'Self-determination' is often used today. In this paper, Mieth is looking into 'social imagineries', present in medieval times. Both, the concepts of past times as much as the one of today needs a critical analysis, which is going to be undertaken in this paper. It is based on a critical reading of Eckhart's vernacular homily 67.
Here follows the introduction together with the translation of this homily, taken from the forthcoming publication by Loris Sturlese and Markus Vinzent, Meister Eckhart. The German Works I. 64 Homilies for the Liturgical Year, 1. De tempore, Eckhart Texts and Studies (Leuven, forthcoming):
Again, the topic is ‘God is love’. The Latin quote is missing in
our manuscripts, but we are provided with Eckhart’s vernacular translation in a
literal version of I Ioh. 4:16. God
dwells in the soul, and where the soul is, there, also God is, and vice versa
(n. 2). The angel’s nobility in his nature (n. 3). In spiritual things there is
mutual inbeing (n. 4). Before the next note, Eckhart points out how important
the thought is to him: ‘When I think how he is one with me,
as if he had forgotten all the creatures and they were no more except me alone’; such forgetting of God only means that those ‘who have been
commended’ to Eckhart should not wish him to pray for them, as Eckhart believes
that the only true prayer is not praying for anything or anybody (n. 5). The
soul is ‘the essential intellect of God, whose pure, bare power is the intellectus, that the masters call the
receptive one’, hence, finally, the soul moves to be from being the active to
being the receptive power of God (no.
6). In this state, she ‘grasps the
pure absolûciô of the free being’ (n. 7).
Interestingly, at this instance, Eckhart does not use the term ‘detachment’,
but a Latin equivalent, ‘absolutio’ which does not even appear in any of his Latin
works that are known to us. The sense is clear, however, as Eckhart himself
explains: There the soul ‘is the bare beingness which is
deprived of any being and all beingness’. After such drastic detachment, what
more can Eckhart go for? And yet, he advances further and states that even this
state of the soul ‘is not the greatest perfection’ (n. 8), as if one could ramp
up perfection. In an almost contrived and certainly highly specialised and
difficult section (one wonders who amongst his audience was able to pick up
these kind of arguments), Eckhart makes a case that we together ‘with body and
with soul’, ‘having a substantiated personal being’ (‘in dem understantnisse haben<ne> von dem persônlîchen wesene’), or simply said, being an individual, have to ‘entirely
renouncing my selfstanding too’, in order to be ‘one ground’, although I will
remain ‘according to the outer being the same personal being’. What Eckhart is
here trying to say is that from he outside perspective, nothing will change,
hence I will remain the particular personality and individuality, but that my
inner being is entirely gone into the divine ground, whereby the divine ground
has entirely left its own ground to be in my ground and both form one single
ground. Consequently, he speaks of a ‘personal being God-man’ which does not
reach out to the outer being (n. 9), hence, the outer man cannot be less
detached than the inner man and has ‘to be deprived of his selfsupported
standing’ (n. 10). Importantly, Eckhart makes the difference between two forms
of being, the divine being and the personal being, and develops from here his
Christology. As Christ’s personality is ‘humanity’, not a creaturely
personality, and his essential and personal substrate is the same substrate as
that of the soul as one substrate, ‘we ought to be also the same Christ’ (n.
11).
This is certainly one of the theologically
creative and innovative homilies, in which he develops in a dense form his
precise understanding of a christologically based union of soul and God.
Editions, commentaries and notes
J. Quint, DW III 126-37; N. Largier II 651-61.
Previous English translations
M. Fox, Breakthrough
(1980), 388-91; Meister Eckhart, Sermons
and Treatises, trans. M. O’C. Walshe (1987; rev. B. McGinn 2009), 357-61.
Text and translation
|
<54:1>(129)
<Deus caritas est: et qui manet in caritate, in deo manet, et deus in
eo>
|
<54:1><Deus
caritas est: et qui manet in caritate, in deo manet, et deus in eo>
|
|
<54:2>‘Got
ist diu minne, und der in der minne wonet, der wonet in gote und got in im’1.
