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Angelus Silesius Poland/Germany (1624 - 1677) Timeline Christian : Catholic Poems by Angelus Silesius Books - Links
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As a young man he was drawn to the writings of the German mystic Jacob Boehme. Scheffler's growing mysticism didn't sit well with the dogmatic forms of German Lutheranism of the time and, in 1653, he converted to Catholicism. He took the name Angelus, adding the surname Silesius, meaning "from Silesia."
During this time, Selisius was briefly named physician to Emperor Ferdinand III, but he soon renounced his profession and, in 1661, he was ordained a priest and retired to monastic life in Breslau. He gave his family fortune away to charities.
He published two books of poetry: The Soul's Spiritual Delight and The Cherubic Pilgrim. Several of his poems are today used as religious hymns in both Catholic and Protestant churches.
Angelus Silesius was often engaged in public controversy with both the Lutheran Church he had left and also with his adopted Catholic faith. His poetry hinted at a quietest mysticism which asserts that the soul, when it attains deep quiet, can experience God directly -- a notion neither institution has been too fond of.
Poems by Angelus Silesius
- Eternity is time
- Friend, whatever you are, you must not stand still
- God is a pure no-thing
- God is my final end
- God, whose love and joy are present everywhere
- In God nought e'er is known
- In Spirit senses are
- One Cannot Grasp God
- One Must Go Beyond God
- So many droplets in the sea, in bread so many grains
- The soul, an eternal spirit, is beyond timešs hold
- Thou needst not cry to God
- To Be Nothing and Want Nothing
- When quitting time, I am
Related Links
Catholic Encyclopedia: Silesius Angelus
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01488a.htm
Brief biography.
Sacred Texts: Angelus Silesius
http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/sil/index.htm
Extended selections from The Cherubinic Wanderer, and a couple of brief articles on the mysticism of Angelus Silesius.
Johann Scheffler (Angelus Silesius)
http://www.ccel.org/w/winkworth/singers/htm/angelus.htm
Brief biography of Angelus Silesius, including some notes on the controversies he was involved in.
Cumulative Indexes to the Hymn Translations of Catherine Winkworth (Silesius)
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/winkworth/hyndwink.schefflr.html
Several of Silesius' poems translated into hymns in the 1800's.
