Clare Kirchberger, born Clara Kirchberger, was an Anglican nun and medievalist, who edited and translated several works of

Christian mysticism Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" ...

Life

Kirchberger was educated at

South Hampstead High School ) , established = as St. Johns Wood School , closed = , type = Independent day school , religious_affiliation = , president = , head_label = , head ...

and

Somerville College, Oxford Somerville College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, was founded in 1879 as Somerville Hall, one of its first two women's colleges. Among its alumnae have been Margaret Thatcher, Indira Gandhi, Dorothy Hodgkin, Ir ...

. In 1912 she was the only woman to obtain a first class in Modern Languages in the Oxford final examinations. She was Assistant Lecturer in Modern Languages at

Girton College Girton College is one of the Colleges of the University of Cambridge, 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge. The college was established in 1869 by Emily Davies and Barbara Bodichon as the first women's college in Cambridge. In 1 ...

in 1913–14. Around 1914 she joined the All Saints' Anglican Sisterhood at

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

.''Girton College Register: 1869-1946'', p.646. Kirchberger's 1927 adaptation to modern English of ''

The Mirror of Simple Souls ''The Mirror of Simple Souls'' is an early 14th-century work of Christian mysticism by Marguerite Porete dealing with the workings of Divine Love. Written originally in Old French at a time when Latin was the prescribed language for religiou ...

'' was published in the Orchard Spiritual Classics series, "part of the rediscovery by a newly reinvigorated English Roman Catholic intelligentsia of what they saw as their own pre-Reformation heritage". Like

Evelyn Underhill Evelyn Underhill (6 December 1875 – 15 June 1941) was an English Anglo-Catholic writer and pacifist known for her numerous works on religion and spiritual practice, in particular Christian mysticism. Her best-known is ''Mysticism'', published ...

before her, Kirchberger assumed its French author was male. She tentatively identified its Middle English translator as Michael of Northburgh.

Works

* (ed.) ''A Mirror of Simple Souls''. London: Burns Oates and Washbourne, 1927. * 'A Link with Little Gidding', ''Theology'', Vol. 52, Issue 350 (1949), pp. 294–298 * 'The Cleansing of Man's Soul', ''Life of the Spirit'', Vol. 4, No. 43 (January 1950), pp. 290–295. * (ed.) ''The goad of love: an unpublished translation of the Stimulus amoris, formerly attributed to St. Bonaventura '', tr. by

Walter Hilton Walter Hilton Can.Reg. (c. 1340/1345 – 24 March 1396) was an English Augustinian mystic, whose works gained influence in 15th-century England and Wales. He has been canonized by the Church of England and by the Episcopal Church in the Unite ...

. London: Faber and Faber, 1952. * (ed.) ''The coasts of the country; an anthology of prayer drawn from the early English spiritual writers''. London: Harvill Press, 1952. * 'Some Notes on the Ancrene Riwle', ''Dominican Studies'', Vol. 7 (1954), pp. 215–38 * (tr., with introduction and notes) ''Selected writings on contemplation'' by

Richard of Saint Victor Richard of Saint Victor (died 1173) was a Medieval Scottish philosopher and theologian and one of the most influential religious thinkers of his time. A canon regular, he was a prominent mystical theologian, and was prior of the famous Augustin ...

. London: Faber and Faber, 1957. * (ed.) ''Spiritual exercises'' by William Perin, O.P.. With a foreword by

Vincent McNabb Vincent McNabb, Ordo Praedicatorum, O.P. (8 July 1868 – 17 June 1943) was an Irish Catholics, Irish Catholic scholar and Dominican Order, Dominican priest based in London, active in evangelisation and Christian apologetics, apologetics. ...

. London: Blackfriars, 1957.

References

Year of birth missing 19th-century births Year of death missing 20th-century deaths Alumni of Somerville College, Oxford Anglican nuns Medievalists Women medievalists {{UK-translator-stub