The Cross of Jesus

The Cross of Jesus, the chef-d’oeuvre of the seventeenth-century spiritual writer Louis Chardon, is a fruitful synthesis of theology and mysticism. In style, the book is richly oratorical, replete with prayers, admonishments, and interrogations of the Divine worthy of the Book of Job; in content, it is arrestingly original, combining medieval scholarship and modern sensibility. This new edition, under the deft editorial direction of Paul Jerome Keller, O.P., combines the two volumes of the original English translation into one and includes a new Introduction, updated references, and revisions to the translation that better reflect the original French text. Its theological assiduity notwithstanding, The Cross of Jesus is a book, not for scholars, but for souls striving after sanctity. Similar to his saintly compatriots Jean Pierre de Caussade and Thérèse of Lisieux, Chardon is able to instill consolation and encouragement even amidst admonitions of stern truth. In The Cross of Jesus, the result is an enduring, bracingly forthright meditation on the meaning of suffering, the mystery of Christ’s death, and the accomplishment of our salvation.