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Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) · 10 of 23 · tr. Claud Field

IIIb

The earth cannot flee from heaven: whether it flee up or down, the heaven rains its influence upon it, and stamps its impress upon it, and makes it fruitful, whether it be willing or not. Thus doth God with men: whoever thinketh to escape Him, flies into His bosom, for every corner is open to Him. God brings forth His Son in thee, whether thou likest it or not, whether thou sleepest or wakest; God worketh His own will. That man is unaware of it, is man’s fault, for his taste is so spoilt by feeding on earthly things that he cannot relish God’s love. If we had love to God, we should relish God, and all His works; we should receive all things from God, and work the same works as He worketh. God created the soul after the image of His highest perfection. He issued forth from the treasure-house of the everlasting Fatherhood in which He had rested from all eternity. Then the Son opened the tent of His everlasting glory and came forth from His high place to fetch His Bride, whom the Father had espoused to Him from all Eternity, back to that heaven from which she came. Therefore He came forth rejoicing as a bridegroom and suffered the pangs of love. Then He returned to His secret chamber in the silence and stillness of the everlasting Fatherhood. As He came forth from the Highest, so He returned to the Highest with His Bride, and revealed to her the hidden treasures of His Godhead. The first beginning is for the sake of the last end. God Himself doth not rest because He is the beginning, but because He is the end and goal of all creation. This end is concealed in the darkness of the everlasting Godhead, and is unknown, and never was known, and never will be known. God Himself remains unknown; the light of the everlasting Father shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. May the truth of which we have spoken lead us to the truth. Amen.
Themes
Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

God is described with human attributes such as having a 'bosom,' being a 'bridegroom,' and suffering 'pangs of love.'

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Correspondencecosmology

The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.

The relationship between earth and heaven suggests a reflection of divine influence on the material.

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Covenanttheology

A binding agreement or relationship between the divine and a people or individual, establishing mutual obligations.

The Father had espoused the Bride to the Son 'from all Eternity,' indicating a binding divine relationship.

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Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis

Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.

God works His will 'whether thou likest it or not,' implying a radical letting-go of human will to allow divine action.

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Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The passage mentions the 'light of the everlasting Father shineth in darkness.'

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The text describes heaven raining influence and stamping impress upon the earth regardless of its will, showing active divine ordering.

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Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The passage concludes with a prayer for truth to lead to truth, emphasizing direct knowledge over mere ritual.

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Inner Silencepraxis

The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.

The Son returns to the 'secret chamber in the silence and stillness of the everlasting Fatherhood.'

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Ladder Of Lovesoteriology

Diotima's staged ascent from love of beautiful bodies → beautiful souls → beautiful pursuits → beautiful knowledge → Beauty itself; the canonical scala amoris that grounds Plotinus's On the Beautiful and Bruno's Eroici Furori — distinct from generic spiritual_ascent in that eros is the specific motive force.

Love for God is presented as the condition to relish God and His works, driving spiritual progress.

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Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

God is depicted as active and dynamic, working His own will and bringing forth His Son.

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Logoscosmology

The divine reason, word, or ordering principle through which the universe was created; mediates between the transcendent God and the material world.

The Son acts as the mediator who comes forth from the Father to fetch the Bride, fulfilling a mediating role.

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Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.

It states 'God created the soul after the image of His highest perfection,' aligning the human soul with the divine structure.

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Paradox As Teachingethics

Using apparent contradiction, reversal, or riddle to destabilise ordinary understanding and induce insight.

The statement 'whoever thinketh to escape Him, flies into His bosom' uses contradiction to convey divine omnipresence.

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Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

The text notes that man's fault is being unaware of God's work within him due to a spoilt taste.

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Separation From Sourcesoteriology

The felt condition of exile from one's divine origin — Rumi's reed flute torn from its bed, Plotinus's 'we have forgotten,' the Gnostic forgetfulness; the affective wound that complements return_to_source and gives the return its motive.

The soul is described as needing to be fetched back from where it came because it is 'unaware of it.'

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Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The Son returns to the 'Highest' with His Bride, indicating an upward journey toward the divine source.

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Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

The text suggests that with love for God, humans should 'work the same works as He worketh,' implying participation in divine nature.

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Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

The text implies a fundamental unity where the earth cannot flee heaven and humans work the same works as God.

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Wu Weipraxis

Effortless action aligned with the spontaneous flow of the Dao; non-coercive, non-striving conduct that yields results without forcing — the sage acts without acting.

God works His will whether the human likes it or not, suggesting a passive receptivity to divine flow.

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Apophatic Theologytheology

Describing the divine only by negation—God transcends all positive categories and concepts; the via negativa.

[auto] The text states 'God Himself remains unknown' and that the end is concealed in darkness where light shines but is not comprehended.

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Birth Of Word In Soulanthropology

Eckhart's signature doctrine that the Father eternally begets the Son in the ground of the soul; the human interior as the actual site of the divine generative act, distinct from inner_light's static indwelling.

[auto] The passage explicitly states 'God brings forth His Son in thee,' which is the core of Eckhart's doctrine regarding the divine generative act within the soul.

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Divine Hiddennesstheology

The supreme God's radical concealment beyond ordinary knowledge or perception; the Hidden Father.

