Jerome Gratian: Treatise On Melancholy - Tapa blanda

Jerome Gratian, also known as Jerome of the Mother of God, was chosen by St. Teresa of Avila to lead her Carmelite Reform, but he was at the center of divisions within that community. Gratian came from a family of respected humanists who served as royal secretaries to King Philip II, and he left behind an extensive collection of his own works. These include accounts of his life, that of Teresa and of the early years of the Teresian reform, reflections on prayer and devotions and other topics of a theological and philosophical nature. Little of this is readily available in English translation. The small treatise translated in this volume , written in the form of a parody of religious legislation, was chosen because of its brevity and its humor. Also included in this volume is a biographical sketch and a reflection on Gratian's positive teaching.

Michael Dodd has written and lectured about Carmelite spirituality and history for over twenty years. His work has appeared in publications in the United States, Europe and Africa. He is the author of THE DARK NIGHT MURDERS: A FRAY JOHN OF THE CROSS MYSTERY.