[Beautiful binding] SCUPOLI Lorenzo - The spiritual struggle. Berlin 1859; translated by Yelovitsky A.

Author: SCUPOLI Lorenzo

Title: Spiritual warfare

• Place of publication: Warsaw
• Year of publication: [1859].
• Publisher: Xięgarnia B. Behr (E. Bock)
• Number of pages: XII, 252, 24
• Illustrations, maps: k. tabl. 2
• Size: 14.5 cm
• Binding: hard full leather, embossing and gilding on faces and spine. Stained and decorated page edges, gilded border, iridescent moiré lining, ribbon bookmark, decorative buckle, cardboard case - beautiful impressive binding!
• Condition: minor rubbing of the binding, minor soiling of the liners

Description:

Estr. not noted, translated by Alexander Yelovitsky.

The book contains 2 plates (BN has an edition without):

- Image of the Savior famous for his graces in the Church of the Dominican Fathers in Lubar in Volhynia.

- The exact image of Our Lady of Czestochowa.

These are probably religious pictures from the "Album de Vilna".

A classic work of the Christian spirit of struggle for salvation under the leadership of Christ, whom we choose to be our "Supreme Hetman" was left to us by Lorenzo (Lorenzo) Scupoli.

He was born around 1530 in Otranto, in the south of Italy. From his Baptism, he bore the name of Francis. As a mature man, at the age of about 40, he entered the Order of Clerics Regular - Theatines and took the name of Lorenzo. He was admitted to priestly ordination relatively quickly - he received it in 1577 - which proves that he must have already received considerable general and theological education, for the Theatines were very demanding in this area.

He worked successively in several Theatine houses, primarily in northern Italy. A few years after his ordination, he underwent a great trial. For in 1585 he was accused by the monastic authorities of a serious offense against the rules, sentenced to a year of monastic imprisonment and deprived of the right to exercise ordination authority. The latter punishment lasted 25 years. He was released from it and rehabilitated only in 1610 - a few months before his death. It is not known in detail what his guilt would consist of, but it is known that he accepted his penance without murmuring, with humility and great fortitude.

Already during this difficult ordeal, he wrote and published the first version of his Spiritual Struggle. The first edition was published in Venice in 1589, with a second expanded edition later that year. From then on, The Spiritual Struggle was published almost continuously.

Along with On the Imitation of Christ and The Spiritual Exercises, one of the most important ascetical and mystical works Christianity has produced.

The work of this 16th-century Theatine monk is almost completely unknown in Poland, although it would certainly be on the list of all-time bestsellers. Even during the author's lifetime there were more than 60 editions, and by our time nearly 600. Almost immediately it was translated into the major languages of the world. It won the hearts of readers everywhere as "a practical guide to the spiritual life." St. Francis de Sales used to say that he carried it always in his pocket, reading a few pages each day and the whole thing once a month.