Meister Eckhart the Mystic

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Introduction: On the Value and Essence of Mysticism . . . 1

1. Definition of mysticism. 1. — Mysticism and Christianity. 2. — The word "mysticism" and its original use. 3. — Mystical speculation. Platonism. 4. — God and the world. 7. — God and the soul. 8. — Mystical ethics. 10. — Piety. 10. — Revelation. 11. — The Church. 12. — Diversities within mysticism. 13. — Mysticism and scientific original: "wissenschaftliche." In this 19th-century academic context, this refers to systematic, scholarly, or philosophical inquiry rather than the modern narrow sense of natural science. speculation. 15. — Rationalism. 16. — The spread of mysticism. 17. — Misuse of the term: Emotional enthusiasm original: "Gefühlsschwärmerei." A critical term used to describe excessive, ungrounded, or purely sentimental religious fervor., "mysticism" The author likely distinguishes here between Mystik (authentic mysticism) and Mysticismus (a superficial or distorted version).. 18. — Gnosticism, Theosophy. 21. — Eckhart, the central spirit of mysticism. 21. —
2. Mysticism as an element in all religiosity. 22. — Faith and knowledge. 23. — The divinization of man Divinization: Also known as "deification" or theosis, this is the mystical process of being made like God or achieving union with the divine nature.. 25. — Quietism, Antinomianism, Nihilism, Subjectivism. 26. — Stricter and milder forms of mysticism. 27. — Mystical elements of Christianity. 28. — Mysticism and Dogmatics. 31. — Mysticism in Protestantism. 38. — Significance and historical impact of mysticism. 41. —

Meister Eckhart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

Judgments on Eckhart before 1857. Pfeiffer's edition Franz Pfeiffer's 1857 edition of Eckhart's German works was a landmark publication that revived interest in medieval German mysticism.. 46. — Eckhart’s life. 49. — State of the Church. The Beghards Beghards: Lay religious brotherhoods in the Middle Ages who often lived in semi-monastic communities and were sometimes persecuted for mystical views that challenged Church authority.. 51. — Eckhart and his predecessors. 54. — Eckhart and the Roman Church. 57. — Persecution of Eckhart. 59. — Eckhart before the Inquisition. His recantation. The Papal Bull of 1328 Eckhart was tried for heresy late in life; he defended his intentions but submitted to the Church's judgment.. 60. — Eckhart’s death. The Papal Bull of 1329 The Bull In agro dominico, issued by Pope John XXII after Eckhart's death, condemned twenty-eight of his propositions as heretical or suspect.. 62. — After-effects of Eckhart's teaching. 64. — His eloquence and literary-historical significance. 66. — His writings and their value. 67. —

The Teaching of Eckhart.

Preliminary Remarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

The aphoristic form of his teaching. 71. — Its supreme principle. 72. — Eckhart's defense against misunderstanding. 73. — The certainty of his conviction. 74. — Preconditions for understanding. Appeal to Scripture. Restraint. 75. — The urge to communicate. Popularity. Striving for sound proof. 76. — Pure intuition original: "Anschauung." Refers to direct spiritual perception or contemplation beyond rational deduction.. 76. — The divinity of reason. 77. — Absence of polemic. 78. — Relationship to the heathens Eckhart frequently cited non-Christian "pagan" philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Avicenna, as authorities for his mystical insights.. 78. — The higher unity of opposites Unity of opposites: The philosophical and mystical concept (often called coincidentia oppositorum) that in the absolute nature of God, all contradictions and distinctions are resolved into one.. 79. —