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German mysticism, sometimes called Dominican mysticism or Rhineland mysticism, was a late medieval
Late Middle Ages

The Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe history of Europe in the periodization of the 14th and 15th centuries . The Late Middle Ages were preceded by the High Middle Ages, and followed by the Early modern Europe ....
 Christian mystical
Christian mysticism

Christian mysticism is traditionally practised through the disciplines of:* prayer ;* fasting, broadly understood as self-denial in general; and...
 movement, that was especially prominent within the Dominican order
Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic in the early 13th century in France....
 and in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. Although its origins can be traced back to Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen , also known as Blessed Hildegard and Saint Hildegard, was a German people abbess, author, counselor, Linguistics, naturalist, scientist, philosopher, physician, herbalist, poet, visionary and composer....
, it is mostly represented by Meister Eckhart
Meister Eckhart

Meister Eckhart Dominican order , is the most common formula used to refer to Eckhart von Hochheim, a Germany theology, philosopher and German mysticism, born near Erfurt, in Thuringia....
, Johannes Tauler
Johannes Tauler

Johannes Tauler was a German mysticism theology....
, and Henry Suso
Henry Suso

Henry Suso was a German mystic, born at ?berlingen on Lake Constance on March 21, c. 1300; he died at Ulm, January 25, 1366; declared Beatification in 1831 by Gregory XVI, who assigned his feast in the Dominican Order to March 2....
. Other notable figures include Rulman Merswin
Rulman Merswin

Rulman Merswin was a German mystic, leader for a time of the Friends of God.He was originally a successful merchant in Strasbourg. In 1347, he retired from business to join the Friends of God as one of mystic Johannes Tauler's disciples....
 and Margaretha Ebner, and the Friends of God
Friends of God

The Friends of God was a Middle Age lay mystical group and a center of German mysticism. It was founded between 1339 and 1343 in Basel, Switzerland, and was also fairly important in Strasbourg and Cologne, because around those times, some of the area was placed under a Interdict ....
.

This movement often seems to stand in stark contrast with scholasticism
Scholasticism

Scholasticism was the dominant form of theology and philosophy in the Western Europe in the Middle Ages, particularly in the 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries....
 and German Theology, but the relationship between scholasticism and German mysticism is debated.






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German mysticism, sometimes called Dominican mysticism or Rhineland mysticism, was a late medieval
Late Middle Ages

The Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe history of Europe in the periodization of the 14th and 15th centuries . The Late Middle Ages were preceded by the High Middle Ages, and followed by the Early modern Europe ....
 Christian mystical
Christian mysticism

Christian mysticism is traditionally practised through the disciplines of:* prayer ;* fasting, broadly understood as self-denial in general; and...
 movement, that was especially prominent within the Dominican order
Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Roman Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic in the early 13th century in France....
 and in Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
. Although its origins can be traced back to Hildegard of Bingen
Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard of Bingen , also known as Blessed Hildegard and Saint Hildegard, was a German people abbess, author, counselor, Linguistics, naturalist, scientist, philosopher, physician, herbalist, poet, visionary and composer....
, it is mostly represented by Meister Eckhart
Meister Eckhart

Meister Eckhart Dominican order , is the most common formula used to refer to Eckhart von Hochheim, a Germany theology, philosopher and German mysticism, born near Erfurt, in Thuringia....
, Johannes Tauler
Johannes Tauler

Johannes Tauler was a German mysticism theology....
, and Henry Suso
Henry Suso

Henry Suso was a German mystic, born at ?berlingen on Lake Constance on March 21, c. 1300; he died at Ulm, January 25, 1366; declared Beatification in 1831 by Gregory XVI, who assigned his feast in the Dominican Order to March 2....
. Other notable figures include Rulman Merswin
Rulman Merswin

Rulman Merswin was a German mystic, leader for a time of the Friends of God.He was originally a successful merchant in Strasbourg. In 1347, he retired from business to join the Friends of God as one of mystic Johannes Tauler's disciples....
 and Margaretha Ebner, and the Friends of God
Friends of God

The Friends of God was a Middle Age lay mystical group and a center of German mysticism. It was founded between 1339 and 1343 in Basel, Switzerland, and was also fairly important in Strasbourg and Cologne, because around those times, some of the area was placed under a Interdict ....
.

