The Book of Azariah
Encyclopedia
The Book of Azariah is a book by the Italian author and Roman Catholic mystic Maria Valtorta
. It was written in 1946 and 1947 in Viareggio
, Italy where Valtorta was bedridden for several decades. The text is based on a a series of "dictations" which Valtorta attributed to her guardian angel
, Azariah.
In the book Valtorta does not provide a specific biblical reference to Azariah himself, but simply refers to him as her guardian angel. The name Azariah, from Hebrew, means God's help.
The book consists of a set of "lessons", provided by Azariah on Sundays, whose starting points are the 58 Masses of the Roman Missal
of the Catholic Church prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council
in 1965. Maria Valtorta
had originally called the book Angelical Masses, with the subtitle "Directions". But the first Italian edition in 1972 used the name of her guardian angel, "Azariah". As in other works by Maria Valtorta
, the themes of continuous prayer and identification with the Person of Christ and his sacrifice are emphasized throughout the work.
For instance, on May 26, 1946, the fifth Sunday after Easter, the Mass Gospel was
John 16, 23-30 and Azariah's comments, in part, are quoted as follows:
The first lesson in the Book of Azariah was written on February 24, 1946 and the last on March 16, 1947. The book was thus written in parallel to Valtorta's best known work The Poem of the Man God, where the first episode was written on December 18, 1943 and major writing ended on April 28, 1947, although a few sections near the end were written later, concluding on December 8, 1951. However, unlike the Poem of the Man God
, where she wrote a good number of the last episodes first, the order of the lessons in the Book of Azariah is sequential with respect to the date on which they were written.
Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
. It was written in 1946 and 1947 in Viareggio
Viareggio
Viareggio is a city and comune located in northern Tuscany, Italy, on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. With a population of over 64,000 it is the main centre of the northern Tuscan Riviera known as Versilia, and the second largest city within the Province of Lucca.It is known as a seaside resort...
, Italy where Valtorta was bedridden for several decades. The text is based on a a series of "dictations" which Valtorta attributed to her guardian angel
Guardian angel
A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity...
, Azariah.
In the book Valtorta does not provide a specific biblical reference to Azariah himself, but simply refers to him as her guardian angel. The name Azariah, from Hebrew, means God's help.
The book consists of a set of "lessons", provided by Azariah on Sundays, whose starting points are the 58 Masses of the Roman Missal
Roman Missal
The Roman Missal is the liturgical book that contains the texts and rubrics for the celebration of the Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.-Situation before the Council of Trent:...
of the Catholic Church prior to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
in 1965. Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
had originally called the book Angelical Masses, with the subtitle "Directions". But the first Italian edition in 1972 used the name of her guardian angel, "Azariah". As in other works by Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta
Maria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
, the themes of continuous prayer and identification with the Person of Christ and his sacrifice are emphasized throughout the work.
For instance, on May 26, 1946, the fifth Sunday after Easter, the Mass Gospel was
John 16, 23-30 and Azariah's comments, in part, are quoted as follows:
"Generosity ought to be responded to with generosity. We, spirits who see men from the height of the Heavens and follow them with divine light as our guide, view the wonderful prodigies provoked by this competition in generosity between the soul giving itself to Him who has given Himself to it and God, who gives Himself even more to reward the generous one giving himself to Him. And we can truly say, in response to the questions of many about the humanly inexplicable ascents and descents of souls, that the rise or fall is linked to and follows from the degree of generosity with which a soul adheres to the Lord."
The first lesson in the Book of Azariah was written on February 24, 1946 and the last on March 16, 1947. The book was thus written in parallel to Valtorta's best known work The Poem of the Man God, where the first episode was written on December 18, 1943 and major writing ended on April 28, 1947, although a few sections near the end were written later, concluding on December 8, 1951. However, unlike the Poem of the Man God
Poem of the Man God
The Poem of the Man God is a multi volume book of about four thousand pages on the life of Jesus Christ written by the Italian mystic Maria Valtorta...
, where she wrote a good number of the last episodes first, the order of the lessons in the Book of Azariah is sequential with respect to the date on which they were written.
Sources
- Maria ValtortaMaria ValtortaMaria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
, 1972The Book of Azariah ISBN 8879870130 - Maria ValtortaMaria ValtortaMaria Valtorta was a Roman Catholic Italian writer and poet, considered by many to be a mystic. Her work centers on Catholic Christian themes...
, 1949 The Poem of the Man God ISBN 8879870130