SOURCE: An introduction to Sermons, by Johannes Tauler, translated by Maria Shrady, Paulist Press, 1985, pp. 1-34.

In the following essay, Schmidt discusses Tauler’s life, distinctive features of his sermons, and his complex, connotative use of language.

References to “German medieval mysticism” usually involve a particular triad in this rich and extensive spiritual tradition: Meister Eckhart (around 1260-1328), Henry Suso (Seuse; 1295-1366), and John Tauler (around 1300-1361), all members of a young and dynamic mendicant order, the Dominicans. Tauler and Seuse were disciples of Meister Eckhart, who died in Avignon facing charges of heresy. Although they were spared the calamity of papal accusation, they did have their share of tribulations in a time unsettled and uprooted by ecclesiastical schism, political upheaval, and profound social change.

Before situating John Tauler in this particular context, however, a few distinguishing points should be mentioned, for each one of these three mystics...