Abstract / DOI
Dark Night: How John of the Cross Wrestled with God. Juan de la Cruz (1542-1591), the church teacher of Christian mysticism, uses the metaphor «dark night» to describe the threefold maturation process that is rooted in «being touched» by the existence of God. Seen in the light of the Jacob story Gen 32:23-33, God wrestles with man to transform him from «servant» to «friend» (cf. Jn 15:15), to become God’s partner in life.