The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart: The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing (Edward Cadbury Lectures) [Hardcover]

Bernard McGinn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 19, 2001 | Series: Edward Cadbury Lectures (Book 2000)

From the world's foremost authority on Christian mysticism, the definitive story of Christianity's greatest mystic, Meister Eckhart, his insights into God, his relation to the tradition, and how he learned from the women religious of his day.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A wonderful book on one of the most original thinkers of medieval Europe. Scholarly and eminently readable." -- Niklaus Largier, UC Berkeley

“Today no one in America knows Eckhart better than Bernard McGinn. This study is insightful, erudite, yet remarkably accessible." -- Louis Dupré, Riggs Chair (emeritus), Yale University

About the Author

Professor Bernard McGinn is the Naomi Shenstone Donnelly Professor in the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. He is the preeminent scholar of Western Christian mysticism and is the author of several books, including Crossroad's The Foundations of Mysticism, The Flowering of Mysticism, and The Growth of Mysticism. He is also co-editor of Crossroad's Christian Spirituality, a volume in the World Spirituality series.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Crossroad; First Edition edition (July 19, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824519140
• ISBN-13: 978-0824519148
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,415,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly AND clear, January 10, 2002

By 

don McKee (Camano Island, WA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart: The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing (Edward Cadbury Lectures) (Hardcover)

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.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE standard reference on Eckhart in English!!, October 17, 2001

By 

D. Corl (Fukuoka Japan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart: The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing (Edward Cadbury Lectures) (Hardcover)

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.

63 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly, yes...., February 27, 2003

By 

G. Rogers (Ft. Lauderdale, FL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart: The Man from Whom God Hid Nothing (A Herder & Herder book) (Paperback)

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.