Got wonet in der sêle mit allem dem, daz er ist und alle crêatûren. Dar umbe,
wâ diu sêle ist, dâ ist got, wan diu sêle ist in gote. Dar umbe ist ouch diu
sêle, wâ got ist, diu geschrift enliege denne. Wâ mîn sêle ist, dâ ist got,
und wâ got ist, dâ ist ouch mîn sêle; und daz ist als wâr, als got got ist.
|
<54:2>‘God is love, and whoever dwells in love, dwells in God and
God in him’.[1] God dwells in the soul with all that He is and with what
all creatures are. Therefore, where the soul is, there is God, because the
soul is in God. Therefore also, the soul is where God is, unless the
Scripture lies. Where my soul is, there is God, and where God is, there is
also my soul; and this is as true as God is God.
|
|
<54:3>Der
engel ist als edel in sîner natûre: wære ein spænlîn oder ein kleine
ganeistlîn von im gevallen, ez hæte ervüllet alle dise werlt mit wunne und
mit sælicheit. Nû merket, wie edel ein engel ist in sîner natûre, der och sô
vil ist, daz sie kein zal hânt: ich spriche, ez ist allez edellich umbe einen
engel. Sölte der mensche dar umbe dienen biz an den jüngesten tac und biz an
daz ende der werlt, daz er einen engel sæhe in sîner lûterkeit, im wære wol
gelônet.
<54:4>An
allen geistlîchen dingen sô vindet man, daz daz eine in dem andern ist ein, |
(130) ungeteilet. Dâ diu sêle ist in ir blôzen natûre, abegescheiden und
abegelœset von allen crêatûren, diu hæte in ir natûre von natûre alle die
volkomenheit und alle vröude und wunne, die alle engel hânt an zal und an
menige von natûre: die hân ich alzemâle mit aller volkomenheit und mit aller
ir vröude und aller ir sælicheit, als sie sie selber hânt in in selber; und
einen ieglîchen hân ich in mir sunderlîchen, als ich mich selben hân in mir
selber, ungehindert eines andern, wan kein geist besliuzet den andern. Der
engel blîbet unbeslozzen in der sêle; dar umbe gibet er sich einer ieglîcher
sêle alzemâle, ungehindert einer andern und gotes selber. Niht aleine von
natûre, mêr: über natûre vröuwet sich mîn sêle aller vröude und aller der
sælicheit, der got sich selber vröuwet in sîner götlîcher natûre, ez sî gote
liep oder leit; wan dâ enist niht dan ein, und dâ ein ist, dâ ist al, und dâ
al ist, dâ ist ein. Daz ist ein gewissiu wârheit. Wâ diu sêle ist, dâ ist
got, und wâ got ist, dâ ist diu sêle. Und spræche ich, daz ez niht enwære,
ich spræche unrehte.
|
<54:3>As
nobel is the angel in his nature: if a chip
or a small spark of him had come off, it would have filled this entire world
with delight and happiness. Now note, how nobel an angel is in his nature, of
which there are so many that they are without number. I say that in an angel
all is noble. If a person served to the last judgment and to the end of the
world, in order to see an angel in his purity, he would be well rewarded.
<54:
4> In all things spiritual one finds that the one is in the other as one
and undivided. Where the soul is in her bare nature, detached and separated
from all creatures, she would have in her nature, by nature, all the
perfection and all the joy and delight that all the angels have without (Quint/Sturlese with) number
and without multitude by nature: I
have them fully with all the perfection and with all their joy and all their
happiness, as they themselves have them in themselves; and everything I have
in me distinctly, as I have myself in myself, irrespective of another,
because no spirit excludes (Sturlese: include) the other. The angel is not included in the soul;
therefore he gives himself entirely to each soul, without hindrance from
another and God Himself. Not only by nature, indeed: on nature, my soul
rejoices in all the joy and all happiness, which God himself rejoices in His
divine nature, He may like or dislike it; because there, there is nothing but
one, and where there is one, there is everything, and where there is
everything, there is one. This has some truth. Where the soul is, there is
God, and where God is, there is the soul. And if I told you that this were
not so, I would say the wrong thing.