This movement often seems to stand in stark contrast with scholasticism
Scholasticism

Scholasticism was the dominant form of theology and philosophy in the Western Europe in the Middle Ages, particularly in the 12th, 13th, and 14th centuries....
 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
    New Testament

    The New Testament is the name given to the second major division of the Christianity Bible, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
     rather than the Old Testament
    Old Testament

    In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christianity Bible Biblical canon. These works correspond to the Hebrew Bible , with some variations and additions....
  • A focus on the Christ
    Christ

    Christ is the English language term for the Greek meaning "the anointing", which is a title given to the Reigning Messiah in the given age of the Zodiac....
     rather than the Church
  • A use of the vernacular (German
    German language

    German is a West Germanic languages, thus related to and classified alongside English language and Dutch language. It is one of the world's world language and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union....
     and Dutch
    Dutch language

    Dutch is a West Germanic languages spoken by over 22 million people as a first language, and about 5 million people as a second language."1% of the EU population claims to speak Dutch well enough in order to have a conversation." Outside the European Union the number of second language speakers of Dutch is very small. Most native...
    ) rather than Latin
    Latin

    Latin is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Military history of the Roman Empire, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe....
     or Hebrew
    Hebrew language

    Hebrew is a Semitic languages of the Afro-Asiatic languages. Modern Hebrew is spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Classical Hebrew is used for prayer or study in Jews communities around the world....


Some in the movement came under criticism by the Church
Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church, officially known as the Catholic Church is the world's largest Christianity Ecclesia , representing over half of all Christians and one-sixth of the world population....
 for heterodox or heretical
Heretical

Heretical may refer to:* An act of heresy, behaviour defined as deviant by a particular religion, often found by a heresiarch* Heretical , a website run by the far-right activist Simon Sheppard ...
 opinions.

It influenced the following Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe. It is thought to have begun in 1517 with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses and may be considered to have ended with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648....
, as well as philosophers such as Schopenhauer and Wittgenstein.

See also

  • Ariosophy
    Ariosophy

    Armanism and Ariosophy are the names of ideological systems of an esoteric nature, pioneered by Guido von List and J?rg Lanz von Liebenfels respectively, in Austria between 1890 and 1930....
    , a völkisch movement originating in the late 19th century, inspired in part by the Rhineland mystics but also by Germanic paganism
    Germanic paganism

    Germanic paganism refers to the religion beliefs of the Germanic peoples preceding Christianization. The best documented version of the Germanic pagan religions is 10th and 11th century Norse paganism, though other information can be found from Anglo-Saxon paganism and Continental Germanic mythology....
     and Theosophy
    Theosophy

    Theosophy is a doctrine of religious philosophy and metaphysics originating with Madame Blavatsky . In this context, theosophy holds that all religions are attempts by the "Mahatma" to help humanity in evolving to greater perfection, and that each religion therefore has a portion of the truth....
  • Jakob Böhme
    Jakob Böhme

    Jakob B?hme was a Germany Christianity mysticism and theologian. He is considered an original thinker within the Lutheranism tradition. In seventeenth-century England, he was also known as Jacob Behmen, the corrupted surname approximating the contemporary pronunciation of the German 'B?hme.'...
    , a later Lutheran mystic
  • Catharism
  • Christian mystics
  • Henry Denifle
    Henry Denifle

    Henry Denifle, in German language Heinrich Seuse Denifle , was an Austrian paleographer and historian....
    , a 19th century Austrian scholar who devoted much work to the German mystics
  • Doctrines of Meister Eckhart
    Doctrines of Meister Eckhart

    Meister Eckhart Dominican Order Dominican friar and German mystic was a renowned theologian whose teachings, though popular among the monastic and lay populations that he preached to, deviated enough from the accepted language of the Catholic Church that he was tried as a Heresy in 1327....
  • Nicholas of Cusa
    Nicholas of Cusa

    Nicholas of Kues was a Roman Catholic cardinal from Germany , a Philosophy, jurist, Mathematics, and an Astronomy. He is widely considered as one of the greatest geniuses and polymaths of the 15th century....
  • Paracelsus
    Paracelsus

    Paracelsus was a Medieval physician, botanist, alchemy, astrologer, and general occultist. Born Phillip von Hohenheim, he later took up the name Philippus Theophrastus Aureolus Bombastus von Hohenheim, and still later took the title Paracelsus, meaning "equal to or greater than Celsus", a Roman encyclopedist, Aulus Cornelius Celsus fro...
  • Theologia Germanica
    Theologia Germanica

    Theologia Germanica, also known as Theologia Deutsch, is a mystical treatise believed to have been written in the mid 14th century by an anonymous author, usually associated with the Friends of God....
    , an anonymous text associated with the Friends of God
    Friends of God

    The Friends of God was a Middle Age lay mystical group and a center of German mysticism. It was founded between 1339 and 1343 in Basel, Switzerland, and was also fairly important in Strasbourg and Cologne, because around those times, some of the area was placed under a Interdict ....
  • Waldensians
    Waldensians

    Waldensians, Waldenses or Vaudois are names for a Christian spiritual movement of the later Middle Ages, descendants of which still exist in various regions....


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