The Cloud of Unknowing: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

The Cloud of Unknowing, credited to Anonymous, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of The Cloud of Unknowing, by Anonymous. Read by David Barnes. The Cloud of Unknowing (Middle English: The Cloude of Unknowyng) is an anonymous work of Christian mysticism written in Middle English in the latter half of the 14th century. The text is a spiritual guide on contemplative prayer in the late Middle Ages. The book counsels a young student to seek God, not through knowledge and intellection (faculty of the human mind), but through intense contemplation, motivated by love, and stripped of all thought. This is brought about by putting all thoughts and desires under a "cloud of forgetting", and thereby piercing God's cloud of unknowing with a "dart of longing love" from the heart. This form of contemplation is not directed by the intellect, but involves spiritual union with God through the heart. (Summary by Wikipedia)

Recording facts

• Recording title: The Cloud of Unknowing
• Author credits: Anonymous
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 76
• Listed recording duration: 5:24:44

Catalogue topics

• religion
• Christianity
• Christian mysticism
• mediaeval

Opening tracks: first 24 of 76

1. 00 - Introduction — 40:27
2. 01 - Prologue and the First Chapter - Of four degrees of Christian men's living; and of the course of his calling that this book was made unto. — 7:30
3. 02 - The Second Chapter - A short stirring to meekness, and to the work of this book. — 3:17
4. 03 - The Third Chapter - How the work of this book shall be wrought, and of the worthiness of it before all other works. — 3:21
5. 04 - The Fourth Chapter - Of the shortness of this word, and how it may not be come to by curiosity of wit, nor by imagination. — 14:01
6. 05 - The Fifth Chapter - That in the time of this word all the creatures that ever have been, be now, or ever shall be, and all the works of those same creatures, should be hid under the cloud of forgetting. — 3:44
7. 06 - The Sixth Chapter - A short conceit of the work of this book, treated by question. — 2:16
8. 07 - The Seventh Chapter - How a man shall have him in this work against all thoughts, and specially against all those that arise of his own curiosity, of cunning, and of natural wit. — 6:00
9. 08 - The Eighth Chapter - A good declaring of certain doubts that may fall in this word treated by question, in destroying of a man's own curiosity, of cunning, and of natural wit, and in distinguishing of the degrees and the parts of active living and contemplative. — 9:16
10. 09 - The Ninth Chapter - That in the time of this work the remembrance of the holiest Creature that ever God made letteth more than it profiteth. — 4:27
11. 10 - The Tenth Chapter - How a man shall know when his thought is no sin; and if it be sin, when it is deadly and when it is venial. — 4:55
12. 11 - The Eleventh Chapter - That a man should weigh each thought and each stirring after that it is, and always eschew recklessness in venial sin. — 1:35
13. 12 - The Twelfth Chapter - That by Virtue of this word sin is not only destroyed, but also Virtues begotten. — 3:46
14. 13 - The Thirteenth Chapter - What meekness is in itself, and when it is perfect and when it is imperfect. — 3:33
15. 14 - The Fourteenth Chapter - That without imperfect meekness coming before, it is impossible for a sinner to come to the perfect Virtue of meekness in this life. — 4:08
16. 15 - The Fifteenth Chapter - A short proof against their error that say, that there is no perfecter cause to be meeked under, than is the knowledge of a man's own wretchedness. — 3:15
17. 16 - The Sixteenth Chapter - That by Virtue of this work a sinner truly turned and called to contemplation cometh sooner to perfection than by any other work; and by it soonest may get of God forgiveness of sins. — 5:11
18. 17 - The Seventeenth Chapter - That a Very contemplative list not meddle him with active life, nor of anything that is done or spoken about him, nor yet to answer to his blamers in excusing of himself. — 3:42
19. 18 - The Eighteenth Chapter - How that yet unto this day all actives complain of contemplatives as Martha did of Mary. Of the which complaining ignorance is the cause. — 2:43
20. 19 - The Nineteenth Chapter - A short excusation of him that made this book teaching how all contemplatives should have all actives fully excused of their complaining words and deeds. — 3:21
21. 20 - The Twentieth Chapter - How Almighty God will goodly answer for all those that for the excusing of themselves list not leave their business about the love of Him. — 4:00
22. 21 - The One and Twentieth Chapter - The true exposition of this gospel word, 'Mary hath chosen the best part.' — 5:10
23. 22 - The Two and Twentieth Chapter - Of the wonderful love that Christ had to man in person of all sinners truly turned and called to the grace of contemplation. — 2:55
24. 23 - The Three and Twentieth Chapter - How God will answer and purvey for them in spirit, that for business about His love list not answer nor purvey for themselves. — 3:58

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