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The Classics of Western Spirituality
The Theologia Germanica of Martin Luther
Martin Luther said that he owed more to the Theologia Germanica than to any other book, next to the Bible and the writings of Saint Augustine. Luther popularized this work by an unknown fourteenth-century German author who focuses on the "divine life," which is directed or guided by the "true light" of God. A primer in Catholic mysticism, it offers an abundance of insightful spiritual advice, written in simple language and relevant to all Christian denominations. This edition features an informative historical introduction by the translator.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1350
33 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Martin Luther
5,064 books812 followersMartin Luther (1483-1546) was a German monk, theologian, university professor and church reformer whose ideas inspired the Protestant Reformation and changed the course of Western civilization.
Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a spiritual priesthood. According to Luther, salvation was a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church.
Luther's confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being declared an outlaw of the state as he had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the perceived unity of the medieval Church with the secular rulers of western Europe, the widespread acceptance of Luther's doctrines and popular vindication of his thinking on individual liberties were both phenomenal and unprecedented.
His translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism.
Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45. As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.
Luther's theology challenged the authority of the papacy by holding that the Bible is the only infallible source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians under Jesus are a spiritual priesthood. According to Luther, salvation was a free gift of God, received only by true repentance and faith in Jesus as the Messiah, a faith given by God and unmediated by the church.
Luther's confrontation with Charles V at the Diet of Worms over freedom of conscience in 1521 and his refusal to submit to the authority of the Emperor resulted in his being declared an outlaw of the state as he had been excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church. Because of the perceived unity of the medieval Church with the secular rulers of western Europe, the widespread acceptance of Luther's doctrines and popular vindication of his thinking on individual liberties were both phenomenal and unprecedented.
His translation of the Bible into the vernacular, making it more accessible to ordinary people, had a tremendous political impact on the church and on German culture. It furthered the development of a standard version of the German language, added several principles to the art of translation, and influenced the translation of the English King James Bible. His hymns inspired the development of congregational singing within Christianity. His marriage to Katharina von Bora set a model for the practice of clerical marriage within Protestantism.
Much scholarly debate has concentrated on Luther's writings about the Jews. His statements that Jews' homes should be destroyed, their synagogues burned, money confiscated and liberty curtailed were revived and used in propaganda by the Nazis in 1933–45. As a result of this and his revolutionary theological views, his legacy remains controversial.
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April 5, 2025Jeg leste denne i norsk oversettelse av Knut Alfsvåg og med etterord av Joachim Grün.
Dette er en bok jeg ikke opplever å kunne gi noen anmeldelse. Det jeg kan gjøre er å si noen ord om min opplevelse med å lese den.
Jeg opplevde lenge boka som veldig utilgjengelig. Språket er på et vis enkelt, men likevel veldig tungt, samtidig som budskapet er dypt og ikke alltid mulig å uttrykke i ord. Dette skapte mye frustrasjon hos meg mens jeg leste. Men det var også en del lysglimt, spesielt mot slutten, hvor jeg opplevde at teksten åpnet seg, og talte klart inn i mitt liv. Jeg opplevde spesielt måten den beskriver menneskenes håpløse tilstand som en radikal, men likevel på sitt vis troverdig skildring, og beskrivelsen av nødvendigheten for vår vilje å forenes med Guds gjorde inntrykk. Jeg må nok jobbe mer med denne boka, om den skal sette dypere spor i meg, men den har allerede gitt meg glimt av sider ved kristus-mystikken som jeg forstår går dypt.
Jeg er altså ikke forvandlet, og det har ikke bare vært en fryd å lese, men jeg er absolutt fascinert! Og jeg mistenker at denne boka inneholder noe som ennå ikke er ferdig med å utfoldes i meg.
Dette er en bok jeg ikke opplever å kunne gi noen anmeldelse. Det jeg kan gjøre er å si noen ord om min opplevelse med å lese den.
