Life and times of the 14th century German spiritual leader Meister Eckhart, whose theory of a personal path to the divine inspired thinkers from Jean Paul Sartre to Thomas Merton, and most recently, Eckhart Tolle.
Joel F. Harrington is a professor of history at Vanderbilt University. He is the author of The Faithful Executioner, The Unwanted Child, and A Cloud of Witnesses.
“Masterfully executed... rich... Harrington... takes on the
so-called ‘mystic’s mystic’ with a historian’s capacity to immerse
the reader in the 14th century and in Eckhart’s spiritual
framework. He does so with a writerly elegance and elucidation that
situates the medieval thinker squarely in this modern-day
moment.”—Chicago Tribune
“[A] wonderfully smart, readable biography of a 14th-century
Dominican priest and mystic named Meister Eckhart. . . .
[Harrington] is a scholar/storyteller who can tell a true tale that
feels like a novel, without cheap tricks. . . . At times, Dangerous
Mystic has a Name of the Rose excitement to it, a man against the
grain during a time of ferment, a mind that sought to rise above
it. Dangerous Mystic is likely to make Eckhart even more of a hero
to more people. Good.”—Philadelphia Inquirer
“Impressive. . . . This illuminating book successfully explains
Meister Eckhart’s philosophy and large influence on Western
Christian mysticism.”—Publishers Weekly
“An excellent biographical work . . . [Harrington] does an
admirable job of presenting Eckhart dispassionately, as a
historical figure, a theological innovator, and an impetus for
modern thinkers. Extremely well-researched and fluidly written,
[DANGEROUS MYSTIC] will serve as a meaningful resource for students
of mysticism and of late Medieval Christianity.”—Kirkus, starred
review
“Calmly dazzling… a serene, intelligent, appropriately ambitious
yet accessible work on one of history’s most mysterious theologian
mystics.”—Joy Williams, Book Post
"Joel Harrington here offers a characteristically subtle and
elegant evocation of mediaeval spirituality at its most
powerful. Meister Eckhart’s noble quest for enlightenment
resonates through the centuries, and here we see what made the man
whose preaching sent such shock waves through the mediaeval
church." ― Andrew Pettegree, author of BRAND
LUTHER
"A rare combination of sweeping historical narrative, penetrating
biography, and profound spiritual elucidation. Joel F. Harrington
elegantly shows why Meister Eckhart is reclaimed as a touchstone of
humane holiness in every era - especially ours. This is a book to
read, to save, and to give.”
― James Carroll, author of THE CLOISTER
“In this engrossing and compelling book, Joel Harrington offers a
profound, moving, and accessible portrayal of one of the greatest
yet most enigmatic figures of medieval Christianity. Meister
Eckhart gave expression to humanity's yearning for union with God,
and for a pure and selfless knowledge of the divine. With a
masterful touch, Harrington places the Dominican mystic in the
changing, febrile world of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries
and guides the reader through the development and expanse of
Eckhart's sublime thought and interior spirituality. We encounter
the men and women to whom Eckhart preached, his teachers, his
friends and enemies, and popes and inquisitors, all of whom are
cast in bold profile in the author's stylish and vivid prose.
Eckhart's life was filled with visions, charity, politics, and
controversy, and ended with papal censure. His legacy continues to
be debated. This life of one of Western Christianity's great
mystics is an astonishing achievement.” —Bruce Gordon, author of
CALVIN, Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Yale
Divinity School
"Joel F. Harrington's Dangerous Mystic: Meister Eckhart's Path to
the God Within is a bold new reading of the life and thought of the
great fourteenth-century German mystic who has remained both
influential and controversial since his death. Harrington situates
Eckhart in his historical and intellectual context in a way
accessible to the general reader, as well as thought-provoking for
Eckhart scholars. This is a book that will open up the great
Dominican teacher and mystical preacher to a new generation. It
deserves to be widely read."
― Bernard McGinn, Naomi Shenstone Donnelly Professor
(Emeritus) of historical theology and history of Christianity at
the University of Chicago and author of THE PRESENCE OF GOD
Praise for THE FAITHFUL EXECUTIONER by Joel F. Harrington:
“Fascinating . . . Engrossing . . . Harrington brings out the sheer
strangeness of the past . . . In The Faithful Executioner, Mr.
Harrington has not only rescued the life of an individual from
disgust and condescension but also, by focusing on a career in
killing, brought a whole world back to life.” ―The Wall Street
Journal
“Remarkable . . . [A] fascinating exploration . . . this is a
surprisingly modern, even topical story that poses difficult
questions about capital punishment and what Harrington calls ‘the
human drive toward retribution.'” ―The Washington Post
“Fascinating . . . One of the pleasures of reading history is to be
transported somewhere, even if we aren't sure we want to go.” ―The
Chronicle of Higher Education
“[A] vividly drawn portrait . . . Harrington succeeds in
deftly taking us beyond Schmidt's biography to address broader
questions. Finely researched and crafted.” ―History Today
“Surprisingly poignant . . . A whole teeming world of
Reformation Germany comes alive.” ―Kirkus Reviews
“Who can imagine how an executioner feels about his trade?
Joel F. Harrington has written a considered and fascinating book
that helps us hear the voice of one such man, a professional
torturer (and healer) who, astonishingly, kept a diary. Exploring
both sixteenth-century Nuremberg and the world about the city, he
re-creates the social context for the flamboyant displays of
cruelty that later centuries find so hard to comprehend. Both the
executioner and his victims are rescued from our condescension and
restored to their own moral universe―which is not as far from ours
as we like to suppose.” ―Hilary Mantel, Man Booker Prize–winning
author Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies
“A book as entertaining and revealing as it is improbable and
outrageous. Joel F. Harrington has told a marvelous yarn, giving us
not just the compelling biography of Meister Frantz but his world.”
―Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Day of Battle:
The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943–1944
“The Faithful Executioner is much more than a
description of the many imaginative and horrifying means of
torturing and putting prisoners to death. It is a rare and utterly
fascinating examination of the society that demands it.” ―New York
Journal of Books
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