Johannes Tauler

Johannes Tauler was a German mystic, a Roman Catholic priest and a theologian. A disciple of Meister Eckhart, he belonged to the Dominican order. Tauler was known as one of the most important Rhineland mystics. He promoted a certain neo-platonist dimension in the Dominican spirituality of his time. He was also influenced by the Friends of God, a group of laypeople who practiced a form of mysticism based on detachment, humility and love of God. Tauler was born around 1300 in Strasbourg, where he entered the Dominican convent at an early age. He studied at the studium generale in Cologne, where he probably met Eckhart and Henry Suso. He returned to Strasbourg in 1324 and became a lector, teaching theology and philosophy to the novices. He also began to preach in the city and the surrounding areas, attracting large crowds with his eloquent and inspiring sermons. In 1339, Pope Benedict XII condemned some of Eckhart's teachings as heretical, and ordered all Dominicans to submit their writings for examination. Tauler and his fellow mystics were forced to leave Strasbourg and seek refuge in other cities. Tauler spent some time in Basel, where he met the Friends of God and was deeply impressed by their spirituality. He also encountered Nicholas of Basel, a radical mystic who claimed to have received a divine commission to reform the church. Tauler was initially attracted by Nicholas's charisma, but later distanced himself from his extreme views. Tauler returned to Strasbourg in 1346, after the papal ban was lifted. He resumed his preaching ministry and also engaged in pastoral care, especially during the outbreak of the Black Death in 1348-49. He stayed in the city when many others fled, comforting and ministering to the sick and dying. He himself contracted the plague, but recovered from it. Tauler died on 16 June 1361 in Strasbourg. He was buried in the Dominican church in Strasbourg with an incised gravestone that still survives in the Temple Neuf. His sermons were collected and edited by his disciples and admirers, and circulated widely in manuscript and printed form. They were translated into various languages, including Latin, Dutch, French and English. His writings influenced many later mystics and spiritual writers, such as John of Ruysbroeck, Thomas à Kempis, Martin Luther and John Wesley. His main themes include the union of the soul with God through grace, the necessity of detachment from worldly things, the role of suffering in spiritual growth, and the importance of love as the highest virtue. He also emphasized the active life of service to one's neighbor as an expression of one's love for God. He is regarded as one of the greatest Christian mystics and preachers of all time.