Jeg opplevde lenge boka som veldig utilgjengelig. Språket er på et vis enkelt, men likevel veldig tungt, samtidig som budskapet er dypt og ikke alltid mulig å uttrykke i ord. Dette skapte mye frustrasjon hos meg mens jeg leste. Men det var også en del lysglimt, spesielt mot slutten, hvor jeg opplevde at teksten åpnet seg, og talte klart inn i mitt liv. Jeg opplevde spesielt måten den beskriver menneskenes håpløse tilstand som en radikal, men likevel på sitt vis troverdig skildring, og beskrivelsen av nødvendigheten for vår vilje å forenes med Guds gjorde inntrykk. Jeg må nok jobbe mer med denne boka, om den skal sette dypere spor i meg, men den har allerede gitt meg glimt av sider ved kristus-mystikken som jeg forstår går dypt.
Jeg er altså ikke forvandlet, og det har ikke bare vært en fryd å lese, men jeg er absolutt fascinert! Og jeg mistenker at denne boka inneholder noe som ennå ikke er ferdig med å utfoldes i meg.
October 27, 2013
The author of this easily-digestible spiritual guide essentially sets up and defends a dichotomy between Good and Evil and how we can live according to the Good. The dichotomy manifests itself in several ways (God vs. Self; Eternal-Will vs. Self-Will; God vs. Sin; Good vs. Sin; etc.), but the overarching result is a narrow definition of Evil ("nothing is contrary to God but Self-Will) and a very broad though incredibly specific definition of Good ("For God is One and must be One, and God is All and must be All", and "Good is Being").
Not surprisingly, sometimes the author's definition of 'Good' and 'God' (in its frequent claim of "is All") leave the door open for pantheistic interpretation. Though the author never addressed this theological question, it is one that many Christian mystics flirt with in their theological works, so it's difficult to ascertain whether or not this interpretation was intended to be so obliquely suggested. In this same vein, I was struck by the argument that God needed to create man in order to realize fully His Goodness, that the quality of supreme Goodness requires subordinate creatures (equipped with self-will) to be actual. I have thought off and on about why God would create at all, so this was an interesting passage to me (though I need to think about it some more before I form an opinion on its rightness). If God needs created beings to be fully Good, are created beings part of "God" and therefore Divine?
The life-application takeaway is that the ultimate end for man is to obey God and to conform self-will to God's Eternal will. In other words, acting out of one's own will rather than God's Will is the only Evil. I found many parts of this book to be rather simplistic and familiar, but was very much convicted by the admonition to deeply love everyone simply because God loves them, regardless of their own goodness (even in the way they relate to and behave towards us). That itself is a very simplistic and commonly-espoused Christian imperative, but it struck me poignantly today.
In more ways than one, I could see why Martin Luther was all about this book. ;-)
Last Read: Oct. 27, 2013
Not surprisingly, sometimes the author's definition of 'Good' and 'God' (in its frequent claim of "is All") leave the door open for pantheistic interpretation. Though the author never addressed this theological question, it is one that many Christian mystics flirt with in their theological works, so it's difficult to ascertain whether or not this interpretation was intended to be so obliquely suggested. In this same vein, I was struck by the argument that God needed to create man in order to realize fully His Goodness, that the quality of supreme Goodness requires subordinate creatures (equipped with self-will) to be actual. I have thought off and on about why God would create at all, so this was an interesting passage to me (though I need to think about it some more before I form an opinion on its rightness). If God needs created beings to be fully Good, are created beings part of "God" and therefore Divine?
The life-application takeaway is that the ultimate end for man is to obey God and to conform self-will to God's Eternal will. In other words, acting out of one's own will rather than God's Will is the only Evil. I found many parts of this book to be rather simplistic and familiar, but was very much convicted by the admonition to deeply love everyone simply because God loves them, regardless of their own goodness (even in the way they relate to and behave towards us). That itself is a very simplistic and commonly-espoused Christian imperative, but it struck me poignantly today.
In more ways than one, I could see why Martin Luther was all about this book. ;-)
Last Read: Oct. 27, 2013
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November 2, 2024Den typ av bok som är bortom betyg och ratings.
March 5, 2024
გერმანული თეოლოგია დასავლური ქრისტიანული მისტიკის მნიშვნელოვანი ტექსტია მეთოთხმეტე საუკუნისა. თავიდან ეგონათ, რომ იოჰან ტაულერს ეკუთვნოდა. დღევანდელი მონაცემებით ვინმე ფრანკფურტელისაა. ავტორი მაინც არ ვიცით, არც აქვს მნიშვნელობა. პირველად ლუთერმა აღმოაჩინა და მოახდინა მისი პოპულარიზება. მნიშვნელოვანი ტექსტი იყო როგორც გერმანული რომანტიზმისათვის (იაკობ ბოემესეთან ერთად) და შემდგომ, რომანტიზმის გავლით, არტურ შოპენჰაუერისთვის.
