Further Reading
Further Reading
AN ANNOTATED LIST
Below you will find some suggestions for reading on the virtue of humility. It is a brief list . . . I don’t want to overwhelm you. Read what you find helpful and my guess is that these will lead you to other sources. I suggest you think of it as a grand treasure hunt into this most central of the Christian virtues. I list the books not alphabetically but as they appear historically. At the end I add a brief list of Lakota writings that I have found helpful.
The Holy Bible. Many editions and translations. The Bible is, without a doubt, the most important source we have for learning about humility. You might want to use several different translations along with a good concordance (I like Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible). However, I suggest you not limit your study to passages using the word humility. For example, you might want to take one of the Gospels and see how many places the concept of humility is expressed in Jesus’ action or teaching though the word is never used. You can do the same with the book of Proverbs. I am sure you will think of other ways to enhance your understanding of humility from Scripture.
Benedict of Nursia. The Rule of St. Benedict in English. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 1982. Benedict (c. 480–547) called this book “a little rule for beginners” and he sought to lay down “nothing harsh, nothing burdensome.” As we know this small book launched the great Benedictine monastic tradition. Focus your attention on 
Bernard of Clairvaux. The Steps of Humility and Pride. Washington, DC: Cistercian, 1973. Bernard (c. 1090–1153) wrote this book at the request of Godfrey of Langres, who had heard Bernard speak on humility and was hoping for some further guidance on the subject. However, Bernard felt that by experience he knew so much more about pride than he did about humility. So, Bernard gave something of a commentary on Benedict’s steps up into humility and then contrasted them with parallel steps down into pride. He wrote, “Well, Brother Godfrey, you will, perhaps, complain that I have not given you exactly what you asked and what I promised. It looks as if I had described the steps of pride rather than those of humility. All I can say is that I can teach only what I know myself. . . . St. Benedict describes the steps of humility to you because he had them in his heart; I can only tell you what I know myself, the downward path. However, if you study this carefully you will find the way up.” It makes for a fascinating read.
Thomas à Kempis. The Imitation of Christ. Translated by William C. Creasy. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 1989. Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380–1471) was part of the Brothers and Sisters of the Common Life, a lay movement which stressed the Devotio Moderna, or Modern Devotion. This was a renewal effort focused on bringing devotion into practical expressions like simplicity of life, humility of heart, and daily faith in Jesus. For half a millennium The Imitation of Christ has been the unchallenged devotional masterpiece for Christians everywhere.
The Cloud of Unknowing. Translated by Carmen Acevedo Butcher. Boston: Shambhala, 2009. Butcher, our translator, calls The Cloud of Unknowing (c. late 1300s) “a rainmaker for anyone whose soul has ever felt as dry as a bone.” She continues, “Page after page our nameless author patiently explains what contemplative prayer is and how it can end any spiritual drought—shortages of love, low levels of humility, an absence of peace. Anonymous begins with a call to self-examination and humility, then recommends contemplative prayer as the only discipline that can deeply purify the soul” (ix). Here is a passage from The Cloud that I love: “I’m going to advise you to play a sort of game with God, seriously. Pretend you don’t want what you want as much as you want it. . . . I’m confident that anyone with the grace to put my advice into practice will eventually experience the joy of God’s playfulness. God will come to you, the way an earthly father plays with his child, kissing and hugging, making everything alright” (106).
Julian of Norwich. Showings. Translated by Edmund College. The Classics of Western Spirituality. New York: Paulist, 1978. Julian (c. 1343–sometime after 1416) was the first woman to write in the English language. Here is an example of her exuberant expressions: “God rejoices that he is our Father, and God rejoices the he is our Mother, and God rejoices that he is our true spouse, and that our soul is his beloved wife. And Christ rejoices that he is our brother, and Jesus rejoices that he is our savior. These are five great joys, as I understand, in which he wants us to rejoice, praising him, thanking him, loving him, endlessly blessing him, all who will be saved” (279).
William Law. A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life. The Classics of Western Spirituality. New York: Paulist, 1978. William Law (c. 1686–1761) was recognized as a master of the spiritual life as witnessed by persons as diverse as John Wesley, Samuel Johnson, John Henry Newman, Madame Guyon, and John Newton. For me one of his great contributions is his ability to help us see “devotion” not just as pious acts like prayer or various rituals but as “a life given or devoted to God.” Law is not an easy read, but if you persevere you will be rewarded.
Andrew Murray. Humility. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2001. Andrew Murray (c. 1828–1917) wrote voluminously on the spiritual life. He is one of only a scant few who has been willing to take on the task of writing directly on humility as “the first of the virtues, the best of all the graces and powers of the Spirit.” Here is a lovely statement by Murray: “When we study the humility of Jesus as the very essence of His redemption, as the blessedness of the life of the Son of God, and as the virtue Jesus gives us if we are to have any part with Him, we will begin to comprehend how serious it is to lack humility in our lives” (34).
