Eckhart^(d.cir.1327)hasbeenealledthelatheroftheGermanmystics,^thephilosophicalcreativegeniusoftheGermanmystics®andthefatherofGermanspeculation.^AccordingtoDeanIngeheis‘nexttoPlotinusthegreatestj)hilosopher-mystic’^andthemostPlotinianofallChristianphilosophers.^*liewasalearned^memberoftheDominicanorPreachingOrderandsometimelectorhihlicusattheUniversityofParis,thentheDominicanCollegeofStJacobwherehewasgivenhistitleofMeisterbyPopeHoni-faceVIII.ButitwasprobablyatColognethathegraduatedintheScholasticismofAlbertusMagnus(1205-1281)andThomasAquinas(1226-1274)whosesystemwasatthattimerapidlyacquiringitshold.HeheldatdifferenttimesimportantprovincialpostsandprovedhimselfanableadministratorandreformerofthenumerousreligioushousesinhisearebutitwasprincipallyatStrassburgandafterwardsatColognethatheestablishedhisgreatinfluenceasateacherand‘foranentiregeneration,withtheboldestfreedom,preachedtothemultitudesintheGermantongueontopicsbristlingwithdiflicultiesfortheorthodoxfaith.’Forhehadconceivedthethennovelideaofinstructingthelait}^andthemanysemi-religiouscommunitiesandbrotherhoodsofthatdate-—Beguines,Beghards,FriendsofGod(Gottefifreunde),etc.—nolessthanthereligiousofhisOrder,andforthispurposeitwasnecessarytomakethefurtherinnovationofusingthevulgartongueinsteadofLatin,theteachingmediumofthatday.IlissuccessinexpoundingtheabstrusetenetsoftheScholasticphilosophyinanundevelopedlanguagewhichhehadtosupplywithwordsandfashiontohisneeds,hasearnedforEckhartthetitlesoffatheroftheGermanlanguageandthefatherofGermanphilosophic®prose.UltimatelytheChurchauthoritiesbecamealarmedattheenthusiasmrousedbyhisteachingandespeciallyatitseffectu))onthelaity.Hewasaccusedofpreachingtothepeopleintheirownlanguage

^ThefollowingfactsarotakonchieflyfromPreger’sGcffchirMeandLaason’sMeisterEckhart.(SeeBibliographyforfulltitles.)

*Bach,p.1.3Wackornagel,p.298.

*Bach.^TAght^TAJearidLove,p.xv.

*PhilosophyofPlotinus^vol.ii,p.107.

’Tauler(1300-13G1)describeshimas‘amanofprodigiouslearning,looprofoundlyversedintheaubtiltiesofGod-andnature-wisdomformanyofthescholarsofhisdayrightlytounderstandhim’{Sermom,Basleod.,1521).

RufusM.Jones,p.218.•Lasson,pp.66,69.

XI

xii

MEISTERECKHART

thingsthatmightleadtoheresy^andthisledtohisexcommunica-tionin1329,afterhisdeath,onthegeneralgroundsofpreachingtothelaitythesecretsoftheChurch,alistofseventeenspecifichereticalandelevenohjectionaldoctrinesbeingappendedtotheinditcment.2T(^thefirstaccusationhereplied:^Iftheignorantarenottaughttheywillneverlearn’;‘thebusinessofthedoctoristoheal.’Thechargeofheresyhestrenuouslydeniedandlargelysucceededinrebuttingwhilehelived.‘IprotestinthepresenceofGod,’hesays,‘thatIhavealwaysavoidedwithhorrorallerrorinmattersoffaith,’andhenevermadeanyrecantationofhisteachingalthoughhepubliclydeclaredhiswillingnesstoretractanyerror‘thatmightbeprovedagainsthim.’"TTis‘errors’appeartobethelogicaloutcomeofthesystemhetaught.AsLassonsays,‘lietaughtwhatDionysiusandStThomastaught...buthegoesfurtherthananyofhispredecessorsandcrossestheboundariesofChurchdogma.’

