Reading John’s Dark Night: A Theological event

Abstract

The aim of this article is to consider the theology of the book Noche; that is, in what way the book Noche does theology, speaks of God, declares God to us. There are five steps in this argument. First, we present directly John’s assertion that the dark night is about God’s action. Second, in order to go further, we propose criteria for a correct reading of Noche (its experiential basis; the primacy of the poem En una noche oscura; and the relationship between Noche and John’s other writings). Third, we examine John’s saying that the dark night results from the meeting of divine mystery and human poverty. This leads us, fourthly, to explore the relationship of the dark night to the Incarnation and to the divine Trinity.