Mediterranean Spiritual Narratives from Anatolia to Iberia: Exploring Rumi’s and John of the Cross’s Quests for Divine Love

Mysticism is a spiritual practice that seeks a direct, intuitive connection with the Divine, transcending ordinary understanding. Comparative mysticism examines the similarities and differences between mystical traditions across various religions. This study focuses on the works of Jalaluddin Rumi, a 13th-century Persian Sufi from Anatolia, and John of the Cross, a 16th-century Spanish mystic from Iberia. It explores the concept of Divine Love as expressed in Rumi’s Mathnawi and Divan-e Shams and in John of the Cross’s Dark Night of the Soul and The Living Flame of Love. The aim is to uncover how their views on Divine Love are both similar and distinct, thereby deepening our understanding of Islam and Christianity from a mystical perspective. Despite their different languages and geographical contexts, Rumi and John of the Cross offer remarkably similar insights into Divine Love and the spiritual journey toward it. This paper highlights the characteristics of Divine Love as portrayed in the works of both mystical poets.