Heinrich Seuse
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Henry Suso, OP (also called Amandus, a name adopted in his writings, and Heinrich Seuse or Heinrich von Berg in
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
; 21 March 1295 – 25 January 1366) was a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
Dominican friar The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilian priest named Dominic de Guzmán. It was approved by Pope Honorius ...
and the most popular vernacular writer of the fourteenth century (when considering the number of surviving manuscripts). An important author in both Latin and Middle High German, he is also notable for defending
Meister Eckhart Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart (), Master Eckhart or Eckehart, claimed original name Johannes Eckhart,
's legacy after Eckhart was posthumously condemned for heresy in 1329. He died in
Ulm Ulm () is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city. Ulm is located on the eastern edges of the Swabian Jura mountain range, on the up ...
on 25 January 1366, and was
beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...
by the Catholic Church in 1831.


Biography

Suso was born Heinrich von Berg, a member of the ruling family of
Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * General Berg (disambiguation) * Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer, born 1963), Ninimbergue dos Santos Guerra, Brazilian footba ...
. He was born in either the free imperial city of
Überlingen Überlingen (; ) is a German city on the northern shore of Lake Constance (Bodensee) in Baden-Württemberg near the German-Swiss border, border with Switzerland. After the city of Friedrichshafen, it is the second-largest city in the Bodenseek ...
on
Lake Constance Lake Constance (, ) refers to three bodies of water on the Rhine at the northern foot of the Alps: Upper Lake Constance (''Obersee''), Lower Lake Constance (''Untersee''), and a connecting stretch of the Rhine, called the Seerhein (). These ...
or nearby
Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...
, on 21 March 1295 (or perhaps on that date up to 1297–99). Later, out of humility and devotion to his mother, he took her family name, which was Sus (or Süs, meaning "sweet"). At 13 years of age he was admitted to the
novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...
of the Dominican Order at their
priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. They were created by the Catholic Church. Priories may be monastic houses of monks or nuns (such as the Benedictines, the Cistercians, or t ...
in
Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...
. After completing that year of probation, he advanced to do his preparatory, philosophical, and
theological Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of an ...
studies there. In the prologue to his ''Life'', Suso recounts how, after about five years in the monastery (in other words, when he was about 18 years old), he experienced a conversion to a deeper form of
religious life Consecrated life (also known as religious life) is a state of life in the Catholic Church lived by those faithful who are called to follow Jesus Christ in a more exacting way. It includes those in institutes of consecrated life (religious and sec ...
through the intervention of Divine Wisdom. He made himself "the Servant of Eternal Wisdom", which he identified with the divine essence and, in more specific terms, with divine Eternal Wisdom made man in Christ. From this point forward in his account of his spiritual life, a burning love for Eternal Wisdom dominated his thoughts and controlled his actions; his spiritual journey culminated in a mystical marriage to Christ in the form of the Eternal Wisdom, an allegorical Goddess in the Hebrew Bible associated with Christ in medieval devotion.


