Mediterranean Spiritual Narratives from Anatolia to Iberia: Exploring Rumi’s and John of the Cross’s Quests for Divine Love
Journal of Global and Area Studies December 31, 2024 Motahare Mozafary
Mysticism seeks direct connection with the Divine beyond ordinary understanding. This comparative study examines divine love in the works of Jalaluddin Rumi, a 13th-century Persian Sufi from Anatolia, and John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic from Iberia. Analyzing Rumi's Mathnawi and Divan-e Shams alongside John's Dark Night of the Soul and The Living Flame of Love, the paper reveals that despite different languages and geographical contexts, both poets offer remarkably similar insights into divine love and the spiritual journey toward it, deepening understanding of Islam and Christianity from a mystical perspective.