დიდ მაისტერ ეკჰარტს ვერ შეედრება, თუმცა კარგი საკითხავია :)
დიდ მაისტერ ეკჰარტს ვერ შეედრება, თუმცა კარგი საკითხავია :)
October 8, 2018
While there are elements of this work which I could question, and from them, I can see how the Reformation through Luther would take them on, following the worst possible interpretations of them, as a whole this book can be seen not only to be in sharp contrast to Luther, but criticizing him in his pride throughout the text. Don't take it as a work of Luther. It isn't. He only helped have it published. It's a work of imperfect medieval mysticism which still has something to say today.
March 9, 2019
At the time when this was read, it was a immensely soul-affirming and edifying book. It's a book you can read and re-read for its depths. The central theme throughout it pithy, but at times lengthy, expositions is that the self-will is either inclined to either God or to objects of derivative importance (creation).
Luther remarked that aside from the Bible and Augustine, this book would have the foremost influence upon him. And I can see why.
Luther remarked that aside from the Bible and Augustine, this book would have the foremost influence upon him. And I can see why.
August 12, 2025
Il "Libretto della vita perfetta", noto anche come "Teologia tedesca", scritto alla fine del Trecento dall’Anonimo Francofortese, è un’opera mistica che continua a parlare al lettore contemporaneo, pur provenendo da un contesto storico e teologico distante. Questo breve trattato, attribuito a un chierico vicino alla tradizione della mistica renana e influenzato da figure come Meister Eckhart, propone una riflessione profonda sulla spiritualità, il distacco e l’unione con il divino, offrendo spunti che possono essere riletti in chiave moderna con sorprendente attualità.
Il "Libretto" si presenta come una guida spirituale che invita a superare l’ego e la "volontà propria" per raggiungere una vita pienamente realizzata, descritta come un "paradiso in terra". L’autore, con un linguaggio semplice ma denso, rielabora concetti complessi della mistica renana, come il *Deum pati* (patire Dio), sottolineando che la vera beatitudine si ottiene attraverso il distacco dai desideri individuali e l’apertura all’Assoluto. Questo invito alla rinuncia dell’io psicologico in favore di un io essenziale risuona con sorprendente modernità, richiamando temi cari alla psicologia contemporanea e alle pratiche di mindfulness.
Dal punto di vista teologico, l’opera si colloca in un terreno ambiguo, oscillando tra cristianesimo ortodosso e una spiritualità quasi universale, tanto che pensatori come Schopenhauer la paragonarono a Platone e Buddha. L’idea che il mondo sia già un "sobborgo del paradiso" se visto con l’"occhio di Dio" sfida il pessimismo contemporaneo e invita a una riconciliazione con l’esistenza, nonostante il dolore e le imperfezioni.
In un’epoca dominata dall’individualismo e dalla ricerca di gratificazioni immediate, il "Libretto della vita perfetta" offre una prospettiva controcorrente. La sua enfasi sul distacco dalla volontà propria può essere letta come un antidoto alla cultura dell’ego e del consumismo, proponendo un ritorno a un’autenticità interiore che trascende le distrazioni materiali. Questo tema si allinea con il crescente interesse per pratiche come la meditazione, lo stoicismo moderno o la filosofia del "less is more", che cercano di ridurre il rumore esterno per ritrovare un senso di pienezza interiore.
Tuttavia, il testo non è privo di sfide per il lettore moderno. La sua radice teologica cristiana, pur non dogmatica, potrebbe risultare ostica per chi non si identifica con una visione religiosa. Inoltre, alcune affermazioni teologiche, come la necessità di "morire a se stessi", possono apparire estreme o contraddittorie in un contesto secolarizzato, dove l’autorealizzazione è spesso intesa in termini opposti, come affermazione dell’individualità. Eppure, anche per i non credenti, il *Libretto* può essere apprezzato come un trattato filosofico sulla liberazione dai condizionamenti e sulla ricerca di un’esistenza più autentica.