Career

Suso was then sent on for further studies in philosophy and theology, probably first at the Dominican monastery in
Strasbourg Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
, perhaps between 1319 and 1321, and then from 1324 to 1327 he took a supplementary course in theology in the Dominican ''
Studium Generale is the old customary name for a medieval university in medieval Europe. Overview There is no official definition for the term . The term ' first appeared at the beginning of the 13th century out of customary usage, and meant a place where stud ...
'' in
Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
, where he would have come into contact with
Meister Eckhart Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart (), Master Eckhart or Eckehart, claimed original name Johannes Eckhart,
, and probably also
Johannes Tauler Johannes Tauler OP ( – 16 June 1361) was a German mystic, a Catholic priest and a theologian. He belonged to the Dominican order. Tauler was known as one of the most important Rhineland mystics. He promoted a certain neo-platonist dimens ...
, both celebrated mystics.Bernard McGinn, ''The Harvest of Mysticism'', (2005), p. 198. Returning to his home priory at Constance in about 1327, Suso was appointed to the office of ''lector'' (lecturer). His teaching, however, aroused criticism – most likely because of his connection with Eckhart in the wake of the latter's trial and condemnation in 1326–29. Suso's ''Little Book of Truth'', a short defence of Eckhart's teaching, probably dates from this time, perhaps 1329. In 1330 this treatise, and another, were denounced as heretical by enemies in the Order. Suso traveled to the Dominican
General Chapter A chapter ( or ') is one of several bodies of clergy in Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings. Name The name derives from the habit of convening monks or canons for the reading of a chapter o ...
held at
Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...
in 1330 to defend himself. The outcome is not entirely clear. At some point between 1329 and 1334 he was removed from his lectorship in Constance, though he was not personally condemned. Knowledge of Suso's activities in subsequent years is somewhat sketchy. It is known that he served as prior of the Constance convent – most likely between 1330 and 1334, though possibly in the 1340s. It is also known that he had various devoted disciples, a group including both men and women, especially those connected to the ''
Friends of God The Friends of God (German: Gottesfreunde; or gotesvriunde) was a medieval mystical group of both ecclesiastical and lay persons within the Catholic Church (though it nearly became a separate sect) and a center of German mysticism. It was founde ...
'' movement. His influence was especially strong in many religious communities of women, particularly in the Dominican Monastery of St. Katharinental in the
Thurgau Thurgau (; ; ; ), anglicized as Thurgovia, and formally as the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts. Its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is part of Eastern Switzerland. I ...
, a famous nursery of mysticism in the 13th and 14th centuries. In the mid-1330s, during his visits to various communities of Dominican
nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...
s and
Beguines The Beguines () and the Beghards () were Christian lay religious orders that were active in Western Europe, particularly in the Low Countries, in the 13th–16th centuries. Their members lived in semi-monastic communities but did not take for ...
, Suso became acquainted with
Elsbeth Stagel Elisabeth or Elsbeth Stagel (c. 1300 – c. 1360) was a Dominican nun and prioress of the Töss Convent. Biography Stagel was born into a noble family of Zurich, the daughter of a councilor. She developed a deep friendship with Henry Suso, ...
, prioress of the monastery of Dominican nuns in
Töss Töss is a district in the Swiss city of Winterthur. It is district number 4. The district comprises the quarters Schlosstal, Dättnau, Eichliacker and Rossberg. It is named after the river Töss which flows through the district. In the Middle A ...
. The two became close friends. She translated some of his Latin writings into German, collected and preserved most of his extant letters, and at some point began gathering the materials that Suso eventually put together into his ''Life of the Servant''. Suso shared the exile of the Dominican community from Constance between 1339 and 1346, during the most heated years of the quarrel that began between
Pope John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...
and
Louis IV, Holy Roman Emperor Louis IV (; 1 April 1282 – 11 October 1347), called the Bavarian (, ), was King of the Romans from 1314, King of Italy from 1327, and Holy Roman Emperor from 1328 until his death in 1347. 20 October 1314 imperial election, Louis' election a ...
which was continued by
Pope Benedict XII Pope Benedict XII (, , ; 1285 – 25 April 1342), born Jacques Fournier, was a cardinal and inquisitor, and later, head of the Catholic Church from 30 December 1334 to his death, in April 1342. He was the third Avignon pope and reformed monasti ...
. Suso was transferred to the monastery at Ulm in about 1348. He seems to have remained there for the rest of his life. Here, during his final years (possibly 1361–63), he edited his four vernacular works into ''The Exemplar''. Suso died in Ulm on 25 January 1366.


Mortifications

Early in his life, Suso subjected himself to extreme forms of mortifications; later on he reported that God told him they were no longer necessary. During this period, Suso devised for himself several painful devices. Some of these were: an undergarment studded with a hundred and fifty brass nails, a very uncomfortable door to sleep on, and a cross with thirty protruding needles and nails under his body as he slept. In the autobiographical text in which he reports these, however, he ultimately concludes that they are unnecessary distractions from the love of God.http://www.philosophy , r. o. (2004). "Internal Suffering and Christianity." available from


