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Meister Eckhart
Meister Eckhart (c. 1260–c. 1328) was a German Dominican preacher, mystic, and theologian whose profound sermons and writings made him a towering figure in medieval Christian spirituality. Born around 1260 near Gotha in Thuringia, likely as Eckhart von Hochheim, he entered the Dominican Order as a young man, receiving a robust education in theology and philosophy. He studied at the University of Paris, earning the title "Meister" (Master) after completing his Master of Theology degree by 1302, and served as prior of the Dominican house in Erfurt and vicar of Thuringia. Little is known of his personal life, including family details, as his focus remained on intellectual and spiritual pursuits within the church. Eckhart’s preaching career unfolded primarily in Strasbourg and Cologne, where he delivered sermons in both Latin and Middle High German, blending speculative theology with practical mysticism. Appointed professor of theology at Paris in 1302 and later provincial of the Dominican province of Saxony from 1303 to 1311, he preached to nuns, monks, and laypeople, emphasizing the soul’s union with God and the concept of detachment. His works, including the Book of Divine Consolation and numerous sermons, drew large audiences but also scrutiny; in 1326, the Archbishop of Cologne initiated an inquisition against him for suspected heresy due to his bold statements, such as calling God “nothing.” Eckhart appealed to Pope John XXII and died around 1328, likely in Avignon, before a final verdict. His legacy as a preacher endures through his influential mystical theology, later embraced by diverse Christian traditions despite posthumous condemnation of some teachings in 1329.
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Meister Eckhart preaches on the profound nature of suffering, emphasizing that those who love God do not complain about their sufferings but rather find blessedness in suffering according to God's will. He highlights that true blessedness lies in being willing to suffer for righteousness, not just having suffered. Eckhart explains that God makes the burdens borne for His sake light and sweet, transforming suffering into love and comfort. He suggests that if there was anything more noble than suffering, God would have used it for the redemption of mankind.
On Suffering
Men who love God are so far from complaining of their sufferings, that their complaint and their suffering is rather because the suffering which God's will has assigned them is so small. All their blessedness is to suffer by God's will, and not to have suffered something, for this is the loss of suffering. This is why I said, Blessed are they who are willing to suffer for righteousness, not, Blessed are they who have suffered. All that a man bears for God's sake, God makes light and sweet for him... If all was right with you, your sufferings would no longer be suffering, but love and comfort. * If God could have given to men anything more noble than suffering, He would have redeemed mankind with it: otherwise, you must say that my Father was my enemy, if he knew of anything nobler than suffering. * True suffering is a mother of all the virtues.
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Meister Eckhart (c. 1260–c. 1328) was a German Dominican preacher, mystic, and theologian whose profound sermons and writings made him a towering figure in medieval Christian spirituality. Born around 1260 near Gotha in Thuringia, likely as Eckhart von Hochheim, he entered the Dominican Order as a young man, receiving a robust education in theology and philosophy. He studied at the University of Paris, earning the title "Meister" (Master) after completing his Master of Theology degree by 1302, and served as prior of the Dominican house in Erfurt and vicar of Thuringia. Little is known of his personal life, including family details, as his focus remained on intellectual and spiritual pursuits within the church. Eckhart’s preaching career unfolded primarily in Strasbourg and Cologne, where he delivered sermons in both Latin and Middle High German, blending speculative theology with practical mysticism. Appointed professor of theology at Paris in 1302 and later provincial of the Dominican province of Saxony from 1303 to 1311, he preached to nuns, monks, and laypeople, emphasizing the soul’s union with God and the concept of detachment. His works, including the Book of Divine Consolation and numerous sermons, drew large audiences but also scrutiny; in 1326, the Archbishop of Cologne initiated an inquisition against him for suspected heresy due to his bold statements, such as calling God “nothing.” Eckhart appealed to Pope John XXII and died around 1328, likely in Avignon, before a final verdict. His legacy as a preacher endures through his influential mystical theology, later embraced by diverse Christian traditions despite posthumous condemnation of some teachings in 1329.