Meister Eckhart, Mystic and Philosopher: Translations with Commentary

First published over 20 years ago, this book has lost none of its power. As a phenomenological treatment of the mystical philosophy of Eckhart, it is a classic. Schurmann takes the postion that Eckhart's Latin works are like signposts, while his German works invite one to a way--the way of detachment. According to Schurmann, Eckhart's mode of thought is not indicative, but imperative: herein lay the the difficulty Eckhart ran into with the Scholastic language of his accusers. The translated sermons are well done, and the use of the epigrammic poems of Angelus Silesius in the footnotes are an added joy. Schurmann also abstains from making facile comparisons of Eckhart with Zen or Heidegger, as the last chapter indicates. One flaw in this edition: some paragraphs of the sermons, which should have wider margins to set them off from the surrounding analysis, were not formatted that way, making it tricky sometimes to see where Eckhart ends and Schurmann begins. This is a minor problem which the publisher ought to correct in subsequent printings. But this also indicates how thoroughly Schurmann is steeped in Eckhart's mode of thought. This work is not an easy read, and Mathew Foxian New Agers may find themselves in over their heads. So be it: this book is a the fruit of a trained, keen philosophical mind, not a guru.