Scritto in un linguaggio volutamente semplice per raggiungere un pubblico più ampio rispetto ai complessi trattati di Eckhart, il "Libretto" è sorprendentemente accessibile. La traduzione curata da Marco Vannini, con il testo originale a fronte, rende l’opera fruibile anche per chi desidera approfondire il contesto linguistico e storico. Tuttavia, la densità dei concetti richiede una lettura attenta e riflessiva, che potrebbe scoraggiare chi cerca una spiritualità "pronta all’uso".
L’influenza del *Libretto* è innegabile: dalla sua diffusione da parte di Lutero, che lo intitolò "Teologia tedesca" per contrapporlo alla teologia tomistica, al suo impatto su mistici come Giovanni della Croce e pensatori come Schopenhauer, l’opera ha attraversato i secoli mantenendo la sua forza. La sua capacità di parlare a contesti diversi, dalla Riforma protestante alla filosofia moderna, testimonia la sua universalità. Oggi, in un mondo frammentato e in cerca di significato, il "Libretto" può essere visto come un ponte tra spiritualità tradizionale e ricerca contemporanea di senso.
Dal punto di vista moderno, alcuni potrebbero trovare il testo eccessivamente astratto o distante dalle problematiche quotidiane. L’idea di un distacco totale dalla volontà personale può sembrare impraticabile in una società che valorizza l’autonomia e il successo individuale. Inoltre, la mancanza di un autore identificabile e il contesto medievale potrebbero ridurre il suo appeal per chi cerca narrazioni più concrete o autori con una biografia definita. Infine, la recensione di Goodreads nota che l’opera presenta alcune contraddizioni interne, che potrebbero confondere i lettori meno avvezzi al linguaggio mistico.
Il "Libretto" è un’opera che sfida il tempo, offrendo una visione spirituale che invita a guardare oltre le apparenze e a trovare la perfezione nell’imperfezione del mondo. Per il lettore moderno, rappresenta un’occasione per riflettere sull’essenza dell’esistenza e sull’equilibrio tra individualità e trascendenza. Pur radicato in un contesto cristiano, il suo messaggio universale lo rende rilevante anche per chi cerca una spiritualità laica o una filosofia di vita che superi le divisioni religiose. Consigliato a chi è disposto a immergersi in un testo breve ma denso, capace di provocare domande profonde e di ispirare un cambiamento interiore. Un gioiello mistico che richiede pazienza ma ripaga con intuizioni senza tempo.
Il "Libretto" si presenta come una guida spirituale che invita a superare l’ego e la "volontà propria" per raggiungere una vita pienamente realizzata, descritta come un "paradiso in terra". L’autore, con un linguaggio semplice ma denso, rielabora concetti complessi della mistica renana, come il *Deum pati* (patire Dio), sottolineando che la vera beatitudine si ottiene attraverso il distacco dai desideri individuali e l’apertura all’Assoluto. Questo invito alla rinuncia dell’io psicologico in favore di un io essenziale risuona con sorprendente modernità, richiamando temi cari alla psicologia contemporanea e alle pratiche di mindfulness.
Dal punto di vista teologico, l’opera si colloca in un terreno ambiguo, oscillando tra cristianesimo ortodosso e una spiritualità quasi universale, tanto che pensatori come Schopenhauer la paragonarono a Platone e Buddha. L’idea che il mondo sia già un "sobborgo del paradiso" se visto con l’"occhio di Dio" sfida il pessimismo contemporaneo e invita a una riconciliazione con l’esistenza, nonostante il dolore e le imperfezioni.
In un’epoca dominata dall’individualismo e dalla ricerca di gratificazioni immediate, il "Libretto della vita perfetta" offre una prospettiva controcorrente. La sua enfasi sul distacco dalla volontà propria può essere letta come un antidoto alla cultura dell’ego e del consumismo, proponendo un ritorno a un’autenticità interiore che trascende le distrazioni materiali. Questo tema si allinea con il crescente interesse per pratiche come la meditazione, lo stoicismo moderno o la filosofia del "less is more", che cercano di ridurre il rumore esterno per ritrovare un senso di pienezza interiore.
