Editing John of the Cross (section)

== Intellectual influences ==
The influences on John's writing are subject to an ongoing debate. It is widely acknowledged that at Salamanca university there would have existed a range of intellectual positions. In John's time they included the influences of [[Thomas Aquinas]], of [[Duns Scotus|Scotus]] and of [[Durandus of Saint-Pourçain|Durandus]].<ref>Crisogono (1958), pp. 33–35.</ref> It is often assumed that John would have absorbed the thought of Aquinas, to explain the scholastic framework of his writings.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

However, the belief that John was taught at both the Carmelite College of San Andrès and at the University of Salamanca has been challenged.<ref>By L. Rodríguez-San Pedro Bezares, 'La Formación Universitaria de Juan de la Cruz', ''Actas del Congreso Internacional Sanjuanista'' (Valladolid, 1993).</ref> Bezares calls into question whether John even studied theology at the University of Salamanca. The philosophy courses John probably took in logic, natural and moral philosophy, can be reconstructed, but Bezares argues that John in fact abandoned his studies at Salamanca in 1568 to join Teresa, rather than graduating.<ref>Bezares, p. 19.</ref> In the first biography of John, published in 1628, it is claimed, on the basis of information from John's fellow students, that he in 1567 made a special study of mystical writers, in particular of Pseudo-Dionysius and [[Pope Gregory I]].<ref>The 1628 biography of John is by Quiroga. The information is from Crisogono (1958), p. 38.</ref><ref>Eulogio Pacho (1969), pp. 56–59; Steven Payne, ''John of the Cross and the Cognitive Value of Mysticism: An Analysis of Sanjuanist Teaching and its Philosophical Implications for Contemporary Discussions of Mystical Experience'' (1990), p. 14, n. 7).</ref> There is little consensus from John's early years or potential influences.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

=== Scripture ===
John was influenced heavily by the Bible. Scriptural images are common in both his poems and prose. In total, there are 1,583 explicit and 115 implicit quotations from the Bible in his works.<ref name="Tyler">{{cite book |last=Tyler |first=Peter |title=St John of the Cross |publisher=Continuum |year=2010 |location=New York}} p. 116.</ref> The influence of the [[Song of Songs]] on John's ''Spiritual Canticle'' has often been noted, both in terms of the structure of the poem, with its dialogue between two lovers, the account of their difficulties in meeting each other and the "offstage chorus" that comments on the action, and also in terms of the imagery, for example, of pomegranates, wine cellar, turtle dove and lilies, which echoes that of the Song of Songs.<ref name=Tyler />

In addition, John shows at occasional points the influence of the [[Liturgy of the Hours|Divine Office]]. This demonstrates how John, steeped in the language and rituals of the Church, drew at times on the phrases and language here.<ref>This occurs in the ''Living Flame'' at 1.16 and 2.3. See John Sullivan, 'Night and Light: the Poet John of the Cross and the Exultet of the Easter Liturgy', ''Ephemerides Carmeliticae'', 30:1 (1979), pp. 52–68.</ref>

=== Pseudo-Dionysius ===
It has rarely been disputed that the overall structure of John's mystical theology, and his language of the union of the soul with God, is influenced by the Pseudo-Dionysian tradition.<ref>John mentions Dionysius explicitly four times—S2.8.6; N2.5.3; CB14-15.16; Ll3-3.49. Luis Girón-Negrón, "Dionysian Thought in Sixteenth-Century Spanish Mystical Theology", ''Modern Theology'', 24(4), (2008), p. 699.</ref> However, it has not been clear whether John might have had direct access to the writings of [[Pseudo-Dionysius]], or whether this influence may have been mediated through various later authors.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

=== Medieval mystics ===
It is widely acknowledged that John may have been influenced by the writings of other medieval mystics, though there is debate about the exact thought which may have influenced him, and about how he might have been exposed to their ideas.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

The possibility of influence by the so-called "[[Rhineland mystics]]" such as [[Meister Eckhart]], [[Johannes Tauler]], [[Henry Suso]] and [[John of Ruysbroeck]] has also been mooted by many authors.<ref>However, there is little precise agreement on which particular mystics may have been influential. [[Jean Orcibal]], ''S Jean de la Croix et les mystiques Rheno-Flamands'' (Desclee-Brouwer, Presence du Carmel, no. 6); Crisogono (1929), I, 17, believed that John was influenced more by German mysticism, than perhaps by [[Gregory of Nyssa]], [[Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite|Pseudo-Dionysius]], [[Augustine of Hippo]], [[Bernard of Clairvaux]], the [[School of Saint Victor]] and ''[[The Imitation of Christ]]''.</ref>

=== Secular Spanish poetry ===
A strong argument can also be made for contemporary Spanish literary influences on John. This case was first made in detail by Dámaso Alonso, who believed that as well as drawing from scripture, John was transforming non-religious, profane themes, derived from popular songs (''romanceros'') into religious poetry.<ref>Dámaso Alonso, ''La poesía de San Juan de la Cruz'' (Madrid, 1942).</ref>

=== Islamic influence ===
A controversial theory on the origins of John's mystical imagery is that he may have been influenced by Islamic sources. This was first proposed in detail by [[Miguel Asín Palacios]] and has been most recently put forward by the [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rican]] scholar [[Luce López-Baralt]].<ref>Luce Lopez Baralt, ''Juan de la Cruz y el Islam'' (1990).</ref> Arguing that John was influenced by Islamic sources on the peninsula, she traces Islamic antecedents of the images of the "dark night", the "solitary bird" of the ''Spiritual Canticle'', wine and mystical intoxication (the ''Spiritual Canticle''), lamps of fire (the ''Living Flame''). However, Peter Tyler concludes, there "are sufficient Christian medieval antecedents for many of the metaphors John employs to suggest we should look for Christian sources rather than Muslim sources."<ref>Peter Tyler, ''St John of the Cross'' (2010), pp. 138–142.</ref> As José Nieto indicates, in trying to locate a link between Spanish Christian mysticism and Islamic mysticism, it might make more sense to refer to the common Neo-Platonic tradition and mystical experiences of both, rather than seek direct influence.<ref>José Nieto, ''Mystic, Rebel, Saint: A Study of St. John of the Cross'' (Geneva, 1979).</ref>