This was first published in 1951. The author was the foremost Christian mystic of the twentieth century. He was a Trappist monk and committed to a life of contemplation. This particular book concerns the nature of Christian mysticism and in it he bases much of what he writes on the works of the sixteenth century Spanish saint St John of the Cross; probably the most famous of these is entitled “The Dark Night of the Soul,” and this title expresses the particular form of Christian Mysticism espoused by these men, that which is based on the darkness that is part and parcel of being enlightened by the fire of love and that God is to be known through negation, not so much of fasting but of being led into ‘thickets’ that are dark and where all things are brought to an end that in the midst of them God is experienced. This is known as the apophatic mystical tradition. In a nutshell this tradition says that when we come to know God we find that He is the great unknown. The Katophatic tradition seeks to arrive at the knowledge of God through analogy, whereas the Apophatic says that even if we think analogically that God is Father and we His sons these are really only ideas and God is much more than them. The Ascent to Truth is considered by some to express the heart and marrow of the Christian mystical way and there is no doubt that it contains a good deal of spiritual theology that is meaty and up building. Some also regard Merton as difficult to read and there are sentences and paragraphs that require rereading and pondering to gain benefit. This book is not a light read. Merton believes that this world is a dry place as far as coming to the knowledge of God is concerned. He is clear that only those willing to find time and peace in the midst of their busyness will be able to grow in the development of the interior life with God. I realize that many people in our churches are becoming somewhat interested in spirituality and contemplation, this indicates a reaction against the dryness mentioned above and also the superficiality present in many churches. Some reading Merton’s name might also know that later on in his life he sought insights from the mystic traditions of other religions such as Buddhism although in this particular book things are pretty well grounded in Christian Theology. There are references to Mary as the so called queen of heaven as one would expect from a Roman Catholic monk and these will be objectionable to those of us from an Evangelical background but anyone reading this book should be aware of what they are giving their attention to.