|
|
<54:5>|
(131) Eyâ, nû merket ein wörtelîn, daz halte ich gar wirdiclich: swenne ich
gedenke, wie ein er mir ist, als ob er aller crêatûren habe vergezzen und
niht mê ensî dan ich aleine. Nû bitet vür die, die mir enpfolhen sint! Die dâ
iht<es> bitent wan gotes oder umbe got, die bitent unrehte; swenne ich
nihtes enbite, sô bite ich rehte, und daz gebet ist reht und ist kreftic.
Swer ihtes iht anders bitet, der betet einen abgot ane, und man möhte
sprechen, ez wære ein lûter ketzerîe. Ich enbite niemer sô wol, wan sô ich
nihtes niht enbite und vür nieman enbite, noch vür Heinrich noch vür Kuonrât.
‘Die gewâren anbetære die betent | (132) got in der wârheit ane und in dem
geiste’2, daz ist: in dem heiligen geiste.
|
<54:5>Well, now note a sentence which I consider very important:
when I think how he is one with me, as if he had forgotten all the creatures
and they were no more except me alone. Now, pray for those who have been
commended to me! Those who pray for something that is not God or something
around God, they pray in the wrong way; when I pray for nothing, I pray in
the right way, and this prayer is right and it is powerful. Those who pray
for something else, worships an idol, and one may say it is a pure heresy. I
never pray so well as when I pray for nothing at all and when I pray for
nobody, neither for Henry nor for Conrad. ‘True worshipers pray to God in
truth and in spirit’,[2] i.e. in the Holy Spirit.
|
|
<54:6>Daz
got in der kraft ist, daz sîn wir in dem bilde; daz der vater ist in der
kraft und der sun in der wîsheit und der heilige geist in der güeticheit3,
daz sîn wir in dem bilde. ‘Dâ bekennen wir, als wir bekant sîn’4,
und minnen, als wir geminnet sîn. Diz enist joch sunder werk, wan si5
wirt dâ enthalten in dem bilde und würket in der kraft als diu kraft; si ist
noch enthalten in den persônen und stât nâch mügenheit6 des vaters
und nâch wîsheit des sunes und nâch der güeticheit des heiligen geistes. Diz
ist noch allez werk in den persônen. Hie oben ist wesen únwürklich; sunder dâ7
ist aleine wesen únd werk. Dâ si | (133) ist in gote, jâ, nâch înhangunge der
persônen in daz wesen8, dâ ist werk únd wesen ein, dâ ez ist, dâ
si die persônen nimet in der inneblîbunge des wesens, dâ sie nie ûzkâmen, dâ
ein lûter wesenlich bilde ist. Ez ist diu wesenlich vernünfticheit gotes, der
diu lûter blôz kraft ist intellectus,
daz die meister heizent9 ein enpfenclîchez.
<54:7>Nû
merket mich! Dar obe nimet si êrste die lûter absolûciô des vrîen wesens, daz dâ ist sunder dâ, dâ ez ennimet
noch engibet; ez ist diu blôze isticheit, diu dâ beroubet ist alles wesens
und aller isticheit. Dâ nimet si got blôz nâch dem grunde dâ, dâ er ist über
allez wesen. Wære dâ noch wesen, sô næme si wesen in wesene; dâ enist niht
wan éin grunt. Diz ist diu hœhste | (134) volkomenheit des geistes, dâ man
zuo komen mac in disem lebene nâch geistes art10.
|
<54:6>What God is in power, we are in the image; what the Father
is in power and the Son in wisdom and the Holy Spirit in goodness,[3] we are in the image. There we ‘know as we are known’,[4] and love as we are loved. This is not without action,
because she[5] is contained in the image and acts in power as a power; She
is also containted in the persons and is in accordance with the capabilities[6] of the Father and the wisdom of the Son, and the goodness
of the Holy Spirit. This is still all action in the persons. Above this is
being without action; because there[7] are only being and action. There she is in God, yes,
according to the persons inhering in being,[8] there action and being is one, there she is where she takes
the persons in the immanence of being, from which they never left, where she
is a pure, essential image. She is the essential intellect of God, whose
pure, bare power is the intellectus,
that the masters call[9] the receptive one.
