German Sermons and Treatises

Introduction

Eckhart preached in Middle High German to nuns, Beguines and lay people, mainly in Strasbourg and Cologne. His sermons survive largely in notes taken down by listeners, so their wording is often uncertain. Besides the sermons there are treatises such as the early “Talks of Instruction” and the “Book of Divine Consolation”; whether the treatise “On Detachment” is his is disputed. In the sermon on the poor in spirit he prays to God to rid him of God – that is, of every image of God. In 1329 Pope John XXII condemned 28 propositions from his works. Josef Quint’s critical edition (from 1958) is the basis of modern study.

Connections

Taken up in

• On Learned Ignorance1440 · Nicholas of Cusa