Meister Eckhart

Johannes Eckhart (1260-1328), also known as Eckhart von Hochheim and widely refered to as Meister Eckhart, was a German theologian, philosopher and mystic, born near Erfurt, in Thuringia. Meister is German for "Master", referring to the academic title he obtained in Paris.

Eckhart today

Eckhart's status in the contemporary Church is uncertain. The Dominican Order has pressed in the last decade of the 20th century for his full rehabilitation and confirmation of his theological orthodoxy; the late Pope John Paul II voiced favorable opinion on this initiative, but the affair is still confined to the corridors of the Vatican.

Related Topics:
20th century - Pope - John Paul II - Vatican

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As early as 1891 Karl Eugen Neumann, who translated large parts of the Tipitaka, found parallels between Eckhart and Buddhism. In the 20th century Eckhart's thoughts have been compared to Eastern mystics by both Rudolf Otto and D.T. Suzuki, among other scholars.

Related Topics:
Karl Eugen Neumann - Tipitaka - Rudolf Otto - D.T. Suzuki

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More recently, although most scholars accept that Eckhart's work is divided into philosophical and theological, Kurt Flasch and other interpreters see Eckhart strictly as a philosopher. Flasch argues that the opposition between "mystic" and "scholastic" is not relevant because this mysticism (in Eckhart's context) is penetrated by the spirit of the University, in which it occurred.

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