Sermon 60

Pfeiffer Sermon 60Middle High German + EnglishAbout this edition

Original Source (Middle High German)

English Translation

Meister Eckehart sprichet: alliu glîchiu dinc minnent sich under einander und vereinent sich mit einander und alliu unglîchiu dinc fliehent sich unde hazzent sich under einander. Nû sprichet ein meister, daz niht sô unglîch under einander sî als himel und erde. Daz hât daz ertrîche befunden in sîner nâtûre daz ez dem himel verre ist und unglîch. Har umbe hât ez den himel geflohen ûf die niderste stat, unde dar umbe ist daz ertrîche unbewegelîch, daz ez dem himele iht genâhe, unde des ist der himel gewar worden in sîner nâtûren, daz in daz ertrîche geflohen hât unde die niderste stat besezzen hât. Dar umbe ergiuzet sich der himel alzemâle in fruhtberlîcher art in daz ertrîche, unde wellent daz die meistere, daz der breite wîte himel niht behalte als breit als einer nâdelen spitze, ern gebere sich alzemâle in fruhtberlîcher art in daz ertrîche. Dar umbe heizet daz ertrîche die fruhtberlîcheste crêatûre under allen zîtlîchen dingen.

Ze glîcher wîse spriche ich von dem menschen, der sich vernihtet hât in ime selben in gote und in allen crêatûren. Der mensche hât die niderste stat besezzen und in den menschen muoz sich got alzemâle ergiezen oder ern ist niht got. Ich spriche bî gotes êwiger wârheit, daz sich got in einen ieclîchen menschen, der sich zuo grunde gelâzen hât, muoz alzemâle ergiezen nâch aller sîner vermüegentheit alsô ganz unde gar, daz er in sîme lebenne, in sîme wesenne, in sîner nâtûre noch in aller sîner gotheit niht behaltet, er muoz ez alzemâle ergiezen in fruhtberlîcher art in den menschen, der sich gote gelâzen unde die niderste stat besezzen hât.

Master Eckhart says: all things that are alike love one another and unite with one another, and all things that are unlike flee from one another and hate one another. Now a master says that nothing is so unlike another as heaven and earth. The earth has found in its nature that it is far from heaven and unlike it. Therefore it has fled from heaven to the lowest place, and therefore the earth is immovable, lest it should draw near to heaven. And heaven has perceived in its nature that the earth has fled from it and has occupied the lowest place. Therefore heaven pours itself wholly forth in a fruitful manner into the earth; and the masters hold that the broad and vast heaven does not retain so much as the breadth of a needle’s point, but gives birth to itself wholly in a fruitful manner into the earth. Therefore the earth is called the most fruitful creature among all temporal things.

In the same way I speak of the human being who has annihilated himself in himself, in God, and in all creatures. This human being has occupied the lowest place, and into this human being God must pour himself wholly forth, or else he is not God. I say by God’s eternal truth that into every human being who has let himself go completely to the ground, God must pour himself wholly forth according to all his capacity, so wholly and completely that in his life, in his being, in his nature, and in all his Godhead he retains nothing; he must pour it wholly forth in a fruitful manner into the human being who has let himself go to God and has occupied the lowest place.

Dô ich hiute har gienc, dô gedâhte ich, wie ich iu alsô vernünfticlîche gebredieti, daz ir mich wol verstüendent, unde gedâhte ein glîchnis. Kündent ir daz wol verstân, sô verstüendent ir mînen sin unde den grunt aller mîner meinunge, den ich ie gebredieti, unde was daz glîchnisse von mînen ougen unde von dem holze. Wirt mîn ouge ûf getân, sô ist ez ein ouge. Ist ez zuo, sô ist ez daz selbe ouge, unde dur des gesihtes willen sô gêt dem holze weder abe noch zuo.

Nû merkent mich vil rehte. Geschiht aber daz, daz mîn ouge ein und einvaltic ist an ime selber und ûf getân wirt und ûf daz holz geworfen wirt mit eime ansehnne, sô blîbet ein ieclîch daz ez ist unde werdent doch in der wirklîcheit des ansehens als ein, daz man mac sprechen ouge holz und daz holz ist mîn ouge. Wêre aber daz holz âne materien unde zemâle geistlîch, als daz gesiht mînes ougen, sô möhte man sprechen in der wârheit, daz in der wirklîcheit mîns gesihtes daz holz unde mîn ouge bestüenden in einem wesenne. Ist diz wâr von lîplîchen dingen, vil mê ist ez wâr von geistlîchen dingen. Ir sunt wizzen, daz mîn ouge vil mê einekeit hât mit eines schâfes ougen, daz jensît mers ist, daz ich nie gesach, dan ez habe mit mînen ôren, mit den ez doch ein ist in dem wesenne; unt daz ist dâ von, wan des schâfes ouge hât die selbe wirklîcheit, die ouch mîn ouge hât, unt dâ von gib ich ime mê einekeit in dem werke dan ich tuo mînen ougen und ôren, wan diu sint gesundert an den werken.

