The seeker's guide to Jesus in the Gospels Book

Walter Hilton was a 14th century Augustinian theologian, and is famous specifically for this work. Lesser known than the anonymous Cloud of Unknowing, it nevertheless is quite important from both a theological and an historical point of view. Janel Mueller in the preface notes the similarities obvious when Luther and Hilton are juxtaposed. “A century and a quarter after Hilton wrote his Scale of Perfection, another Augustinian monk, Martin Luther, confronted Hilton’s central question of the reforming of the human soul and searched his scripture. In the autobiographical rehearsal at the end of the preface to Luther’s Latin works (1545) that has become well known as the ‘tower experience,’ Luther cited as warrant for his apprehension of justifying faith the same two texts – Hebrew 10:38 and Romans 5:1 – that Hilton cited to define his reforming in faith. Yet the two men meant obviously different things by faith. Luther was persuaded, and he has persuaded many others, that he retrieved the apostle Paul’s meaning, but we owe to Krister Stendahl a brilliant and sensitive caution on the historical difficulties with taking Luther’s claim at face value…When we consider Hilton on reforming in faith and reforming in feeling, his biblical citations point for us the direction of his attempt to delineate a spectrum of reforming in Christlikenes which will be inclusive for life in this world – from a minimum of embracing the means of salvation offered in the church to a maximum of the advanced moral and spiritual state the English Puritans would still later distinguish and greatly emphasize as ‘sanctification.’” (9)

Like Paul, Hilton focuses on the intent of the person, rather than works. “For you must know that a turning of the body to God, not followed by the heart, is only a figure and likeness of virtues, and not the reality. Therefore any man or woman is wretched who neglects all the inward keeping of the self in order to fashion only an outward form and semblance of holiness, in dress, in speech and in bodily actions; observing the deeds of others and judging their faults; considering himself to be something when he is nothing at all; and so deceiving himself. Do not behave like that, but turn your heart together with your body first of all to God, and fashion yourself within to his likeness, though humility and charity and other spiritual virtues; and then you will truly have turned to him.” (77)

He goes on to focus on Paul’s theme of humility. “St. Paul said this about such knowledge, Scientia inflat, caritas autem aedificat. Knowledge by itself puffs up the heart into pride, but mix it with charity and then it turns to edivication. This knowledge by itself is only cold insipid water; and therefore if they were willing to offer it humbly to our Lord and prayed him for his grace, he would with his blessing turn the water into wine, as he did when his mother prayed at the feast of Architriclin. That is to say, he would turn insipid knowledge into wisdom, and the cold naked reason into spiritual light and burning love by the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (80)

Hilton also provides a series of exhortations to his readers. Some of my favorite are:

“There are three means most commonly used by people who devote themselves to contemplation: the reading of holy scripture and of holy teaching, spiritual meditation, and diligent holy teaching, spiritual meditation, and diligent prayer with devotion.” (87)

“Take pains, then, to acquire humility and hold it, for it is the first and last of all virtues. It is the first because it is the foundation, as St. Augustine says: If you think to build a tall house of virtues, first plan for yourself a deep foundation of humility. It is also the last, for it saves and keeps all virtues, as St. Gregory says: He who gathers virtues without humility is like someone preparing and carrying powdered spices in the wind. However many good deeds you may do—fasting, waking, or any other good work—if you have no humility, you do nothing.” (91)

“Prayer is profitable, and a useful means of getting purity of heart through the destruction of sin and the reception of virtues. Not that you should by your prayer tell our Lord what you desire, for he knows all your needs well enough; but by your prayer make yourself able and ready like a clean vessel to receive the grace that our Lord will freely give you, and this cannot be felt until you are purified by the fire of desire in devout prayer. Although it is true that prayer is not the cause for which our Lord gives grace, nevertheless it is a way by which grace, freely given, comes to a soul.” (97)

“This image is a false disordered love for yourself. Out of this love there come all kinds of sin in seven rivers, which are these: pride, envy, wrath, accidie, covetousness, gluttony and lechery. Now, this is something you can feel. Every kind of sin runs out by one of these rivers, driving out charity if it is mortal, or, if it is venial, lessening the fervor of charity. Now you can feel by groping that this image is not nothing, but full of wretchedness, for it is a great spring of love for yourself, with seven rivers of the kind I have mentioned.” (126)

“Then I believe that the light that comes after this darkness is sure and true, and that it shines out of the city of Jerusalem from the true sun upon a soul that toils in darkness and cries for light, to teach it the way and comfort it in travail. For I think that true darkness is never followed by false light; that is, if a man truly and entirely sets himself to forsake the love of the world and can through grace come to the feeling and knowledge of himself, keeping himself humbly in that feeling, he shall not be deceived with any errors, heresies or fantasies.” (242)

In the end, this is a very interesting contribution by a theologian that I knew very little about before picking up this volume.

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