CUNOAȘTEREA LUI DUMNEZEU PRIN ÎNTUNERIC ȘI LUMINĂ LA SFÂNTUL IOAN AL CRUCII:
PUNTE SPIRITUALĂ ÎNTRE RĂSĂRIT ȘI APUS

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This volume aims to present the theme of the knowledge of God from the thought of Saint John of the Cross, starting from the symbol of light and darkness. We also aimed to present elements of theognosy, both in the authors of the first Christian centuries, as well as in the Western medieval tradition, precisely to show that there is a common tradition between East and West, which constitutes a premise for a continuous dialogue between the Byzantine and Latin-language traditions. Through his life, Saint John of the Cross fulfilled the words of the Savior: “Whoever wants to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me!” (Mark 8:34) and obeyed the great commandment of love: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.And the second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31) Through these he came to know God in a mysterious, personal and immediate way. The testimony of the Carmelite mystic transcends the ages because it sprang precisely from this personal experience which is based on ascetic effort, on the one hand, and God’s love for man, on the other. We consider that both the personality and the work of Saint John of the Cross, Saint and Doctor of the Western Church, are in the line of the Holy Fathers of the Eastern Church and therefore can be considered models to follow in order to reach a personal knowledge of God.