The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart : The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing

Media:	Paperback
Author:	Bernard McGinn
Publisher:	Herder & Herder
Release date:	25 March, 2003
Our price:	$24.95

The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart : The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing

Average rating: Stars

Scholarly, yes....

But no Eckhart! Based on the title, I was surprised to find that the book is all analysis, with no intact samples of Meister Eckhart's writing at all.

I believe that the main quality of Eckhart's writing is, as the author states, his use of the language. We don't get that here, as everything is paraphrased, or chopped into very small quotes by the author.

It is like facing a wall, and listening to someone tell us about a sunset, or, more exactly, perhaps, listening to someone describe Rumi's poetry without giving us any.

The power, the ooomph, the emotional and spiritual impact of Eckhart has been pulverized into an endless series of philosophical arguments.

This seems to me to miss the point in a major way.

To experience Eckhart, read Eckhart. "Wandering Joy" delivers admirably.

If you've already experienced Eckhart, and you want a more in-depth "scholarly" analysis, read this book by Bernard McGinn.

The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart : The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing - Bernard McGinn

Scholarly AND clear

This book represents one of those only too rare marriages of high scholarship and unambiguous clarity. While the concepts discussed are often difficult, Bernard McGinn's explanations and discussions regarding them are easily followed. The reader has to contend only with his own limitations in dealing with subtle and abstract subject matter. Bernard McGinn's fine scholarship and great skills of communication serve him well in discussing, for example, Eckhart's use of the multifaceted word "ground" in terms of its relationship to God and the soul in a way that reveals and sets apart the radical nature of Eckhart's preaching. Of course Professor McGinn does equally well with other aspects of the great Meister's spirituality such as his teachings on the "Eternal Birth" and his "metaphysics of flow". Often a work of this genre is too erudite to be readily accessible. This book is unique in that it is eminently scholarly with absolutely no compromise to its accessibility. Or we could we say, it is unique in that it is eminently accessible with no compromise to its erudtion. Either way we might say it, Professor McGinn shows an uncommon gift for which serious students and more casual readers alike will be grateful. At the ripe old age of 61 years, this is the first book this reviewer has read whose impact led him to actually send an email of gratitude to its author! For those who seek a better understanding of Meister Eckart, this book is simply indispensable.

Bernard McGinn - The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart : The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing

THE standard reference on Eckhart in English!!

Bernard McGinn's new book comes as no surprise: as usual it is an excellent, scholarly presentation of the subject at hand, and with Eckhart as the subject, the reader is in good hands with McGinn. This books started off as a continuation of McGinn's history of Western mysticism, but ended up being a monograph on Eckhart. Mcginn's familiarity with the sources, his use of both the Latin and German works of Eckhart, and his detailed knowledge of the secondary literature in German, French, and English will make this the standard English-language reference book on Eckhart's mystical philosophy for years to come. Any serious student of Western mysticism should alerted that this is an important work. My only regret is that McGinn does not deal with the Eckhart-beguine connection much at all. Perhaps when this book is revised and condensed to form part of the next volume in his history of mysticism series, this aspect will be also be considered.

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