German mysticism

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This article is about the trend in Anabaptism. For the 19th century occultism, see Germanic
mysticism.

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German mysticism, sometimes called Dominican mysticism or Rhineland mysticism,
was a late medieval Christian mystical movement, that was especially prominent within the
Dominican order and in Germany. Although its origins can be traced back to Hildegard of
Bingen, it is mostly represented by Meister Eckhart, Johannes Tauler, and Henry Suso.
Other notable figures include Rulman Merswin and Margaretha Ebner, and the Friends of
God.
This movement often seems to stand in stark contrast with scholasticism and German
Theology, but the relationship between scholasticism and German mysticism is debated.
Viewed as a predecessor of the reformation, the contrast becomes very apparent. For
example, the use of an approachable vernacular stands in stark contrast to the constrained
Latin of the Scholastics, the increased focus on the laity stands in contrast to the more
deeply sacramental understanding of the Church, and these elements are both taken up and
transformed in the writings of Martin Luther. German mysticism can also be viewed as a
practical application of Scholasticism. Though Meister Eckhart is most well known for his
popular German sermons, he also wrote a lengthy philosophical exposition of the same
teachings in Latin. Some scholars have read him as a rather orthodox Thomist, seeing his
mysticism as flowing naturally from established teachings through Eckhart's own
idiosyncrasies and exaggerations.
Some of the movement's characteristics:
A focus on laymen as well as clerics
An emphasis on instruction and preaching
Downplaying ascetism
A focus on the New Testament rather than the Old Testament
A focus on the Christ rather than the Church
[citation needed]

A use of the vernacular (German and Dutch) rather than Latin or Hebrew
Some in the movement came under criticism by the Church for heterodox or heretical
opinions.
It influenced the following Protestant Reformation, as well as philosophers such as
Schopenhauer
[citation needed]
and Wittgenstein
[citation needed]
.
See also
Ariosophy, a vlkisch movement originating in the late 19th century, inspired in
part by the Rhineland mystics but also by Germanic paganism and Theosophy
Jakob Bhme, a later Lutheran mystic
Catharism
Christian mystics
Henry Denifle, a 19th century Austrian scholar who devoted much work to the
German mystics
Doctrines of Meister Eckhart
Nicholas of Cusa
Paracelsus
Theologia Germanica, an anonymous text associated with the Friends of God
Waldensians
External links
The New Mysticism
Relationship with protestantism
Meister Eckhart & the German Dominican Mystics of the 14th Century
Jacob Boehme Online

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