the mystical theology of valentin weigel - DataSpace at Princeton ...
the mystical theology of valentin weigel - DataSpace at Princeton ... the mystical theology of valentin weigel - DataSpace at Princeton ...
for modern philosophy, theology and literature that McGinn ascribes to him: “Perhaps no mystic in the history of Christianity has been more influential and more controversial than the Dominican Meister Eckhart. Few, if any, mystics have been as challenging to modern readers and as resistant to agreed-upon interpretation.” 247 McGinn suggests that although Eckhart was forgotten for a few centuries this does not call into question his status as a great, and might even, on the contrary, prove and affirm it. Theologians in Weigel’s immediate context had an Eckhartbild that is rather distant from this modern image of Eckhart. Far from Eckhart being a dreaded heretic or heroic Einzelgänger, these sixteenth century Lutheran readers were cautiously appreciative of Eckhart. With this in mind, the following chapter turns to Weigel’s writings themselves, in which Weigel enthusiastically takes up Eckhart’s concept of Gelassenheit and uses it to criticize his own Lutheran church for being too willing to serve the interests of secular power and too willing to ignore its pastoral duties in favour of engaging in endless petty theological disputation. In the end, Weigel takes his critique of the Lutheran church so far that he abandons the notion of a church altogether. 247 McGinn, Mystical Thought, 1. 92
CHAPTER 2 • GELASSENE GELASSENHEIT: WEIGEL READS MEISTER ECKHART The transition of the Lutheran church from persecuted minority to established majority was a rocky one, as I described in the Introduction, the end-point of which was the publication of a state-sponsored document entitled the Formula Concordiae in 1577. In Weigel’s Saxony, for instance, all Church ministers were bound, by signing it, to uphold and adhere to the content of this document, or risk losing their posts or even being exiled. Though many were in favour of the unity and calm that this Formula aspired to create, and though many agreed with the theology it promulgated, Weigel disagreed with a number of significant doctrinal points, and thought that the Formula chiefly had the effect of producing a false concord, where divergent opinions were not voiced only out of fear. True concord, as Weigel envisages it, is vastly more difficult to attain, and it was to this end that Weigel took up Eckhart’s notion of spiritual poverty. Weigel reimagines spiritual povetry as a means of generating agreement without resorting to force amongst a group hopelessly divided by dispute and debate, despite ostensibly belonging to the same denomination—not to mention the same religion. In this chapter I begin by discussing Eckhart’s perspective on Gelassenheit, before examining how Weigel transforms this Eckhartian Gelassenheit, which serves as the key element of his principled non- 93
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CHAPTER 2<br />
•<br />
GELASSENE GELASSENHEIT: WEIGEL<br />
READS MEISTER ECKHART<br />
The transition <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Lu<strong>the</strong>ran church from persecuted minority to established<br />
majority was a rocky one, as I described in <strong>the</strong> Introduction, <strong>the</strong> end-point <strong>of</strong> which was<br />
<strong>the</strong> public<strong>at</strong>ion <strong>of</strong> a st<strong>at</strong>e-sponsored document entitled <strong>the</strong> Formula Concordiae in 1577.<br />
In Weigel’s Saxony, for instance, all Church ministers were bound, by signing it, to<br />
uphold and adhere to <strong>the</strong> content <strong>of</strong> this document, or risk losing <strong>the</strong>ir posts or even being<br />
exiled. Though many were in favour <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> unity and calm th<strong>at</strong> this Formula aspired to<br />
cre<strong>at</strong>e, and though many agreed with <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ology it promulg<strong>at</strong>ed, Weigel disagreed with<br />
a number <strong>of</strong> significant doctrinal points, and thought th<strong>at</strong> <strong>the</strong> Formula chiefly had <strong>the</strong><br />
effect <strong>of</strong> producing a false concord, where divergent opinions were not voiced only out <strong>of</strong><br />
fear. True concord, as Weigel envisages it, is vastly more difficult to <strong>at</strong>tain, and it was to<br />
this end th<strong>at</strong> Weigel took up Eckhart’s notion <strong>of</strong> spiritual poverty. Weigel reimagines<br />
spiritual povetry as a means <strong>of</strong> gener<strong>at</strong>ing agreement without resorting to force amongst a<br />
group hopelessly divided by dispute and deb<strong>at</strong>e, despite ostensibly belonging to <strong>the</strong> same<br />
denomin<strong>at</strong>ion—not to mention <strong>the</strong> same religion. In this chapter I begin by discussing<br />
Eckhart’s perspective on Gelassenheit, before examining how Weigel transforms this<br />
Eckhartian Gelassenheit, which serves as <strong>the</strong> key element <strong>of</strong> his principled non-<br />
93
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