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Eckhart Ecstasy THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG

hindrance only in the human soul of Christ (67, 12). For all other souls sin is an obstacle.

But wherein does sin consist? Not in the finitenesa, which is never removed from the soul (387, 3; 500, 11), but in the direction of the will toward the finite and its pleasure therein (476, 19; 674, 17). The possibility of sin, however, is based in finiteness, taken together with the free will of the creature. If it is the destiny of the soul to be the resting-place of God, then the direction of the will toward the finite makes this impossible; and it is this that constitutes sin. Redemption, therefore,

can take place only when the creature Sin and makes room in his soul for the work Redemption. of God; and the condition for that is

the turning away from the finite. For God is ever ready to work in the soul, pro vided he is not hindered and the soul is sus ceptible to his influence (27, 25; 283, 23; 33, 29; 479, 31). The inner separation from everything casual, sensual, earthly and the yielding to the work of God in the heart, that is the seclusion or tran quillity of which Eckhart speaks again and again. For him this is the basis of all piety. But what is it that God accomplishes in the soul? This can be stated in a word: the birth of the son. As the soul is an image of the Deity, if it is to fulfil its des tiny, then that process by which the deity develops into the three persona must take place in it. The father procreates in the soul the son (44, 28; 175, 15-20; 479, 10; 13, 12). This takes place during the life of the soul in time; and, too, not merely at a particular moment, but rather continuously and repeatedly. This is not merely a copy or analogon of that inner divine process, but is in truth that very process itself, by which it becomes, through grace, what the Son of God is by nature (433, 32; 382, 7; 377, 17). From this view of Eckhart's follow a number of the most striking statements in which the soul is made to share in the attributes and works of God, including the creation (119, 28-40; 267, 4; 283, 37-284, 7). However, according to Eckhart, a complete fusion of the soul with the Deity never takes place (387, 3). He also opposes the doctrine of Apocatastaeis (65, 20; 402, 34; 470, 22).

According to Eckhart sin is not the real cause of the incarnation (591, 34). God wished rather to receive the nature of things through grace in time just as he had them by nature in eternity in himself

(574, 34). Just as a man occupies a 6. The central position in the world, since he

Place of leads all creatures back to God, so Christ. Christ stands in the center of humanity

(180, 7; 390, 37.) The same thought is found in Maximus the Confessor and Erigena, but whence did Eckhart get it? Even at the creation of the first man Christ was already the end in view (250, 23); and now after the fact of sin, Christ stands likewise in the center of redemption. After the fall all creatures worked together to produce a man who should restore the harmony (497, 11). This took place when Mary resigned herself so completely to the divine word that the eternal word could assume human nature in her. However, this temporal birth of the son is again included

in his eternal birth as a moment of the same (391, 20). And now God is to be born in us. In his human life Jesus becomes a pattern for man; and in all that he did and experienced, above all in his passion and death there is an overwhelming power that draws man to God (218-219) and brings about in us that which first took place in Christ, who alone is the way to the father (241, 17).

Whatever one may think of Eckhart's philosophical and dogmatic speculations, his ethical view, at any rate, is of rare purity and sublimity. The inner position of man, the disposition of the heart,

is for him the main thing (56, 39.; 297, 7. Eck- 11; 444, 8; 560, 43) and with him hart's this is not a result of reflection. One Ethics. feels that it comes from the core of his personality; and no doubt this was the principal reason for the deep impression his sermons made. He speaks little of church ceremo nies. For him outward penances have only a limited value. That man inwardly turn to God and be led by him, that is the main purpose of Eckhart's exhortations. Let no one think because this or that great saint has done and suffered many things, that he should imitate him. God gives to each his task, and leaves every one on his way (560 sqq. 177, 26-35). No one can express the fact more definitely than does Eckhart, that it is not works that justify man, but that man must first be righteous in order to do righteous works. Nor does he recom mend that one flee from the world, but flee from oneself, from selfishness, and self-will. Otherwise one finds as little peace in the cell as outside of it. Though he sees in suffering the most effective and most valuable means of inner purification, still he does not mean that one should seek sufferings of his own choosing, but only bear patiently whatever God imposes. He recognizes that it is natural for one to be affected either pleasantly or unpleas antly by the various sense-impressions; but in the innermost depths of the soul one must hold fast to God and allow himself to be moved by nothing (52, 1; 427, 22). It need hardly be added that he regards highly works of charity. Even supreme rapture should not prevent one from rendering a service to the poor. It is noteworthy that, in the ninth sermon, he puts Martha higher than Mary, though by a strange misinterpretation of the text. While Mary enjoyed only the sweetness of the Lord, being yet a learner, Martha had passed this stage. She stood firm in the substance, and no work hin dered her, but every work helped her to blessedness. Future investigations will presumably make pos sible a more accurate estimate of the importance of Eckhart; but it is hardly possible that they will' overthrow the verdict of Suso and Tauter concern ing him. S. M. DEUTSCH. BIHLIOORAPHY: J. Trittenheim, De acrviptordvua eccleaiae ticis, ch. 537, Basel, 1494; Franz von Baader, Werke, Leipsio, 1851-60, cf. Index; K. Schmidt, Meister Eckart in TSIf, xi (1839), 683 eqq.; H. Martensen, Meister Eckart, Hamburg, 1842; F. Pfeiffer, Deutsche Mystiker, Vol. ii., Meister Eckart, Stuttgart, 1857; Max Miiller, Theoeophie oiler Peycholopiaehe Religion, pp. 503-518, Leipaie, 1859; C. Greith, Die deutsche Myatik irn Pre diperorde», Freiburg, 1881; J. Bach, Meister Eckhart, der Vater der deutachen Speculation, Vienna, 1884 ; W. Preger, Bin neuar Traktat Meister Eckarte, in ZHT, ,1844, 1B3-