[auto] The passage emphasizes that the goal is 'concealed in the darkness of the everlasting Godhead' and 'never was known'.

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Divine Marriagesoteriology

The reunification of complementary divine principles (male-female, spirit-matter) as a symbol of wholeness and salvation.

[auto] The passage describes the Father espousing the Bride to the Son and the Son fetching her back, symbolizing the reunification of divine principles.

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Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

[auto] The text asserts that God works and brings forth His Son inside the individual ('in thee'), indicating the divine realm is present internally.

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Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

[auto] The imagery of the Son returning to the 'secret chamber' with His Bride and revealing hidden treasures signifies a merging of soul and divine.

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Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

[auto] The Son fetches His Bride 'back to that heaven from which she came,' describing the soul's journey back to its divine origin.

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Related passages · 9 parallels
egyptian|The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani)|Chapter 28 (part 1)
PLATE XX. Vignette: Osiris and Isis in a sepulchral shrine. Text [CHAPTER XV.]: (I) A HYMN OF PRAISE To RA WHEN HE RISETH IN THE EASTERN PART OF THE HEAVEN. They who are in (2) his train rejoice, and lo! Osiris Ani in triumph saith "Hai…”
Both passages explore the theme of divine union and the interplay between the divine and the human. Meister Eckhart's passage discusses the inseparable connection between God and the soul, while the Egyptian hymn describes the union of Osiris and Isis, symbolizing the divine union and the journey of the soul. Both emphasize the eternal nature of the divine and the soul's return to its origin.
gnosticism|Gospel of Philip|Section 1f
When wanton women see a man sitting alone, the man is overcome. They fondle him and pollute him. When wanton men see a beautiful woman sitting alone, they overcome her, and she is violated and polluted. But when spirits see a man and his…”
Both passages discuss the union of divine and human elements, the importance of spiritual rebirth and the presence of divine influence in human life. They also emphasize the concept of a bridal chamber or union with the divine, though expressed in different theological contexts.
gnosticism|Gospel of Philip|Section 1k
If you become light, light will share you. If you are of those from above, one of those from above will rest in you. If you become a horse or a donkey or bull or dog or sheep or another animal that is wild or tame, then neither a person n…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the human soul, emphasizing the divine's active role in creation and the soul's union with the divine. They share themes of divine love, the soul's origin and return to the divine, and the transformative power of divine influence.
jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter II
CHAPTER II. 1. Observe ye everything that takes place in the heaven, how they do not change their orbits, ⌈ and ⌉ the luminaries which are in the heaven, how they all rise and set in order each in its season, and transgress not against thei…”
Both passages emphasize the order and divine influence in creation, highlighting the unchanging nature of divine works and the pervasive presence of God. Passage A focuses on the natural order, while Passage B emphasizes the spiritual and divine order, but both convey a sense of divine harmony and inevitability.
jewish_mysticism|The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation)|Chapter XI
CHAPTER XI. 1. And in those days I will open the store chambers of blessing which are in the heaven, so as to send them down ⌈ upon the earth ⌉ over the work and labour of the children of men. 2. And truth and peace shall be associated toge…”
Both passages discuss divine blessings and the interaction between the divine and the earthly or human realm. Passage A speaks of opening store chambers of blessing from heaven, while Passage B describes God's influence raining upon the earth and the divine work within humans.
sufism|The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi)|STORY IXc
When love of God kindles a flame in the inward man, He burns, and is freed from effects. He has no need of signs to assure him of love, For love casts its own light up to heaven. Other details are wanting to complete this subject, But tak…”
Both passages explore the relationship between the divine and the created world, emphasizing the divine presence within the believer or the soul. They also discuss the superiority of the divine creation (Adam in Rumi, the soul in Meister Eckhart) and the divine will manifesting in the world.
taoism|Tao Te Ching|Chapter 45
Who thinks his great achievements poor Shall find his vigour long endure. Of greatest fulness, deemed a void, Exhaustion ne'er shall stem the tide. Do thou what's straight still crooked deem; Thy greatest art still stupid seem, And eloquenc…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of stillness, purity, and the divine influence on the world. They also highlight the concept of divine action and the hidden nature of ultimate reality.
western_esoteric|Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky)|Chapter XXIII (part 6)
Doubt of God and of eternal life will be as impossible as is now doubt of existence; the evidence of each will be the same. Religion will govern every minute of every day of all life. Churches, priests, forms, creeds, prayers, all agents,…”
Both passages explore the theme of divine union and the transformation of human consciousness. Meister Eckhart discusses the soul's union with God and the divine birth of the Son within the individual, while the second passage describes the attainment of cosmic consciousness and its effects on human perception and existence. Both emphasize a direct, personal experience of the divine.
western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi)|Introductionc
If I weary in my long travellings, if my beauty be less mild than thine own, and if my garments are not unspotted, yet am I a noble daughter of heaven, even as thou art. Leave me the secret of my terrible destiny, leave me the dread which…”
Both passages explore the theme of divine emanation and return, with a focus on the relationship between the divine and the created. Eckhart's sermon describes the soul's union with God and the divine process within the individual, while the comet's speech in the second passage describes a similar journey of divine origin, mission, and return, albeit with a more mythological and cosmological framework.