Renowned philosopher Kurt Flasch offers a full-scale reappraisal of the life and legacy of Meister Eckhart, the medieval German theologian, philosopher, and alleged mystic who was active during the Avignon Papacy of the fourteenth century and was tried for heresy by Pope John XXII. Disputing his subject’s frequent characterization as a hero of a modern, syncretic spirituality, Flasch attempts to free Eckhart from the “Mystical Flood” by inviting his readers to think along with Eckhart in a careful rereading of his Latin and German works.
 
This fascinating study makes a powerful case for Eckhart’s position as an important philosopher of the time rather than a mystic and casts new light on an important figure of the Middle Ages whose ideas attracted considerable attention from such diverse modern thinkers as Schopenhauer, Vivekananda, Suzuki, Fromm, and Derrida.

"“This is a useful addition to the historical-contextual study of Eckhart. And, perhaps more importantly, Flasch’s work in translation represents a new and more focused effort towards establishing an international conversation on this enigmatic ‘philosopher of Christianity’.”—Christopher David Shaw, Theology" - Theology

"“This important intellectual biography of Meister Eckhart represents the culmination of Kurt Flasch’s sixty-year involvement with Eckhart’s thought. Comprehensive, richly learned, and trenchantly argued . . . [a] classic . . . beautifully written . . . the best general introduction in English to a revolutionary thinker.”—John M. Connolly, Catholic Historical Review" - Catholic Historical Review