Johannes Tauler OP ( – 16 June 1361) was a

German mystic 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 ...

, a

Catholic priest The priesthood is the office of the ministers of religion, who have been commissioned ("ordained") with the holy orders of the Catholic Church. Technically, bishops are a priestly order as well; however, in common English usage ''priest'' refe ...

and a

theologian 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 ...

. He belonged to 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 ...

. Tauler was known as one of the most important

Rhineland mystics 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 ...

. He promoted a certain

neo-platonist Neoplatonism is a version of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a series of thinkers. Among the common id ...

dimension in the Dominican spirituality of his time.

Life

He was born about the year 1300 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 ...

, and seems to have been the son of Nikolus Tauler or Taweler, of Finkweiler (now Finckwiller st.), who in 1304 was a member of the Strasbourg city council. He entered the

at the age of about eighteen, and was educated at the Dominican convent in that city.

Meister Eckhart Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart (), Master Eckhart or Eckehart, claimed original name Johannes Eckhart,

, who greatly influenced him, was active in Strasbourg between about 1313 and 1326, though it is unclear what relationship they may have had. It is possible that while taking the customary eight-years' course of study at the monastery he heard Eckhart preach. From Strasbourg he went to the Dominican college of

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 ...

, and perhaps to St. James's College, Paris, ultimately returning to Strasbourg, but more probably he returned from Cologne to Strasbourg. Around 1330 Tauler began his preaching career in Strasbourg. The city contained eight convents of Dominican nuns and perhaps seventy smaller

beguine The Beguines () and the Beghards () were Christianity, Christian laity, lay religious orders that were active in Western Europe, particularly in the Low Countries, in the 13th–16th centuries. Their members lived in monasticism, semi-monastic ...

communities. It seems likely that (as with

Meister Eckhart Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart (), Master Eckhart or Eckehart, claimed original name Johannes Eckhart,

and

Henry Suso Henry Suso, OP (also called Amandus, a name adopted in his writings, and Heinrich Seuse or Heinrich von Berg in German; 21 March 1295 – 25 January 1366) was a German Dominican friar and the most popular vernacular writer of the fourteenth c ...

), much of his preaching was directed to holy women. Most of Tauler's nearly eighty sermons seem to reflect a convent situation, although this may partly reflect the setting in which such sermons were most likely to be written down and preserved. In 1338 or 1339 the Dominicans were exiled from Strasbourg as a result of the tensions 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. Tauler spent his exile (c. 1339–1343) in Basel. Here, he became acquainted with the circles of devout clergy and laity known as 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 ...

'' (''Gottesfreunde''). Tauler mentions the Friends of God often in his sermons. Evidence for further connections with this group is found in the letters exchanged between the secular priest

Henry of Nördlingen Henry of Nördlingen () was a German people, German Catholic priest from Bavaria, who lived in the 14th century, his date of death being unknown. He was the spiritual adviser of Margaretha Ebner (died 1351), the mystic nun of Medingen Abbey, Meding ...

and his spiritual friend, the Dominican nun Margaret Ebner. Through Henry, Tauler also became acquainted with

Mechthild of Magdeburg Mechthild (or Mechtild, Matilda, Matelda) of Magdeburg (c. 1207 – c. 1282/1294), a Beguine, was a Christian medieval mystic, whose book ''Das fließende Licht der Gottheit'' (''The Flowing Light of Divinity'') is a compendium of visions, ...

's ''Flowing Light of the Godhead''. Tauler worked with the Friends of God, and it was with them that he taught his belief that the state of the soul was affected more by a personal relationship with God than by external practices. In this way, he was more of a proselytizer than his counterpart, Eckhart. Tauler returned to Strasbourg around 1343, but the following years brought various crises. Strasbourg experienced a devastating earthquake and fire in 1346. From late 1347 until 1349, the city was ravaged by the

Black Death The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...

. It is said that when the city was deserted by all who could leave it, Tauler remained at his post, encouraging his terror-stricken fellow-citizens with sermons and personal visits. Tauler travelled fairly extensively in the last two and a half decades of his life. He made several trips to Cologne. A number of his sermons were clearly delivered there, as indicated by their survival in the Cologne dialect of

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 ...

. A credible tradition suggests he visited

John of Ruusbroec John of Ruusbroec or Jan van Ruusbroec (; 1293/1294 – 2 December 1381), sometimes modernized Ruysbroeck, was an Augustinian canon and one of the most important of the medieval mystics of the Low Countries. Some of his main literary works incl ...

in Groenendaal at some point in the 1350s. He is credited with composing the words of the

Advent song Advent songs () are songs and hymns intended for Advent, the four weeks of preparation for Christmas. Topics of the time of expectation are the hope for a Messiah, prophecies, and the symbolism of light, among others. Several of the songs are part o ...

, Es kommt ein Schiff, geladen. The oldest existing text source is a manuscript dated before 1450, found in the Strasbourg Dominican convent of ''St. Nicolaus in undis'', which Tauler was known to have visited frequently. There are also some stylistic similarities to his other writings. According to tradition, 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. The well-known story of Tauler's conversion and discipline by "

The Friend of God from the Oberland The Friend of God from the Oberland (''Der Gottesfreund vom Oberland'', sometimes translated as "the friend of God from the Upland", or "the mysterious layman from the Oberland") was the name of a figure in Middle Ages German mysticism, associate ...

" cannot be regarded as historical.

