Meister Eckhart: Philosopher of Christianity

by Kurt Flasch, Anne Schindel (Translator), Aaron Vanides (Translator)

Overview

Renowned philosopher Kurt Flasch offers a full-scale reappraisal of the life and legacy of Meister Eckhart, the medieval German theologian, philosopher, and alleged mystic who was active during the Avignon Papacy of the fourteenth century and posthumously condemned as a heretic by Pope John XXII. Disputing his subject’s frequent characterization as a hero of a modern, syncretic spirituality, Flasch attempts to free Eckhart from the “Mystical Flood” by inviting his readers to think along with Eckhart in a careful rereading of his Latin and German works.   This fascinating study makes a powerful case for Eckhart’s position as an important philosopher of the time rather than a mystic and casts new light on an important figure of the Middle Ages whose ideas attracted considerable attention from such diverse modern thinkers as Schopenhauer, Vivekananda, Suzuki, Fromm, and Derrida.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300216370
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	11/24/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344
File size:	749 KB

About the Author

Kurt Flasch is a German author and philosopher and the recipient of numerous honors, including the Sigmund Freud Prize by the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung and the Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought. He is Professor (Emeritus) of Philosophy at the Ruhr University Bochum and lives in Mainz.

Editorial Reviews

Flasch is one of the senior scholars and best known writers on late German medieval thought in Europe. This convincing book should be required reading for anyone interested in understanding the background and sources of Eckhart’s ideas.”— Clyde Lee Miller, Stony Brook University

Clyde Lee Miller

In this masterpiece, Kurt Flasch, one of the world’s foremost Eckhart scholars, shows how Eckhart remains a thorn in the flesh of his readers. He stands against any systematic attempt to catch his imagination, and he cannot be institutionally subsumed by any church or religious order.”—Markus Vinzent, King's College London and Max-Weber-Centre, Erfurt

Markus Vinzent

This is a useful addition to the historical-contextual study of Eckhart. And, perhaps more importantly, Flasch’s work in translation represents a new and more focused effort towards establishing an international conversation on this enigmatic ‘philosopher of Christianity’.”—Christopher David Shaw, Theology

Theology - Christopher David Shaw

This important intellectual biography of Meister Eckhart represents the culmination of Kurt Flasch’s sixty-year involvement with Eckhart’s thought. Comprehensive, richly learned, and trenchantly argued . . . [a] classic . . . beautifully written . . . the best general introduction in English to a revolutionary thinker.”—John M. Connolly, Catholic Historical Review

Catholic Historical Review - John M. Connolly

★ 01/01/2016
Renowned German philosopher Flasch (emeritus, philosophy, Ruhr Univ. Bochum) is a notable author in his own country yet is all but unknown in the United States. In this first English-language translation of his writing, he studies 14th-century theologian, philosopher, and mystic Meister Eckhart (1260–1328). Eckhart is famous for being notoriously difficult but also inspiring; historians and seekers have long been intrigued by his approach and insights. Flasch argues for an understanding of Eckhart not simply as a mystic but further as a considerable and proper philosophical mind. Flasch's knowledge of Christian theology and philosophy gives his argument solid grounding as well as providing an exhaustive yet thoughtful reading of Eckhart himself. VERDICT This work must be ranked as one of the most important studies of Eckhart to date and should give rise to revisions in our understanding of theology and philosophy in the period. Best for academic libraries and theologians.

Library Journal