Tuttavia, il testo non è privo di sfide per il lettore moderno. La sua radice teologica cristiana, pur non dogmatica, potrebbe risultare ostica per chi non si identifica con una visione religiosa. Inoltre, alcune affermazioni teologiche, come la necessità di "morire a se stessi", possono apparire estreme o contraddittorie in un contesto secolarizzato, dove l’autorealizzazione è spesso intesa in termini opposti, come affermazione dell’individualità. Eppure, anche per i non credenti, il *Libretto* può essere apprezzato come un trattato filosofico sulla liberazione dai condizionamenti e sulla ricerca di un’esistenza più autentica.
Scritto in un linguaggio volutamente semplice per raggiungere un pubblico più ampio rispetto ai complessi trattati di Eckhart, il "Libretto" è sorprendentemente accessibile. La traduzione curata da Marco Vannini, con il testo originale a fronte, rende l’opera fruibile anche per chi desidera approfondire il contesto linguistico e storico. Tuttavia, la densità dei concetti richiede una lettura attenta e riflessiva, che potrebbe scoraggiare chi cerca una spiritualità "pronta all’uso".
L’influenza del *Libretto* è innegabile: dalla sua diffusione da parte di Lutero, che lo intitolò "Teologia tedesca" per contrapporlo alla teologia tomistica, al suo impatto su mistici come Giovanni della Croce e pensatori come Schopenhauer, l’opera ha attraversato i secoli mantenendo la sua forza. La sua capacità di parlare a contesti diversi, dalla Riforma protestante alla filosofia moderna, testimonia la sua universalità. Oggi, in un mondo frammentato e in cerca di significato, il "Libretto" può essere visto come un ponte tra spiritualità tradizionale e ricerca contemporanea di senso.
Dal punto di vista moderno, alcuni potrebbero trovare il testo eccessivamente astratto o distante dalle problematiche quotidiane. L’idea di un distacco totale dalla volontà personale può sembrare impraticabile in una società che valorizza l’autonomia e il successo individuale. Inoltre, la mancanza di un autore identificabile e il contesto medievale potrebbero ridurre il suo appeal per chi cerca narrazioni più concrete o autori con una biografia definita. Infine, la recensione di Goodreads nota che l’opera presenta alcune contraddizioni interne, che potrebbero confondere i lettori meno avvezzi al linguaggio mistico.
Il "Libretto" è un’opera che sfida il tempo, offrendo una visione spirituale che invita a guardare oltre le apparenze e a trovare la perfezione nell’imperfezione del mondo. Per il lettore moderno, rappresenta un’occasione per riflettere sull’essenza dell’esistenza e sull’equilibrio tra individualità e trascendenza. Pur radicato in un contesto cristiano, il suo messaggio universale lo rende rilevante anche per chi cerca una spiritualità laica o una filosofia di vita che superi le divisioni religiose. Consigliato a chi è disposto a immergersi in un testo breve ma denso, capace di provocare domande profonde e di ispirare un cambiamento interiore. Un gioiello mistico che richiede pazienza ma ripaga con intuizioni senza tempo.
December 31, 2024
This anonymous work is hard to pin down in a review. It is one of those books for which something is lost if you overanalyze it, like dissecting each layer of a cake before eating it.
Below are a few key themes.
1. God is the only thing that truly exists. All goodness is God's because God is Himself Goodness.
2. God is attained as one diminishes the Self, i.e., recognizes the first truth and loves only that Goodness.
3. The "inward man" (united with God) must be ambivalent to the actions of the "outward man" (earthly considerations) except as ordained by the Eternal Will. This will necessarily create virtue. Sin is all that is contrary to the will of God. A love of God in a creature is, in a sense, still just Goodness loving itself for the sake of Goodness because all love comes from the source of love. “All in One as One, and One in All as All, and One and all Good, is loved through the One in One, and for the sake of the One, for the love that man hath to the One.”
4. Explanation of Divine Simplicity
5. How the incarnation demonstrates these topics
Very similar to Anselm's notion of God being that than which nothing greater can be conceived. I'm told this is a Platonic line of thought, but haven't read Plato yet so idk.
The writer emphasizes that there are no actions one can take to get to this state of union. You must love goodness for goodness sake and be ambivalent to its effects on the self (e.g., punishment or reward).
Would have loved to see the author implement atonement theology.
All in all, very interesting read. Highly recommend!
Below are a few key themes.
