Eckhart
^
(d.
cir.
1327)
has
been
ealled
the
lather
of
the
German
mystics,^
the
philosophical
creative
genius
of
the
German
mystics
®
and
the
father
of
German
speculation.^
According
to
Dean
Inge
he
is
‘
next
to
Plotinus
the
greatest
j)hilosopher-mystic
’
^
and
the
most
Plotinian
of
all
Christian
philosophers.^*
lie
was
a
learned
^
member
of
the
Dominican
or
Preaching
Order
and
sometime
lector
hihlicus
at
the
University
of
Paris,
then
the
Dominican
College
of
St
Jacob
where
he
was
given
his
title
of
Meister
by
Pope
Honi-
face
VIII.
But
it
was
probably
at
Cologne
that
he
graduated
in
the
Scholasticism
of
Albertus
Magnus
(1205
-1281)
and
Thomas
Aquinas
(1226
-1274)
whose
system
was
at
that
time
rapidly
acquiring
its
hold.
He
held
at
different
times
important
provincial
posts
and
proved
himself
an
able
administrator
and
reformer
of
the
numerous
religious
houses
in
his
eare
but
it
was
principally
at
Strassburg
and
afterwards
at
Cologne
that
he
established
his
great
influence
as
a
teacher
and
‘for
an
entire
generation,
with
the
boldest
freedom,
preached
to
the
multitudes
in
the
German
tongue
on
topics
bristling
with
difliculties
for
the
orthodox
faith.’
For
he
had
conceived
the
then
novel
idea
of
instructing
the
lait}^
and
the
many
semi-religious
communities
and
brotherhoods
of
that
date-—
Beguines,
Beghards,
Friends
of
God
(Gottefifreunde),
etc.
—
no
less
than
the
religious
of
his
Order,
and
for
this
purpose
it
was
necessary
to
make
the
further
innovation
of
using
the
vulgar
tongue
instead
of
Latin,
the
teaching
medium
of
that
day.
Ilis
success
in
expounding
the
abstruse
tenets
of
the
Scholastic
philosophy
in
an
undeveloped
language
which
he
had
to
supply
with
words
and
fashion
to
his
needs,
has
earned
for
Eckhart
the
titles
of
father
of
the
German
language
and
the
father
of
German
philosophic
®
prose.
Ultimately
the
Church
authorities
became
alarmed
at
the
enthusiasm
roused
by
his
teaching
and
especially
at
its
effect
u))on
the
laity.
He
was
accused
of
preaching
to
the
people
in
their
own
language
^
The
following
facts
aro
takon
chiefly
from
Preger’s
GcffchirMe
and
Laason’s
Meister
Eckhart.
(See
Bibliography
for
full
titles.)
*
Bach,
p.
1.
3
Wackornagel,
p.
298.
*
Bach.
^
TAght^
TAJe
arid
Love,
p.
xv.
*
Philosophy
of
Plotinus^
vol.
ii,
p.
107.
’
Tauler
(1300-13G1)
describes
him
as
‘
a
man
of
prodigious
learning,
loo
profoundly
versed
in
the
aubtilties
of
God-
and
nature-wisdom
for
many
of
the
scholars
of
his
day
rightly
to
understand
him
’
{Sermom,
Basle
od.,
1521).
Rufus
M.
Jones,
p.
218.
•
Lasson,
pp.
66,
69.
