Meister Eckhart

Biographical Details:

  • Lived 1260-1327 A.D.

Biography:

Meister Eckhart, born around 1260 in Thuringia, Germany, was a Dominican theologian, philosopher, and mystic whose teachings on the soul’s relationship with God remain influential. He lived in a time of spiritual, intellectual, and political turmoil across Europe. The medieval church was wrestling with complex issues related to doctrine and spirituality. Mysticism was becoming popular as many sought personal, inner experiences of God, contrasting with more institutionalized approaches to faith. The Franciscans and Dominicans, two major monastic orders, often found themselves at odds, both competing for influence in this climate and disagreeing on theological and philosophical issues. While the Franciscans leaned towards emphasizing poverty and humility, often adopting a more ascetic, nature-oriented mysticism, the Dominicans focused on intellectual rigor and philosophical theology, aligning more with scholasticism.

The church itself was unstable during Eckhart’s time, with the papacy in crisis. Power struggles plagued the papal court, and in the early 1300s, the Pope relocated to Avignon, France, a period known as the Avignon Papacy, which weakened the papal authority in Rome and contributed to internal strife within the church. This move stirred political tension and diminished the Pope’s power in Italy, further fragmenting the Christian community.

Eckhart rose within the Dominican order, becoming a respected teacher in Paris and eventually a vicar in Germany. His teachings explored the nature of God, the soul, and divine union, emphasizing a mystical path where individuals could experience God directly within themselves. His ideas were radical; he argued that the soul could achieve oneness with God by moving beyond traditional worship and self-concept. This path, he claimed, could lead one to “the ground of the soul,” a pure, silent center where God dwells.

However, Eckhart’s ideas attracted scrutiny from the church authorities. His approach, especially his claim that people could experience a direct, unmediated union with God, was seen as undermining the church’s authority. At the time, any theological perspective suggesting a bypass of ecclesiastical mediation could be considered heretical. Eckhart was eventually summoned before the Inquisition in Cologne in 1326, where he faced accusations of heresy. He defended himself, asserting that his teachings were orthodox and in line with church doctrine. Still, Pope John XXII condemned several of his propositions as heretical after Eckhart’s death in 1328, though there is evidence that Eckhart himself might have submitted to the church’s judgment before he passed.

The charges against Eckhart reflect the church’s concerns over heresy, particularly with views that questioned established doctrines or hierarchy. Mysticism was under suspicion because it seemed to undermine the role of the church as the necessary conduit to divine truth. Although his ideas were rejected in his time, modern perspectives within the Catholic Church are more accepting. The 20th century saw a revival of interest in Eckhart, with many theologians recognizing the depth of his insights into Christian spirituality. Today, he is widely studied as a mystic whose thoughts align with some aspects of contemporary Catholic spirituality, though he has never been officially canonized.

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Extant Writings:

  • Opus Tripartitum
  • Liber Benedictionis (Book of Blessings)
  • Sermones Alemani (German Sermons)
  • Quaestiones Parisienses (Parisian Questions)
  • Liber Positionum (Book of Positions)
  • Liber XXIV Sermonum (Book of Twenty-Four Sermons)
  • Commentarius in Evangilium Ioannis (Commentary on the Gospel of John)
  • Commentarius in Librum Sapientiae (Commentary on the Book of Wisdom)
  • Commentarius in Exodum (Commentary on Exodus)
  • Sermones et Lectiones Propriae de Tempore (Sermons and Readings for Special Times)
  • Deo Omnipotenti (To Almighty God)

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Quotes and Excerpts:

On the Eucharist

“When a person receives the Body of Christ in the sacrament of the altar, they are united with God in a manner beyond comprehension. The soul is nourished by the divine essence, and Christ Himself becomes present, not only as sustenance but as the eternal light that illuminates the depths of the soul. This sacrament is the highest gift of divine love, for in it, God gives Himself wholly to us.”-German Sermons, Sermon 13. Found in Meister Eckhart: The Essential Sermons, Commentaries, Treatises, and Defense, trans. Colledge and McGinn, p. 205.

On Confession

“In the sacrament of penance, the soul is purified and restored to its original innocence. True confession is not merely the recounting of sins, but a complete turning away from self and sin toward God. In this sacrament, God acts through the priest, cleansing the soul with His infinite mercy and restoring the sinner to the grace of divine love.” –Latin Works, Opus Tripartitum, Part II, Chapter 12. Found in Meister Eckhart: Selected Writings, trans. Oliver Davies, p. 98.

On Baptism

“Baptism is the first and most essential sacrament, where the soul is united with Christ and cleansed of all sin. Through the waters of baptism, we are reborn into the life of grace, and the indwelling presence of God is established within us. It is here that we are made children of God and heirs to His kingdom, not by our merit but by His divine generosity.”-Expositio Libri Genesis, Chapter 4. Found in Meister Eckhart: Teacher and Preacher, trans. Bernard McGinn, p. 132.

On the Papacy

“The authority of the Pope, as the vicar of Christ, is divinely instituted for the governance of the Church. Just as Christ is the head of the mystical body, so the Pope is the visible head on earth, guiding the faithful in truth and justice. To obey the Pope is to obey Christ, for Christ speaks through His Church and its shepherds.” –Latin Works, In Agro Dominico, Chapter 5. Found in The Complete Mystical Works of Meister Eckhart, trans. Maurice O’C Walshe, p. 221.

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