1. God is the only thing that truly exists. All goodness is God's because God is Himself Goodness.
2. God is attained as one diminishes the Self, i.e., recognizes the first truth and loves only that Goodness.
3. The "inward man" (united with God) must be ambivalent to the actions of the "outward man" (earthly considerations) except as ordained by the Eternal Will. This will necessarily create virtue. Sin is all that is contrary to the will of God. A love of God in a creature is, in a sense, still just Goodness loving itself for the sake of Goodness because all love comes from the source of love. “All in One as One, and One in All as All, and One and all Good, is loved through the One in One, and for the sake of the One, for the love that man hath to the One.”
4. Explanation of Divine Simplicity
5. How the incarnation demonstrates these topics
Very similar to Anselm's notion of God being that than which nothing greater can be conceived. I'm told this is a Platonic line of thought, but haven't read Plato yet so idk.
The writer emphasizes that there are no actions one can take to get to this state of union. You must love goodness for goodness sake and be ambivalent to its effects on the self (e.g., punishment or reward).
Would have loved to see the author implement atonement theology.
All in all, very interesting read. Highly recommend!
December 2, 2025
The Theologia Germanica is 100 pages about how Self-Will is Evil. It's both perfectionist and anti-perfectionist, arguing that it's possible to get extremely close to abolishing your self-will, replacing it with God's will and living the life of a suffering Christ. In fact, some people can go so far along this path that it's appropriate to call them Godded [vergottet]. But if you get confused and think that you've ever fully achieved this divine state, you'll become a Luciferian Antinomian obsessed with Perfect Knowledge & Hedonism and becoming the Unmoving Source of Being, trying to imitate God the Father instead of Christ the Son.
Luther must have been so angry when this text ended up inspiring lots of antinomians because it's extremely clear about its intentions in support of Hierarchy/Order/Law, although it's also totally obvious why it had this unintended effect.
There's a funny argument about free will that's worth quoting:
Self-will is Theft!
Luther must have been so angry when this text ended up inspiring lots of antinomians because it's extremely clear about its intentions in support of Hierarchy/Order/Law, although it's also totally obvious why it had this unintended effect.
There's a funny argument about free will that's worth quoting:
What is free belongs to no one. If you usurp a free thing for yourself you commit a wrong. Among all free things nothing is more unbound than the will and should you usurp it and not leave it in its precious unboundedness, in its unfettered nobility, to its free ways, you commit a wrong. [...] If you deprive the noble will of its freedom, making it your own, sad requital will befall you; [Emphasis mine.]
Self-will is Theft!
March 28, 2021
This book was not written by Martin Luther, but reprinted / translated by him in this edition. It is by an unknown author. It is composed of 57 chapters which are short 1 - 3 page chapters. The book centers on teaching and expounding on the idea that only through Christ is perfection found and that our own self-will is anathema to this perfection. Many bits of this book made their way into my commonplace journal.
A quote from p. 73 - "It is important to note again that when a person is in this hell, nothing can comfort him and he cannot believe that he will ever be delivered or comforted.
"But, when he is in heaven nothing can trouble or overwhelm him. He cannot understand how anything could trouble or discomfort him.
"In fact however, just as he was comforted and saved after hell, he may be troubled and overwhelmed after heaven........
"When a person is in one of these two conditions he is on the right road. He can be as safe in hell as in heaven. As long as a man is on earth, in a temporal state, he might pass frequently from one to the other, indeed perhaps even during a single day or a single night - and without his own doing.
"But when a man is in neither of these conditions, he clings too closely to created beings and wavers hither and thither and knows not what he is doing. He should therefore never forget the two roads in his heart."
A quote from p. 73 - "It is important to note again that when a person is in this hell, nothing can comfort him and he cannot believe that he will ever be delivered or comforted.
"But, when he is in heaven nothing can trouble or overwhelm him. He cannot understand how anything could trouble or discomfort him.
"In fact however, just as he was comforted and saved after hell, he may be troubled and overwhelmed after heaven........
"When a person is in one of these two conditions he is on the right road. He can be as safe in hell as in heaven. As long as a man is on earth, in a temporal state, he might pass frequently from one to the other, indeed perhaps even during a single day or a single night - and without his own doing.
"But when a man is in neither of these conditions, he clings too closely to created beings and wavers hither and thither and knows not what he is doing. He should therefore never forget the two roads in his heart."