Writings

Suso's first work was the ''Büchlein der Wahrheit'' (''Little Book of Truth'') written between 1328 and 1334 in
Constance Constance may refer to: Places * Constance, Kentucky, United States, an unincorporated community * Constance, Minnesota, United States, an unincorporated community * Mount Constance, Washington State, United States * Lake Constance (disambiguat ...
. This was a short defence of the teaching of Meister Eckhart, who had been tried for heresy and condemned in 1328–29. In 1330 this treatise and another (possibly the ''Little Book of Eternal Wisdom'') were denounced as heretical by Dominican opponents, leading Suso to travel to the Dominican General Chapter held at Maastricht in 1330 to defend himself. Suso's next book, ''Das Büchlein der ewigen Weisheit'' (''The Little Book of Eternal Wisdom''), written around 1328–1330, is less speculative and more practical. At some point between 1334 and 1337 Suso translated this work into Latin, but in doing so added considerably to its contents, and made of it an almost entirely new book, which he called the '' Horologium Sapientiae'' ( ''Clock of Wisdom''). This book was dedicated to the new Dominican Master General, Hugh of Vaucemain, who appears to have been a supporter of his. At some point in the following decades, Stagel formed a collection of 28 of Suso's letters in the ''Grosses Briefbuch'' (''Great Book of Letters''), which survives. Suso also wrote a long text purporting to tell the story of his spiritual life and ascetic practices (variously referred to as the ''Life of the Servant'', ''Life'', ''Vita'', or ''Leben Seuses''), and revised the ''Büchlein der Wahrheit'' and the ''Büchlein der ewigen Weisheit''. At some point in his later years, perhaps 1361–63, he collected these works, together with 11 of his letters (the ''Briefbüchlein'', or ''Little Book of Letters'', a selection of letters from the ''Grosses Briefbuch''), and wrote a prologue, to form one book he referred to as ''The Exemplar''.Bernard McGinn, ''The Harvest of Mysticism'', (2005), p. 204. There are also various sermons attributed to Suso, although only two appear to be authentic. A treatise known as the ''Minnebüchlein'' (''Little Book of Love'') is sometimes, but probably incorrectly, attributed to Suso. Suso was very widely read in the later Middle Ages. There are 232 extant manuscripts of the
Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...
''Little Book of Eternal Wisdom''. The Latin ''Clock of Wisdom'' was even more popular: over four hundred manuscripts in
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
, and over two hundred manuscripts in various medieval translations (it was translated into eight languages, including Dutch, French, Italian, Swedish, Czech, and English). Many early printings survive as well. The ''Clock'' was therefore second only to the ''Imitation of Christ'' in popularity among spiritual writings of the later Middle Ages. Among his many readers and admirers were
Thomas à Kempis Thomas à Kempis, CRV ( – 25 July 1471; ; ) was a German-Dutch Catholic canon regular of the Augustinians and the author of '' The Imitation of Christ'', one of the best known Christian devotional books. His name means "Thomas of Kempen", ...
and
John Fisher John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Rochester from 1504 to 1535 and as chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He is honoured as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Chu ...
. Wolfgang Wackernagel and others have called Suso a "
Minnesinger (; "love song") was a tradition of German lyric- and song-writing that flourished in the Middle High German period (12th to 14th centuries). The name derives from '' minne'', the Middle High German word for love, as that was ''Minnesangs m ...
in prose and in the spiritual order" or a "Minnesinger of the Love of God" both for his use of images and themes from secular, courtly, romantic poetry and for his rich musical vocabulary. The mutual love of God and man which is his principal theme gives warmth and color to his style. He used the full and flexible Alemannic idiom with rare skill, and contributed much to the formation of good German prose, especially by giving new shades of meaning to words employed to describe inner sensations.


Legacy and veneration

In the world Suso was esteemed as a preacher, and was heard in the cities and towns of
Swabia Swabia ; , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany. The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of Swabia, one of ...
, Switzerland,
Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...
, and the Netherlands. His apostolate, however, was not with the masses, but rather with individuals of all classes who were drawn to him by his singularly attractive personality, and to whom he became a personal director in the spiritual life. Suso was reported to have established among the Friends of God a society which he called the Brotherhood of the Eternal Wisdom. The so-called ''Rule of the Brotherhood of the Eternal Wisdom'' is but a free translation of a chapter of his ''Horologium Sapientiae'' and did not make its appearance until the fifteenth century. Suso was
beatified Beatification (from Latin , "blessed" and , "to make") is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their name. ''Beati'' is the ...
in 1831 by
Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...
, who assigned 2 March as his
feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...
, celebrated within the
Dominican Order The Order of Preachers (, abbreviated OP), commonly known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic Church, Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilians, Castilian priest named Saint Dominic, Dominic de Gu ...
. The Dominicans now celebrate his feast on 23 January, the ''
feria In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, a feria is a day of the week other than Sunday. In more recent official liturgical texts in English, the term ''weekday'' is used instead of ''feria''. If the feast day of a saint falls on such a day, the ...
'', or "free" day, nearest the day of his death. The words of the Christmas song " In dulci jubilo" are attributed to Suso.