Sermons

Tauler left no formal treatises, either in Latin or the vernacular. Rather, his oeuvre consists of eighty sermons. Tauler's sermons began to be collected in his own lifetime – three fourteenth-century manuscripts date from around the time of Tauler's return to Strasbourg after his exile in Basel. Tauler's sermons were printed first in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

in 1498, reprinted in 1508 at Augsburg, and then again with additions from Eckhart and others at Basel (1521 and 1522), at Halberstadt (1523), at

(1543), and in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

(1551). A Latin translation was printed first at Cologne in 1548 and 1553. In the nineteenth century, editions were produced by Julius Hamberger (

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

, 1864) and Ferdinand Vetter (Berlin, 1910, reprinted Dublin/Zürich, 1968). Tauler was famous for his sermons, which were considered among the noblest in the

German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...

—not as emotional as

's, nor as speculative as Eckhart's, but rather intensely practical, and touching on all sides the deeper problems of the moral and spiritual life. Tauler has at times been claimed as one of several notable Christian universalists in the Middle Ages, along with

Amalric of Bena Amalric of Bena (; ; died ) was a French theologian, philosopher and sect leader, after whom the Amalricians are named. Reformers such as Martin Luther considered him to be a proto-Protestant. Biography Amalric was born in the latter part of th ...

and

John of Ruysbroeck John of Ruusbroec or Jan van Ruusbroec (; 1293/1294 – 2 December 1381), sometimes modernized Ruysbroeck, was an Augustinian canon and one of the most important of the medieval mystics of the Low Countries. Some of his main literary works incl ...

. His teaching that, "All beings exist through the same birth as the Son, and therefore shall they all come again to their original, that is, God the Father" has been cited in defense of this claim. However, other passages from his sermons cast doubt on such an interpretation. In his first sermon for the Feast of the Ascension he remarks, "The wicked come close to Heaven and never enter in. The greatest torment of the damned, is the certainty that they shall never enter Heaven."

Modern editions

There are various foreign language editions of the sermons:On what follows, see Bernard McGinn, ''The Harvest of Mysticism'', (2005), p. 586. *Ferdinand Vetter, ''Die Predigten Taulers'', (Berlin: Weidmann, 1910; photomechanical reprint, 1968), is based on only a few manuscripts and does not adhere to the proper liturgical order of the sermons. It lists a few variant readings, but lacks an apparatus of sources. Several of its sermons are not authentic. *A complete French translation exists as E Hugueny, G Thery and A-L Corin, ''Sermons de Tauler: Traduction faite sur les plus anciens mss. allemands'', 3 volumes, (Paris, 1927–35). *Georg Hofmann, ''Johannes Tauler: Predigten'', (Freiburg: Herder, 1961; reprint, Einsiedeln, 1979) provides a helpful German version, but not a critical version of the Middle High German text. *Johannes Tauler, ''De Preken'', a complete Dutch translation by Peter Freens (2015)
Taulerpreken.nl
A good English translation of Tauler's sermons is lacking. *''Spiritual Conferences by Johann Tauler, OP (1300–1361)'', trans Eris Colledge and Sister Mary Jane, OP, (New York: Herder, 1961; reprint 1978), contains a rather loose translation of sermons and excerpts of sermons from Vetter. It rearranges that according to theological headings rather than keeping the order of the sermons themselves. *''Johannes Tauler, sermons'', translation by Maria Shrady; introduction by Josef Schmidt, (New York: Paulist Press, 1985), translates 23 sermons, but from the modern German edition of Hofmann, not directly from the Middle High German. The version also contains various omissions and errors, and lacks notes. Older English translations of Tauler include various inauthentic pieces, and were often made from the Latin version of Laurentius Surius. They are therefore problematic. These include: *Catherine Winkworth, ''History and Life of the Reverend Doctor John Tauler with Twenty-Five of his Sermons'', (London, Smith, Elder, and comp., 1857.) Available at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/winkworth/tauler *''Meditations on the life and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ'', translated by APJ Cruikshank, (London: Thomas Richardson and Son, 1875) Available at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/tauler/meditations *''The following of Christ'', translated by JR Morell, (London: T Fisher Unwin, 1886) Available at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/tauler/following *''The Inner Way, being Thirty-Six sermons for festivals by John Tauler'', translated from the German, with introduction, by Arthur Wollaston Hutton, (London: Methuen & Co, 1901) Available at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/tauler/inner_way

Notes

References

* * * Jole D'Anna, Johannes Tauler. Dottore illuminato e sublime, Simmetria, Roma 2006. * Jole D'Anna, Una introduzione alla mistica di Johannes Tauler, in "Rivista di Ascetica e Mistica", n. 1, 2009, pp. 139–148. * Jole D'Anna, La teologia della perfezione in Johannes Tauler, in "Perennia Verba", nn. 6–7, 2002–2003, pp. 181–200.

External links

The History and Life of the Reverend Doctor John Tauler of Strasbourg; With Twenty-Five of His Sermons
in English archive.org *
Die Predigten Taulers im digitalen mittelhochdeutschen Textarchiv der Universität Trier
*

Taulerdruck von 1621, PDF

Beschreibung von mittelalterlichen Handschriften mit Taulerpredigten im Marburger Repertorium, Universität Marburg

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tauler, Johannes 1300 births 1361 deaths 14th-century Christian mystics 14th-century German Catholic theologians 14th-century German Roman Catholic priests Alsatian-German people Catholic universalists Dominican mystics German Dominicans German male non-fiction writers Clergy from Strasbourg Rhineland mystics Roman Catholic mystics