André Louf. The Way of Humility. Translated by Lawrence S. Cunningham. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2007. André Louf (c. 1929–2010) goes directly to the ancient sources of the monastic tradition in order to help us think about humility. He quotes from a great variety of writers giving us a cornucopia of thought about this most central of the Christian virtues. These are his own words:
One day, the Apothegmata tells us, Saint Anthony stepped out of his hermitage where he saw all the snares of the devil spread out like a net over the world. He let out a great groan of terror and cried out: “My God! How can anyone be saved?” A voice responded from heaven: “Humility.” Consider that saying in the light of another one from the same Anthony: “Without temptations, no person can be saved.” The conclusion is quite clear: As much as temptations are inevitable in the Christian life, they also clearly demand the practice of humility. (7)
The Way of Humility is well worth the time to read very, very slowly.
Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung. VainGlory: The Forgotten Vice. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2014. In classical Christian thinking vainglory is a subset of pride and is perhaps the capital vice of modern culture. Rebecca DeYoung unravels for us the twisting paths of this most insidious of vices. She writes, “When we cut the onion of vainglory and confront its multiple layers, many of us might be unable to stop ourselves from crying—or at least despairing over making real progress against this vice. How can we break vainglory’s hold when our lives are broadcast from a continuous feed of fathomless pride and fear?” (87). DeYoung then answers her own question by pointing us to the great Christian tradition of moral thinking and introduces us to the life-giving virtues, which alone can free us from the plague of narcissism that is the cultural zeitgeist of our day. A fascinating read.
SEVERAL LAKOTA WRITINGS
John G. Neihardt. Black Elk Speaks. Spoken in Lakota by Black Elk. Translated by his son, Ben Black Elk. Written down in readable English by John G. Neihardt. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1959. Heĥáka Sápa (1863–1950), known to us as Black Elk, was a famous holy man of the Oglala Lakota. He was second cousin to Chief Crazy Horse and participated in the Battle of Little Bighorn, which he describes as, “the rubbing out of Long Hair.” At the age of nine Black Elk had his “Great Vision” in which he says, “I saw more than I can tell and understood more than I saw; for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit. . . . I saw that the sacred hoop of my people was one of many hoops that made one circle, wide as daylight and as starlight, and in the center grew one mighty flowering tree to shelter all the children of one mother and one father” (36). He did come into Christian faith while also continuing with his Lakota religious traditions.
Joseph M. Marshall III. The Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for Living. New York: Penguin Putnam, 2001. Joseph Marshall III is Brulé Lakota, born and raised on the Rosebud Reservation. Though his first language is Lakota, all of his books are written in English. He is a superb storyteller and The Lakota Way is based on the twelve Lakota virtues: humility, perseverance, respect, honor, love, sacrifice, truth, compassion, bravery, fortitude, generosity, and wisdom. Marshall writes, “The virtues espoused by the stories in this book were and are the foundation and moral sustenance of Lakota culture. There is nothing more important. It isn’t that we don’t care about physical comfort or material possessions, it is because we don’t measure ourselves or others by those things. We believe we are measured by how well, or how little, we manifest virtue in our life’s journey” (xiii). The Lakota Way is an informative and delightful read.
Doug Good Feather. Think Indigenous: Native American Spirituality for a Modern World. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2021. Doug (Wiyáka Wasté) Good Feather is full-blooded Lakota, born and raised in the traditional indigenous ways of his elders on the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota. He is a direct descendent of Chief Sitting Bull. He writes, “I was raised to be a warrior. But to be a warrior, I wasn’t taught about war. I was taught about love, compassion, generosity, fortitude and courage. All of the things I needed to know and understand in order to take care of myself and be a warrior of peace and love” (ix). As you can tell he writes a lot about the Lakota virtues. A book to enjoy.
The Wisdom of the Native Americans. Complied and edited by Kent Nerburn. Novato, CA: New World Library, 1999. Kent Nerburn is one of the few American writers who can respectfully bridge the gap between Native and non-Native cultures. This collection of stories and quotes crosses over many Native American tribes and traditions. I am especially glad that Nerburn includes speeches from Chief Red Jacket, Chief Joseph, and Chief Seattle. Listen to this from Chief Luther Standing Bear of the Teton Sioux: “The Lakota was a true naturalist—a lover of Nature. He loved the earth and all things of the earth, and the attachment grew with age. The old people came literally to love the soil and they sat or reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering power” (5). Nerburn has written sixteen books, so you might like to read several of his works, perhaps beginning with Neither Wolf nor Dog: On Forgotten Roads with an Indian Elder.
Pekka Hämäläinen, Lakota America: A New History of Indigenous Power. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2019. Pekka Hämäläinen is obviously not Lakota. He is a Finnish scholar, presently the Rhodes Professor of American History at the University of Oxford. Be prepared for an extended scholarly discussion, but it is surprisingly readable. Listen to this: “In 1776 two nations were born in North America. One was conceived in Philadelphia, the other in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and they were separated by more than seventeen hundred miles. Exactly a century later those two nations would clash violently along the Little Bighorn River. . . . It was a collision between two radically different expanding powers that had conquered their way into the West, and its outcome was spectacular” (1). I encourage you to give this volume a try.