Wandering Joy

Meister Eckhart (Eckhart von Hochheim O. P. , c. 1260-c. 1328) was a German theologian, philosopher, and mystic born near Gotha, in the Landgraviate of Thuringia in the Holy Roman Empire. Eckhart came to prominence during the Avignon papacy, a time of increased tensions among monastic orders, diocesan clergy, the Franciscan Order, and Eckhart's Dominican Order of Preachers. In later life, Eckhart was accused of heresy, brought before the local Franciscan-led Inquisition, and tried as a heretic by Pope John XXII, but it seems he died before his verdict was received. He was well known for his work with pious lay groups such as the Friends of God and was succeeded by his more circumspect disciples John Tauler and Henry Suso. Since the nineteenth century, he has received renewed attention. He has acquired a status as a great mystic within contemporary popular spirituality, as well as considerable interest from scholars situating him within the medieval scholastic and philosophical tradition.