Passion for Creation: The Earth-Honoring Spirituality of Meister Eckhart

In this work, theological scholar Matthew Fox presents an overview of Meister Eckhart's contribution to the spirituality of the West. In his lengthy but all very fascinating and informative introduction, Fox offers a crash course on not only the history of biblical spirituality but also the influences on Eckhart's thinking itself. Available for scrutiny are 37 of Eckhart's Sermons, most of which are English translations made available for the first time in only the past few decades and which had, even in other languages, remained "underground" for nearly seven centuries. Through extensive commentary which links other sermons and statements made by Eckhart to the explanations of this sample collection of 37, Fox attempts to explore the essence as well as the process of this 14th-century Dominican's thought. What is revealed is that Eckhart, in his time, was an original thinker countering Augustinian Neoplatonism by expanding upon the positions of fellow Dominican Thomas Aquinas' as well as Aristotle's nature-centered philosophies. Eckhart, however, understandably mired in and beholden to the trends and authorities of the times, cites Augustine often, making his particular position all the less clear. Although Fox attempts to compensate for the obliquity through his extensive cross-referencing, it is obvious that Eckhart's thought is dated, due to political caution, in some respects. This work is therefore probably going to appeal more to biblical scholars and students of philosophy and scholasticism than to the average reader. It is wonderfully evident, though, that what is now typically referred to as "New Age Thought" was blooming all along (even if, publicly, only nascent) in the innermost minds of such religious representatives as Eckhart, Aquinas, Dominic, Francis of Assisi, some of their contemporaries and predecessors. I believe the work is too cumbersome, weighted down as it is with "Old Age" trailers, to be regarded by most readers today as a relevantly timely, reliable guiding beacon---unless what they aim to do is to ferret out and examine the dog that bit them as well as to acknowledge and thank the ones that urged them to move on!

Working with an expert in medieval church Latin and Middle High German, Fox presents new translations of over 30 of Eckhart's sermons (and a passage from one of his theological treatises), organized around four headings: the Positive Way; the Negative Way; the Creative Way; the Transformative Way. Fox shows how Eckhart's approach to mysticism makes it more accessible to ordinary seekers and believers who want to go deeper in our spiritual lives without fleeing into a monastery. Eckhart was truly a revolutionary in his times, championing women-centered religious movements and declaring all persons were aristocrats (over against the wealthy merchants of Cologne). His notion that 'the new birth' unites our souls to God in a manner associated only with Christ's union with divinity is still revolutionary and controversial. According to Fox, if Eckhart had received the attention later afforded to Luther, Christianity would have been set on a more positive basis in regard to how human nature and potential are valued, over against Augustine's novel and influential doctrine of 'original sin.' The book provides over a month of sermons and commentaries for serious study, daily spiritual reading, or a crash course in reasons for seeking a deeper live in God for seekers and believers today.

I recommend this book for anyone who has ever contemplated questions such as, "Why am I here?" What is the purpose of my life?" And, yes, for those of us who still, in this non-believing time ask, "Where is God?" Fox's contemplation of the sermons this little-known theologian from the 14th c. reveals a message that especially illuminates our time. Like ours, the 14th c. was an age of degradation, disillusionment and the corruption of society's basic institutions.Eckhart, a scriptural scholar trained in Scholastic theology, explains in simple language, the relationship of an eternal, creating God with all creation. In his words, the relationship is an "inness" of all creation in and with God. There is no God "out there." And since the very being of God is the act of creating, we are invited to share this act. This mystical insight powerfully links Christianity with other great religious and philisophical traditions. Eckhart argues that it is our destiny to seek "compassion," which he defines as comprised of 2 parts: love and justice. Eckhart believe this is the elegant message of Torah and the Gospels. I found Fox's introduction to the material sophisticated, but always easily understood and compelling, as are the sermons themselves.The one criticism I would note is that the Kindle version has numerous punctuation and spelling errors, which can be a distraction.

Loved the sermons of Meister Eckart. But Fox's title, Passion For Creation showed, in my opinion the author's fundamental error. Our love for the Creation is part of a dialectical love for the Creator who is present in his creation panentheistically. If one breaks down the dialectical nature of experiencing the Creator, then he either has an other-worldly religion or makes the Creation an idol whlch is falsely worshiped. I believe that M. Fox ends up supporting left wing political groups like Occupy Wall-Street, or various worshipers of "Mother Earth" and Far-left environmental groups that have made the Earth, God pantheistically . It would have been better to have a title based on Incarnational Theology that better preserves the dialectic between the Creator and His Creation, avoiding the temptation to move into making the creation, God. Stan Bigelow

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