Lorenzo Scupoli

LORENZO SCUPOLI (Otranto, 1530 approx.-Naples, 1610).
"Spiritual combat". 2 volumes.
Printer: Liberia religiosa, 1830.
Translator: Damián González del Cueto.
Presents engravings and covers of Spanish paste.
In good condition.
Measurements: 14.5 x 9 x 2.5 cm (x2).
Francesco Scupoli, better known by his religious name Lorenzo Scupoli, was a Neapolitan Roman Catholic priest, most notable for his authorship of The Spiritual Combat (Italian: Il combattimento spirituale), an important work in 16th century Catholic spirituality. While living in Venice, Scupoli published the first edition of The Spiritual Combat in 1589. It was written as a practical manual for the spiritual life. At the beginning, it teaches that the meaning of life is to struggle ceaselessly against selfish longings and to replace them with sacrifice and charity. He who does not do so loses and suffers in Hell; he who does so, trusting not in his own power but in God's, triumphs and is happy in Heaven. Scupoli analyzes various common situations and advises how to face them, preserving a pure conscience and improving virtue. He also emphasizes the boundless goodness of God, who is the cause of all good; evil has its origin in the human being who rebels against God. Despite its popularity, Scupoli originally published it anonymously, attributing authorship only to a "servant of God," which led to several false attributions. It was not until after his death in 1610 that the true authorship of the book was revealed in a Bolognese edition of 1610. The Spiritual Combat was highly appreciated both during Scupoli's lifetime and several centuries later.