The Science of the Cross in Edith Stein

Abstract

In this article we analyze the Science of the Cross by Santa Teresa Benedita da Cruz, a Jewess who converted to Christianity.  It shows that the science of the cross is a spiritual path taken by those who have embraced the cross of Jesus Christ.  The Carmelite journey is presented to others for the benefit of those who decide to follow the path of spiritual experience based on the mystique of the cross.  To initially follow this path of the Science of the Cross, Teresa expresses the need for faith and contemplation, that is, it is the soul in the realm of spirit and spirits.  She makes the cross not simply an experience, but a science, which must be lived and studied.  This understanding is bequeathed by St. Teresa, who not only studied the science of the cross, but lived it, and having lived it, accentuates two doors to true mysticism, love and abandonment.