The Mirror of Charity; The Speculum Caritatis of St. Aelred of Rievaulx
London: The Catholic Book Club, 1962. Octavo, original red cloth, spine lettered in black, original dust jacket. About Fine. Item #1354
"CHARITY—A SHORT WORD INDEED, BUT WITH ITS MEANING OF PERFECT AND UNALLOYED LOVE IT SUMS UP THE WHOLE OF MAN'S ATTITUDE TO GOD AND HIS CREATURES"
Catholic Book Club edition of The Speculum Caritatis—Saint Aelred of Rievaulx's major achievement—translated, arranged, and with an Introduction by Geoffrey Webb and Adrian Walker.
Aelred, the twelfth century Abbot of Rievaulx Abbey, was born and raised in the Scottish court. As a disciple of Bernard of Clairvaux, Aelred's major works contribute to "the Cistercian school spirituality," based on a "shared ideal of charity." The text consists of three parts, arranged in short numbered passages. "The centre of gravity of the Mirror is in its third section...there we are given the co-ordinating idea of three Sabbaths of charity—the love of self, of our fellow men, and of God." Supplemented with an Appendix and Notes.
Aelred's feast day is celebrated in Cistercian monasteries on February 3. Printed in the same year as the Mowbrays edition, this Catholic Book Club edition lists additional titles in the series, both already published and forthcoming. Robert Ellsberg. All Saints: Daily Reflections on Saints, Prophets and Witnesses for Our Time.
Price: $50.00