ThereisonlythescantiestmaterialforabiographyofEckhart.Ofhisbirthneitherdatenorplaceisknown.Itisarguedthathewasbornbefore1200eitheratStrassburginSaxony,oratHoclihciminThfiringia.ThefirstknownmentionofhisnameisinalistofProfessorsattheUniversityofParis:/r.Echardus^Tutonicus,licentiatesperBonifavium,1302.In1303hewasProvincialoftheOrderinSaxony,withitssixtyconvents,men’sandwomen’s.Tothistitleheaddedin1307thatofV^icar-GeneralofBohemiawhereherefonnedthereligiousliouses.In1311hereturnedtoParisUniversityandin1312beganhislongsojournasheadoftheOrderatStrassburg.Eightyearslater(1320)heisPriorofFrankfurt.ThereisnowsomesuspicionofhisorthodoxybuttheOrderstillsupportshimandheisgivenaChairattheDominicanCollegein(Colognewhereheenhanceshisreputationasapreacher.HereTauler,SusoandRuysbroeckprobablyheardhim,andTauleralsoatStrassburg.In1325-6,suspicionofhisteachinghavingrevived,NikolausofStrassburgwasappointedhisspecialInquisitorandhiscasecamebeforetheInquisitioninVenice.liedeliveredhisProtestbeforethatbodyon24Jan.1327,andon13Feb.followingmadehispublicDeclarationoforthodoxyintheDominicanChurchatCologne.Thisisthelastdateonwhichheisknowntohavebeenalive.TheansweroftheInquisitiontohisappellation,refusingtoacceptit,isdated22Feb.1327,anditisconjecturedthathediedsoonafter.HewasexcommunicatedbytheBullofJohnXXII,27March1329.

'InquisitionatVenice,1326.

^BullofJohnXXII.SeePregor,Appendix.

®DeclarationatCologne,13Feb.1327.

ECKHART

xiii

Afterhisexcommunicationin1329Eckliartgraduallylostallbutlegendaryfameandhiswritingssurvivedmostlyunderothernames.Fivehundredyearslater,in1829,Gorresspeaksofhimas‘linefigurechretiennepresquemythique.’^Butforatleasttwogenerationsafterhisdeathhiswritings,secretlypassedfromhandtohandandfrequentlytranscribed,fomiedwhatLassoncalls‘thetext-booksofGod-intoxicatedpiety.’Tothepreachersofhisschool,JohnTauler(1300-1361),Suso(1300-1365),Ruysbrocck(1293-1381),allmembersoftheBrotherhoodoftheFriendsofGod,andtoothersoflessnote,theywereaveritableminefromwhichtheydrewnotonlyinspirationbutwords,sayings,wholepassagesandevenwholesermons.TotheBasle1521editionofTauler’ssermonsAdamPetrihadappendedafewpagesofsermonsunderEckliart’sownnameandthisledtohisrediscoverybySchmidtin1817.-Taulcr’ssermonswereafter-wardsshownbyPfeiffertobeavaluablesourceofEckhart’swritingsandtliisappliesalsototheworksofSusoandRuys-broecktoalessdegree.

Pfeiffer’^collectionofEckhart’sworksistheearliestandstillbylarthelargest.HeconfinedhimselfprincipallytowritingsinAlemanic,theHighGermandialectofStrassburgatthatdate,butthereareanumberofothersindifferentdialectsofGerman,afewinLatin,^andsomeinamixtureofthetwo.*Tliercareoftennumerousvariantsofthesameoriginal,sometimesunderEckhart’s^namebutoftenattributedtoothers,e.g.FrankcvonKoln,HermannvonFritslar,NikolausvonLandau,JohannesvonSterngassen,KraftvonRoyberg,allbelongingtothefourteenthcentury.ThenauH'sofDavidofAusburgandNikolausofStrassburgmightpossiblybeaddedbut,asPfeifferpointsout,frequentlytheonlytestofauthorshipistheinternalevidenceofstyleandmatterandthistesthas\ettobe,conclusivelyajiplied.AfewofPfeiffer’sattributionswouldseemtohavebeenwronglymadeandinsomecasesoverworkinghasrobbedthewritingofitsEckhartianflavour.InthefollowingtranslationthesixlastanddoubtfulsermonshavebeenomittedandafewothernumbersofPartsIandIIhav^cbeenreplacedbysubstitutes,eitherdiscoveriesofPfeiffer’sorfromindependentsources.