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January 10, 2025Forgive me if I am not writing a review but I wanted to inform those who have, that I haver recently purchased a manuscript dated probably mid C17th which is entitled 'A little Golden Book shewinge breiflie and playnlie how to put off the old man and put on the new. Translated out of Dutch into Latin by John Theophilus. Imprinted at Antwerp by Christopher Plantin 1588.' There follows a comment: Since Christ's Appostles did in paper write, none I know did the like of this indite. It doth annotomize false nature's scull and man's free will ingrace declare it full'. This is [sic]!!
John Theophilus turns out to be Sebastiano Castellio. There is a copy of this in Cambridge University Library. There is an article on this suggesting that the treatise foreshadows Quakerism. (see Rufus M Jones 1936). Why do I publish this? (hoping at least one of your erudite commentators will read it & reply) Because I have a feeling this might be the m/s of no less than John Gerard (famous for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot). John is deemed to have been the first to translate the treatise into English. The handwriting varies but the 'e' is typical of the mid C17th, and the spelling is also of that era. Any further interest - I could scan & attach a few pages. It is very intriguing and has its own annotations in red ink.
John Theophilus turns out to be Sebastiano Castellio. There is a copy of this in Cambridge University Library. There is an article on this suggesting that the treatise foreshadows Quakerism. (see Rufus M Jones 1936). Why do I publish this? (hoping at least one of your erudite commentators will read it & reply) Because I have a feeling this might be the m/s of no less than John Gerard (famous for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot). John is deemed to have been the first to translate the treatise into English. The handwriting varies but the 'e' is typical of the mid C17th, and the spelling is also of that era. Any further interest - I could scan & attach a few pages. It is very intriguing and has its own annotations in red ink.
June 25, 2021
The anonymous Theologia Germanica is a mystical work. Luther loved it and published it broadly. Calvin called it poison, so it has that going for it. As often is the case, the truth is somewhere in the middle. This is a work of 14th-century mystics, mostly penned, by someone apart of the lay Friends of God movement in response to the Brethern of the Free Spirit. The essential teaching is that all good is found in God and progress in the Spiritual life involves negation of the self (the "I") and a whole-hearted desire for the things of God. This sort of spirituality is inherently disinterested, desiring God because God is the supreme good, but not desiring God out of hope for any reward. The Brethern of the Free Spirit was a licentious gnostic-y group inspired by the apocalyptic of Johiachim Fiore. This author is much more circumspect in his advocacy for traditional morality and moral obligation.
April 20, 2025
Reminds me of St. Catherine of Siena's salvation: the logic is self-contained... heaven is a release from free will! But the author seems more stable.
Will be appealing to fans of Simone Weil, I wonder if she had read it.
Will be appealing to fans of Simone Weil, I wonder if she had read it.
September 17, 2025
I struggled to understand. I was interested to know about Martin Luther’s favorite book, which is why I purchased it, but it seems dry and confusing . Guess I’m just not in a philosophical mood or something.
January 12, 2015
though martin luther discovered these writings...as i understand the information...and published them...apparently they are not widely read. i am here following a trail based on another current read, Mr. Sammler's Planet. sammler in his seventies he was interested in little more than meister eckhart and the bible.
--mr. sammler's planet
p29 in the penguin classic paperback
i've often wondered what...picasso...i think...was thinking when he painted those people, both eyes on one side of the face, like a grouper...or is it a flounder? and do we flounder with both eyes looking out one side of our face. they are often...as i recall...portrayed with hands raised, bug-eyed...a portrait of modern man. sammler was struck in the eye with the butt of a rifle during the war...consequently, sammler looks at the world through one eye...his bushy eye. yeah, so.
update, finished, 10 jan 15, saturday morning 4:11 a.m. e.s.t.
