Jan van Ruusbroec: mystical light from the Middle Ages

In 1343, Jan van Ruusbroec retreated to the seclusion of the Sonian Forest. Until he was fifty, he was a chaplain in the Saint-Gudule church in Brussels. Now he sought the silence to live and write down his unique experience of God. His fame as a mystic and spiritual counselor soon spread far beyond our regions. Paul Verdeyen, an eminent Ruusbroec expert, introduces us to the life and thought of this special man. He places well-known testimonies alongside unexpected source material, describes Ruusbroec's fight against heresy, his criticism of the abuses in the medieval Church... Jan van Ruusbroec, one of the greatest mystical writers of European Christianity, was no unworldly eccentric. A commented anthology of the most telling passages introduces us to his writings. No theological questions or pastoral hints can be found here. What is found is a great enthusiasm that continues to appeal throughout the centuries.