<54:7>Now
listen to me! There, above, she first grasps the pure absolûciô of the free
being, that there is without a ‘there’, where she does neither take nor give;
she is the bare beingness which is deprived of any being and all beingness.
There she grasps God nakedly according to the ground, where He is beyond all
being. If there still were being, she would take being into being; but there
is nothing but one ground. This is the supreme perfection of the spirit, to
which one can get in this life in the Spirit’s way.[10]
|
|
<54:8>Aber
ez enist niht diu beste volkomenheit, die wir iemer besitzen suln mit lîbe
und mit sêle, daz der ûzerste mensche alzemâle enthalten werde in dem
understantnisse haben<ne> von dem persônlîchen wesene11
alsô, als diu menscheit und diu gotheit an der persônlicheit Kristî éin
persônlich wesen ist, daz ich in dem selben understantnisse habe des
persônlîchen wesens, daz ich daz persônlich wesen selber sî, alzemâle
lougenlîche mîn selbes verstantnisses alsô, als ich nâch geistes art éin bin
nâch dem grunde alsô, als der grunt selbe ein grunt ist: – daz ich nâch dem
ûzersten wesene daz selbe persônlich wesen sî, alzemâle beroubet eigens
understantnisses.
|
<54:8>But this is not the greatest
perfection that we shall ever possess with body and with soul, that the outer
man will be fully held in having a substantiated personal being[11] just as the humanity and the godhead
in the person of Christ is one personal being, so that I have in this same
substantiation a personal being, so that I myself am the personal being,
entirely renouncing my selfstanding too, so that I am in the Spirit’s way one
according to the ground, too, as the ground itself is one ground: – that I will be according to the outer
being the same personal being, entirely deprived of the selfsupporting
standing.
|
|
<54:9>Diz
persônlich wesen mensche-got entwehset und überswebet dem ûzersten menschen
alzemâle, daz er ez niemer ervolgen enkan. Stânde an im selber er enpfæhet
wol der gnâde învluz von dem persônlîchen wesene in maniger hande wîse
süezicheit, trôst und innicheit, daz guot ist; aber ez enist daz beste niht.
Blibe er12 alsô an im selber âne understantnisse sîn selbes,
aleine er wol trôst enpfienge von gnâden und mitwürkunge der gnâde, daz doch sîn
bestez niht enist, sô müeste der inner mensche nâch geistes art sich
herûzbiegen ûzer dem grunde, in dem er ein ist, und müeste sich halten nâch
dem gnædelîchen wesene, von dem er gnædelîchen enthalten ist.
|
<54:9>This personal being God-man completely
outgrows and glides over the outer man, so that he can never reach it. If it
depended on him, he would well receive the influx of grace from the personal
being in many different ways of sweetness, consolation and inner life, which
is good; but it is not the best. If he[12] remained in himself without
selfsupporting standing, on his own he would well receive consolation from
grace and cooperation of grace, yet which would not be his best, and so the
inner man according to the Spirit’s way would need to bend out of the ground
in which he is one, and should behave like the graceful being, from which he
has received gracefully.
|
|
<54:10>Her
umbe sô enmac der geist niemer volkomen werden, lîp und sêle enwerden
volbrâht. Alsô als | (135) der inner mensche nâch geistes art entvellet sînes
eigens wesens, dâ er in dem grunde éin grunt ist, alsô müeste ouch der ûzer
mensche beroubet werden eigens understantnisses und alzemâle behalten
understantnisse des êwigen persônlîchen wesens, daz daz selbe persônlich
wesen ist.
