An Introduction from the Editor of Medieval Mystical Theology

Abstract

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the journal in its new form asMedieval Mystical Theology in 2020, volume 30 contained an experiment in which one essay by Bernard McGinn spanned both issues 1 and 2. The title of this essay was ‘Niht Enwil Und Niht Enweiz Niht Enhât: Eckhart’s Triple Negation and its History.’ Issue 1 contained part 1 titled ‘Origins’, while issue 2 contained part 2 titled ‘Reception.’ In this particular issue, we have another experiment in that we include a previously unpublished work by the Dominican priest and philosopher Reiner Schürmann (1941-1993). As you will see this consists of the introduction and conclusion to what was an early version of his influential book on Meister Eckhart titled, Wandering Joy. Translated for the first time by Michael Portal and edited by Francesco Guercio and Ian Alexander Moore, this is titled, ‘Peregrine Identity: Introduction and Conclusion from an Early Version of Wandering Joy.’ The earlier version ofWandering Joy was submitted as a thesis to the Dominican school of theology Le Saulchoir, and was titled: Peregrine Identity: The Concept of Detachment in Meister Eckhart’s German Sermons. Importantly, there are significant aspects in the earlier version (see the abstract) that were not in the later one. The translation published here for the first time will be republished later this year, alongside many other texts from Schürmann’s student days until his final years, inWays of Releasement: Writings on God, Eckhart, and Zen, ed. Francesco Guercio and Ian Alexander Moore (Zurich: Diaphanes). In addition to this, there is also an article by Guercio and Moore that helpfully introduces us to the above one. This is titled, ‘The Call of the Origin: On Christology, Conversion, and Peregrine Identity in Reiner Schürmann’s Early Work on Meister Eckhart.’ We also have an article by William G. Kuncken titled, ‘Detachment, Vulnerability, Temptation, and Learning from Failure: Major Themes in Meister Eckhart’s The Talks of Instruction; and an article by Erin Zoutendam titled, ‘The Unknown Deed of the Last Day and Julian of Norwich’s Eschatological Hermeneutic in the Showings.’ Finally, there are four book reviews by MMT’s prolific book reviews editor, Luke Penkett.