things
that
might
lead
to
heresy
^
and
this
led
to
his
excommunica-
tion
in
1329,
after
his
death,
on
the
general
grounds
of
preaching
to
the
laity
the
secrets
of
the
Church,
a
list
of
seventeen
specific
heretical
and
eleven
ohjectional
doctrines
being
appended
to
the
inditcment.2
T(^
the
first
accusation
he
replied
:
^
If
the
ignorant
are
not
taught
they
will
never
learn
’
;
‘
the
business
of
the
doctor
is
to
heal.’
The
charge
of
heresy
he
strenuously
denied
and
largely
succeeded
in
rebutting
while
he
lived.
‘
I
protest
in
the
presence
of
God,’
he
says,
‘
that
I
have
always
avoided
with
horror
all
error
in
matters
of
faith,’
and
he
never
made
any
recantation
of
his
teaching
although
he
publicly
declared
his
willingness
to
retract
any
error
‘
that
might
be
proved
against
him.’"
TTis
‘errors’
appear
to
be
the
logical
outcome
of
the
system
he
taught.
As
Lasson
says,
‘
lie
taught
what
Dionysius
and
St
Thomas
taught
.
.
.
but
he
goes
further
than
any
of
his
predecessors
and
crosses
the
boundaries
of
Church
dogma.’
There
is
only
the
scantiest
material
for
a
biography
of
Eckhart.
Of
his
birth
neither
date
nor
place
is
known.
It
is
argued
that
he
was
born
before
1200
either
at
Strassburg
in
Saxony,
or
at
Hoclihcim
in
Thfiringia.
The
first
known
mention
of
his
name
is
in
a
list
of
Professors
at
the
University
of
Paris
:
/r.
Echardus^
Tutonicus,
licentiates
per
Bonifavium,
1302.
In
1303
he
was
Provincial
of
the
Order
in
Saxony,
with
its
sixty
convents,
men’s
and
women’s.
To
this
title
he
added
in
1307
that
of
V^icar-General
of
Bohemia
where
he
refonned
the
religious
liouses.
In
1311
he
returned
to
Paris
University
and
in
1312
began
his
long
sojourn
as
head
of
the
Order
at
Strassburg.
Eight
years
later
(1320)
he
is
Prior
of
Frankfu
rt.
There
is
now
some
suspicion
of
his
orthodoxy
but
the
Order
still
supports
him
and
he
is
given
a
Chair
at
the
Dominican
College
in
(Cologne
where
he
enhances
his
reputation
as
a
preacher.
Here
Tauler,
Suso
and
Ruysbroeck
probably
heard
him,
and
Tauler
also
at
Strassburg.
In
1325-6,
suspicion
of
his
teaching
having
revived,
Nikolaus
of
Strassburg
was
appointed
his
special
Inquisitor
and
his
case
came
before
the
Inquisition
in
Venice.
lie
delivered
his
Protest
before
that
body
on
24
Jan.
1327,
and
on
13
Feb.
following
made
his
public
Declaration
of
orthodoxy
in
the
Dominican
Church
at
Cologne.
This
is
the
last
date
on
which
he
is
known
to
have
been
alive.
The
answer
of
the
Inquisition
to
his
appellation,
refusing
to
accept
it,
is
dated
22
Feb.
1327,
and
it
is
conjectured
that
he
died
soon
after.
He
was
excommunicated
by
the
Bull
of
John
XXII,
27
March
1329.
'
Inquisition
at
Venice,
1326.
^
Bull
of
John
XXII.
See
Pregor,
Appendix.
®
Declaration
at
Cologne,
13
Feb.
1327.