Withregardtotheauthorshipofthesesubstitutes,I,Iviii,11,xviiandxix,areattributedtoEckhartontheauthorityofPreger(seeGeschichte,pp.318-324);I,xiionthatofBiittncr(secM,EclxharVsSchriften,etc.,vol.ii,p.228).Tractatei(fromtheJostescollection)isevidentlybythesamehandasII,xixand

*WorksofSuso,1829.QuotedbyJundt.

*MartensenhadalreadypublishedhisMonograpliiu1842.

®Deniflo.AlsoSpamer’sTexte.•Spamer’sTexU^audJostos.

XIV

MEISTERECKHART

I,xliiibythesameauthorasI,Ixxii.Sermonxlviisfound(secJostes,No.;34)formingpartofPfeiffer’sTractateiv.Oftheothersubstitutes,I,ixisatypicalEckhartfragmentfromHermannvonFritslar’sDasJleiligenlehen(1349),acollectionwhichmustnowberecognisedasasourceofEckhart’swritings(seealsoII,viii).Lastly,I,xandxv(fromSpamer’sTexie)appeartobecompila-tionsfromEckhart’sworks.ThisappliesalsotoGreith’sSecondBook^fromwhichI,Ixxxixistaken.

NOTEONSCHOLASTICISM

TheScholasticmovementoriginatedintheschoolsfoundedbyCharlemagne(742-814).ItaimedatreconcilingthephilosophiesofPlato,AristotleandtheNeoplatonists-(Plotinus,Poq>hyry,Proclus)withthedoctrinesofChristianity.ThefirstandgreatestperiodofScholasticism,whichculminatedwithAquinas(d.1274)andhisSummaTheologicabeganwithScotusErigcna(d.cir,877)whotranslatedintoLatinthewritingsofPseudo-Dionysius(sixthcentury)andinrevivinghissystempopularisedalsothephilosophyofAristotleasknownchicllyintheLatintranslationsofhisworksandofPorphyiy’swhichhadbeenmadebyBoethius(d.542).ThetraditionofAristotlehadalsobeenhandeddownthroughthegreatArabianAristoteliansrepresentedlaterbyAvicenna(d.1037)andAvcrrocs(d.1193)theLatintranslationsofwhosecommen-‘taricsAquinasappearstohaveused.ThroughthesameMoliain-rnedanschoolcametheso-calledTheologyofAristotle^reallytheEnneads(iv-vi)ofPlotinus.Finally,ProclusexertedaprofoundinfluenceontheScholasticphilosophynotonlythroughthemediumofDionysius’writingsbutalsodirectlythroughhisown,foritwashisElementswhich,emanatingfromtheArabiansunderthenameoftheLiberdeCmisisyfamousinthemiddleages,wasafavouritetext-bookintheirschools.^

'Greithaitributeato»Suso,byaprocessofexclusion,theuntitledworkwhichformshis.SVeondBook.(SeeDiedculscheMystikypp.81and96.)Theoriginalofthisisanearlyhfteenth-centuryMS.of342small4topagesfromaDominicanConventatStGall,androferoncotothevariousEckhartcollectionsshowsittobea‘TeachingSystem’mainly,ifnotwholly,com-piledfromhiswritings.

*EckhartaNewPhilosophers’?‘ThePhilosopher’isAristotle.AquinasIScalledJhoI)octor,’and*aheathendoctor’isoften,butbynomeansalways,Averroes.

«SooHistoryoftheLaterBomanA’mptVe,J.B.Bury;Macmillan,1923.AmcenneCarradeVaux;Paris,1900.TheMetaphysicalElementsofProclusyrhos.M.Johnson;Missouri,U.S.A.,1909