often dogmatic rarely pragmatic. "the manuscript dates from 1497" "the book before us was probably written somewhere about 1350" reading it...one comes upon a line or two of verse from the holy bible...two obviously different styles of writing. curious reading...some of the ideas i've no clue where they come from: let us remember how it is written and said that the soul of christ had two eyes, a right and a left eye. some ideas, somewhat familiar, though stated...purification...enlightening...union. other ideas seem off: let no one suppose that we may attain to this true light and perfect knowledge, or life of christ, by much questioning, or by hearsay, or by reading and study, not yet by high skill and great learning. some strange ideas: must also be obedient to the creatures with a capital cee creatures. say whud? or: it is said also, that paradise is an outer court of heaven. at times practical, with ideas that haven't changed in 650 years...didn't highlight it so i can't reproduce it here
--mr. sammler's planet
p29 in the penguin classic paperback
The two eyes of the soul of man cannot both perform their work at once: but if the soul shall see with the right eye into eternity, then the left eye must close itself and refrain from working, and be as though it were dead. For if the left eye be fulfilling its office toward outward things, that is holding converse with time and the creatures; then must the right eye be hindered in its working; that is, in its contemplation. Therefore, whosoever will have the one must let the other go; for ‘no man can serve two masters.’
i've often wondered what...picasso...i think...was thinking when he painted those people, both eyes on one side of the face, like a grouper...or is it a flounder? and do we flounder with both eyes looking out one side of our face. they are often...as i recall...portrayed with hands raised, bug-eyed...a portrait of modern man. sammler was struck in the eye with the butt of a rifle during the war...consequently, sammler looks at the world through one eye...his bushy eye. yeah, so.
update, finished, 10 jan 15, saturday morning 4:11 a.m. e.s.t.
often dogmatic rarely pragmatic. "the manuscript dates from 1497" "the book before us was probably written somewhere about 1350" reading it...one comes upon a line or two of verse from the holy bible...two obviously different styles of writing. curious reading...some of the ideas i've no clue where they come from: let us remember how it is written and said that the soul of christ had two eyes, a right and a left eye. some ideas, somewhat familiar, though stated...purification...enlightening...union. other ideas seem off: let no one suppose that we may attain to this true light and perfect knowledge, or life of christ, by much questioning, or by hearsay, or by reading and study, not yet by high skill and great learning. some strange ideas: must also be obedient to the creatures with a capital cee creatures. say whud? or: it is said also, that paradise is an outer court of heaven. at times practical, with ideas that haven't changed in 650 years...didn't highlight it so i can't reproduce it here
July 9, 2024
This was a worthwhile read but difficult to review. The introduction was very helpful in putting this work in its historical context. The title is misleading since the actual Theologia Germanica predates Luther by more than a century, though he is credited with its revival and reintroduction to the church. It's helpful to be reminded that faithful believers have always existed and the nature of sin is the same today as in the 14th century. This had a lot to say on a devotional level about sin as selfishness and the importance of completely surrendering our own will to the will of God. There are certainly several things that modern readers will disagree with theologically, and the work seems to contradict itself in a couple of places. Some application is difficult because, much like reading The Imitation of Christ, it seems to be written primarily to clergy, monks and nuns - those who devote their whole lives singularly to God, not those with families and other vocations trying to live the Christian life.
August 13, 2019
This was an important and interesting book because of it's historic place in German and Christian history. But it is replete with bad theology, the most important of which would be a mixing of salvation and sanctification without distinction. Therefore, I would recommend the book but with a clear warning that this is not a place to find sound theology.
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May 2, 2021Lovely nuggets of spirituality that I find work best spread out as devotions, rather than read in one sitting. The translation is an older one and the style is Reformation-era, but the general thoughts aren't too hard to figure out and they offer plenty to pray on. I'd say I recommend this one, but I would guess folks already know if this is their cup of tea.
June 26, 2022
Libro non impregnato bensì totalizzante al cristianesimo. Nonostante siano, alcuni, concetti a me avversi – sarà per la mia visione riguardante determinate tipologie di religione – mi sono ritrovato piacevolmente coinvolto nella lettura. Non mi sento comunque di dare più di quanto messo. Non lo rileggerei.
February 14, 2013
Luther declared that behind Scripture and Augustine this book was the most influential on his theological development. I had a love/hate relationship with parts of this book but overall it was interesting to see what impacted the great reformer.
May 22, 2020
Written in the late Middle Ages by an anonymous member of the order of the Teutonic Knights (the "Franckforter"), this was a favorite of Martin Luther and so was, directly or indirectly, an influence on later Protestant spirituality.
February 14, 2014
This book is some what mystical and some what devotional. I appreciated the author's view of self will (we need to get rid of it) and become like Christ.
April 18, 2025
Just as good as the first time I read it.
December 19, 2025
Sehr gut und super.
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