A complete and scientifically reliable translation of the famous Old English text. Wolfgang Riehle, who has established himself as an expert in his book on medieval spiritual and mystical literature, was able not only to create a clear and transparent text but also to convincingly demonstrate the context of the work (from the late 14th century) between Dionysius, Augustine, and Franciscan piety on one hand, and Spanish mysticism on the other. The reader of the "Cloud" will soon notice how incompatible its mysticism, which is exclusively based on the foundation of Christian faith, is with Zen. While in Zen the meditator aims to achieve unity with the cosmos through a meditation that renounces any concrete objectification, the "Cloud," like Christian mysticism in general, focuses on the union of the soul with God in the unio mystica.