|
<54:10>Therefore, the spirit can never become
perfect, unless body and soul are made perfect. As much as the inner man
according to the Spirit’s way is getting rid of his own being, where he is in
the ground one ground, so also the outer man has to be deprived of his
selfsupported standing and thus be fully supported by the eternal personal
being, which is the personal being itself.
|
|
<54:11>Nû
sint hie zwei wesen. Ein wesen ist nâch der gotheit daz blôz substanzlich
wesen, daz ander daz persônlich <wesen>, und ist doch éin understôz.
Wan der selbe understôz Kristî persônlicheit der sêle understôz ist,
understandicheit der êwigen menscheit, und ist éin Kristus an
understandicheit, beidiu weselich13 und persônlich; alsô müesten
wir ouch der selbe Kristus sîn, wir nâchvolgende in den werken alsô, als er
in dem wesene éin Kristus ist nâch menschlîcher art14; wan, dâ ich
diu selbe art bin nâch menscheit, sô bin ich alsô vereiniget dem persônlîchen
wesene, daz ich von gnâden in dem persônlîchen wesene bin ein und ouch daz
persônlich wesene. Wan denne got in dem grunde des vaters êwiclîche
inneblîbende ist und ich in im, ein grunt und der selbe Kristus, ein
understandicheit mîner menscheit, sô ist si als wol mîn als sîn an einer
understandicheit des êwigen wesens, daz beidiu wesen lîbes und sêle volbrâht
werden in éinem Kristô, éin got, éin sun.
|
<54:11>Now, here are two types of being. One
being is according to the Godhead the bare essential being, the other the
personal <being>, and though both is one substrate. As the same
substrate of the personality of Christ is the substrate of the soul, the
support of eternal humanity, and if one Christ is the support of both
essentially[13] and personally, we ought to be also
the same Christ, imitating him incessantly in action as he is in being one
Christ according to the human species;[14] because if I am the same species
according to humanity, I am also united with the personal being, so to be one
in the personal being and also be the personal being itself by grace. Since
then God eternally remains in the ground of the Father and me in Him, one
ground and the same Christ, one selfstanding of my humanity, it is as well
mine as His in one selfstanding of the eternal being, so that both the body
and the soul’s being are perfected in one Christ, one God, one Son.
|
|
<54:12>Daz
uns daz geschehe, des helfe uns diu heilic drîvalticheit. Âmen.
|
<54:12>That this shall happen to us, may the
Holy Trinity help us! Amen.
|
[1] I Ioh. 4:16: ‘Deus caritas est: et qui manet in caritate, in Deo
manet, et Deus in eo’. The liturgical context: Epistolar., Arch. f.
430va (the full Latin text is given in note 1 at Hom. 49* [Q 5A]).
[2] Ioh.
4:23: ‘Veri adoratores adorabunt Patrem in spiritu et veritate’.
[3] Petrus Lombardus, Sententiae I, d. 34, c. 3 (1971), 252,
1–2: ‘potentia, sapientia, bonitas de deo dicuntur secundum substantiam’.
[4] I Cor. 13:12: ‘tunc autem cognoscam sicut et cognitus sum’.
[5] ‘si’: the soul.
[7] ‘dâ’: J. Quint notes ‘according to
the Trinity or the persons’.
[8] See Bernardus, De consideratione V, c. 7, n. 17, ed. Leclercq and Rochais, 481,
13: ‘Substantia una est: personae tres sunt’
[9] See Aristoteles, De anima III, c. 5, 430a14.
[10] ‘art’: here not species, but the
particular way.
[11] On this difficult paragraph see the
introduction to the homily.
[12] ‘er’: the exterior, outer man.
[13] ‘weselich’ is synonym with
‘substanzlich’ used a bit earlier.
[14] Here ‘art’ means the species of
human nature.
No comments:
Post a Comment