Editions and translations

''The Exemplar'' (
Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; or ; , shortened as ''Mhdt.'' or ''Mhd.'') is the term for the form of High German, High German language, German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High ...
): * Henry Suso, ''Das Buch von dem Diener (The Life of the Servant)'', ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ''Heinrich Seuse. Deutsche Schriften'', 1907 (translated by Frank Tobin, i
''The Exemplar, with Two German Sermons''
New York: Paulist Press, 1989, pp. 61–204) * ''Das Büchlein der ewigen Weisheit (The Little Book of Eternal Wisdom)'', ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ibid. (trans. in F. Tobin, ibid., pp. 204–304) * ''Das Büchlein der Wahrheit (The Little Book of Truth)'', ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ibid. (trans. in F. Tobin, ibid., pp. 305–332) * ''Das Briefbüchlein (The Little Book of Letters)'', ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ibid., pp. 360–393 (trans. in F. Tobin, ibid., pp. 333–360) * ''"The exemplary life and writings of Blessed Henry Suso'', Complete ed. based on manuscripts, with a critical introd. & explanatory notes by Nicholas Heller (translated from the German by Sister M. Ann Edward (Sister Mary of the Immaculate Heart). 2 v. (c) Priory Press; 15 Apr 1962) * ''Exemplar, A complete and illustrated (bilingual) Dutch translation.'
''Seusewerken.freens.eu''
(translated from the Middle High German by Peter Freens; with illustrations by Anna Ruiters). Preaching and Letters (Middle High German): * Henry Suso, ''The Great Book of Letters'', ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ''Heinrich Seuse. Deutsche Schriften'', 1907, pp. 405–494 *Sermons 1 and 4 (those now recognized as authentic) are published in English translation in ''The Exemplar, with Two German Sermons'' (trans. F. Tobin, (New York: Paulist Press, 1989), pp. 361–376) Latin: * Henry Suso
''Horologium sapientiae (Clock of Wisdom)''
ed. P. Künzle, ''Heinrich Seuses Horologium sapientiae'', Freiburg: Universitatsverlag, 1977 (translated by Edmund Colledge
''Wisdom's Watch upon the Hours''
Catholic University of America Press The Catholic University of America Press, also known as CUA Press, is the publishing division of The Catholic University of America. Founded on November 14, 1939 and incorporated on July 16, 1941, the CUA Press is a long-time member of the Associ ...
994 Year 994 ( CMXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 15 – Battle of the Orontes: Fatimid forces, under Turkish general Manjutakin (also the governor ...
* Heinrich Seuse, De Klok van de Wijsheid (Horologium Sapientiae). A complete (bilingual) Dutch translation (translated from the Medieval Latin by Peter Freens, 2023)
''SeuseWerken.freens.eu''


Memory

Croatian writer
Sida Košutić Sida Košutić (20 March 1902 – 13 May 1965) was a Croatian novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, literary critic, columnist, lector, and editor-in-chief of ''Croatian Women's Journal.''hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a preacher, priest, founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian ...
devoted to him, ''Sluga Vječne Mudrosti'' ("Servant of Eternal Wisdom", 1930), in which she depicts him as a Servant, Poet and the Sufferer.


See also

Ludus amoris


References

Attribution: * *


Further reading

English: * *Bryda, Gregory (2023).
The Trees of the Cross: Wood as Subject and Medium in Late Medieval Germany
'. Yale University Press, pp. 52–87. * * Hamburger, Jeffrey (1998)
''The Visual and the Visionary: Art and Female Spirituality in Late Medieval Germany''
* * Kieckhefer, Richard (1984). ''Unquiet Souls: Fourteenth-Century Saints and Their Religious Milieu'', Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. *McGinn, Bernard (2005). ''The Harvest of Mysticism'', pp. 191–239. * * * * German: *Filthaut, E.M., ed. (1966). ''Seuse-Studien: Heinrich Seuse. Studien zum 600. Todestag, 1366-1966'', Cologne: Albertus Magnus Verlag *Haas, Alois. (1971). ''Nim din selbes war. Studien zur Lehre von der Selbsterkenntnis bei Meister Eckhart, Johannes Tauler und Heinrich Seuse'', Freiburg: Universitatsverlag. *Keller, Hildegard Elisabeth and Hamburger, Jeffrey, eds. (2011). ''Die Stunde des Hundes'' – after Henry Suso's ''Exemplar''. * Italian: * Digitized manuscript (ca. 1500–25) of the ''Horologio di sapienza'' (an Italian translation of the ''Horologium Sapientiae'')
Digitized codex
a
Somni


External links

* *
Henry Suso at Christian Classics Ethereal LibraryOPVS Research Group Summary of current work on Suso
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suso, Henry 1295 births 1366 deaths 14th-century Christian mystics 14th-century German writers 14th-century venerated Christians Burials in Baden-Württemberg Dominican beatified people Dominican mystics German beatified people German Dominicans German Latinists German male non-fiction writers German Christian mystics 14th-century German Roman Catholic priests German translators House of Berg Medieval Christian devotional writers People from Überlingen Rhineland mystics Translators to Latin 14th-century writers in Latin