Jeanne Guyon’s Interior Faith

In seventeenth-century France, Jeanne Guyon wrote about God, «I loved him, and I burned with his fire because I loved him, and I loved him in such a way that I could love only him, but in loving him I had no motive save himself.» She called this the pure love of God. Guyon traveled throughout Europe teaching others how to pray and her books became popular bestsellers. She expressed her Christian faith that Jesus Christ lives within our interior life. As Guyon became increasingly popular, the church and state authorities used the power of the Roman Catholic Inquisition and arrested her, charging her with heresy. Guyon spent nearly ten years incarcerated, including five years in the Bastille from 1698-1703. The state authorities judged her innocent. After her release, she lived in Blois on the Loire River and welcomed visitors from Europe and the New World who talked with her about the Christian faith. This is the first English translation of Guyon's Commentary on the Gospel of Luke.