This study explores the types and degrees of human love according to Teresa of Ávila, aiming to introduce her mystical thought to contemporary scholars. It is based on the assumption that if human love culminates in agape—self-giving or divine love—one may also experience transcendent divine affection. The topic is significant since Teresa of Ávila remains relatively unfamiliar in Iran, where few Persian works have examined her ideas, despite her status as a foundational figure in Spanish mysticism. Her concepts such as the “four stages of prayer” and the “seven mansions” hold particular importance in the mystical tradition.



The findings indicate that Teresa does not equate love with emotional intensity, tears, or divine consolations. Instead, she defines it as sincere service to God, patience, and humility. Without presenting a systematic classification, she discusses various forms of love, rejecting erotic, possessive, and carnal ones. While she offers no explicit view on romantic love between men and women, she accepts philia (friendly love), ideal love, and the love manifested in nature. Among all, agape stands as the highest and most genuine form, to which she consistently calls her fellow nuns. Teresa also maintains that a lover can become aware of their own love and, after a period of reflection, assess its moral value. The discord between human and divine love, along with impiety, are regarded as major perils of human affection.