholar. It is not. All of her ability as a scholar is obvious in the book. But she makes it clear in simple language how one goes about addressing and communicating with God, how one becomes aware of the presence of God, all in understandable, modern English. Whether the reader is a university Ph.D, minister or a workaday Christian, serious about his or her religion, all will find the book to be an excellent, carefully written translation.

For me personally, it was was one of those books that I have been seeking for years, but did not realize it until I had read the book's first few pages. Then I found it rich in ideas that I had confronted but had never heard articulated.

I recommend it highly for all who are interested in Christian thought and literature. When you put the book down, you will not be the same person who picked it up.

Wilson Hall, Ph.D.
Professor retired

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for Seekers and Mediators of All Spiritual Tradtions, May 31, 2009

By 

Robert Buck Goyer "Buck Goyer" (Huntsville, AL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cloud of Unknowing: A New Translation (Paperback)

Call it Meditation, Deep Prayer, or Contemplation, THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING gives guidance for both the beginner or experienced spiritual mediator. Having studied the meditation practices of both eastern and western traditions, THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING far exceeds the deepest teachings of Hinduism, Buddhism (even Zen,), and even the traditional Christian methods; they all seem to fall a little short of THE CLOUD. Even the popular Centering Prayer teachings come from THE CLOUD. While a Christian work, THE CLOUD is for all who seek God, regardless of your religious tradition, or even if you have no religious tradition.

I have read a lot of translations of THE CLOUD OF UNKNOWING, but none are as clear and easily understood as Dr. Butcher's modern English translation of THE CLOUD. If you are going to read THE CLOUD, this is the translation you should read. Dr. Butcher deserves our thanks and praise for giving us this translation.