As I came here today, I thought about how I might preach to you so intellectually that you would understand me well, and I thought of a likeness. If you can understand it well, then you will understand my meaning and the ground of all my intention that I have ever preached. And the likeness concerned my eye and a piece of wood. If my eye is opened, it is an eye. If it is closed, it is the same eye, and for the sake of the seeing nothing is either taken from or added to the wood.

Now take very careful note of me. If it happens, however, that my eye is one and simple in itself and is opened and directed toward the wood in an act of seeing, then each remains what it is, and yet in the actuality of the seeing they become so much one that one may say: eye-wood, and the wood is my eye. But if the wood were without matter and wholly spiritual, as the sight of my eye is, then one could truly say that in the actuality of my seeing the wood and my eye subsisted in one being. If this is true of bodily things, it is much more true of spiritual things. You should know that my eye has far more unity with the eye of a sheep that is beyond the sea, which I have never seen, than it has with my ears, with which it is nevertheless one in being. And this is because the sheep’s eye has the same actuality that my eye also has; and therefore I ascribe to it greater unity in operation than I do to my eye and my ears, for these are distinct in their operations.

Ich hân etwenne gesprochen von einem liehte, ist in der sêle, daz ist ungeschaffen und unschepfelîch. Diz selbe lieht pflige ich alwege ze rüerende in mîner predie unt daz selbe lieht nimet got âne mitel unbedeket blôz, als er an ime selber ist, unt daz ist ze nemende in der wirklîcheit der îngeberunge. Dâ mac ich wêrlîche sprechen, daz diz lieht habe mê einekeit mit gote dan mit deheiner kraft, mit der ez doch ein ist in dem wesenne. Want ir sunt wizzen, daz diz lieht niht edeler ist in dem wesenne mîner sêle dan diu niderste kraft oder diu aller grobeste, als gehoerde oder gesiht oder ein ander kraft, an die hunger oder durst, frost oder hitze gevallen mac, und ist daz des schult, daz daz wesen einveltic ist. Dâ von als man die krefte nimet in dem wesenne, sô sint sie alle ein unde glîch edel; aber dâ man die krefte nimet in irn werken, sô ist einiu vil edeler unde hœher dan diu ander.

Dar umbe sô spriche ich: swenne sich der mensche bekêret von ime selben unde von allen geschaffen dingen, als vil dû daz tuost, als vil wirst dû geineget unde gesêliget in dem fünkelîn der sêle, daz zît noch stat nie beruorte. Dirre funke widerseit allen crêatûren und enwil niht dan got blôz, als er in ime selben ist. Ime engnüeget an vater noch an sune noch an heiligem geiste noch an den drin persônen als verre als ieclîchiu bestêt in ir eigenschaft. Ich spriche wêrlîche, daz diseme selben liehte niht begnüeget an der einberkeit der fruhtberlîcher art gotlîcher nâtûre. Ich wil noch mê sprechen, daz noch wunderlîcher lûtet: ich spriche bî guoter wârheit, daz disem liehte niht genüeget an dem einveltigen stillestânden gotlîchen wesenne, daz weder git noch ennimet, mêr: ez wil wizzen, wannen diz wesen har kome, ez wil in den einveltigen grunt, in die stillen wüeste, dâ nie underscheit în geluogete weder vater noch sun noch heilîgeist; in dem innegen, dâ nieman heime ist, dâ benüeget ez inme liehte, unt dâ ist ez einiger dan in ime selber; want dirre grunt ist ein einveltic stille, diu in ir selber unbewegelich ist, unde von dirre unbewegelicheit werdent beweget alliu dinc und enpfangen alliu leben, diu vernünfticlîche lebent und in sich selber gezogen sint. Daz wir alsus vernünfticlîche leben, des helf uns got. Âmen.

I have sometimes spoken of a light that is in the soul, which is uncreated and uncreatable. This same light I am always accustomed to touch upon in my preaching, and this same light receives God without means, uncovered and bare, as he is in himself; and this is to be understood in the actuality of the in-birth. There I can truly say that this light has more unity with God than with any power with which it is nevertheless one in being. For you should know that this light is no nobler in the being of my soul than the lowest power or the coarsest power, such as hearing or sight or any other power upon which hunger or thirst, cold or heat can fall; and the reason for this is that being is onefold. Therefore, insofar as the powers are taken in being, they are all one and equally noble; but insofar as the powers are taken in their operations, one is much nobler and higher than another.

Therefore I say: whenever the human being turns away from himself and from all created things, insofar as you do this, so far are you united and blessed in the little spark of the soul, which neither time nor place has ever touched. This spark rejects all creatures and wants nothing but God bare, as he is in himself. It is not satisfied with the Father, nor with the Son, nor with the Holy Spirit, nor with the three persons insofar as each subsists in his own property. I say truly that this same light is not satisfied with the oneness of the fruitful nature of the divine nature. I will say still more, which sounds more wondrous: I say in very truth that this light is not satisfied with the simple, still-standing divine being which neither gives nor receives. Rather, it wishes to know whence this being comes. It wishes to enter into the simple ground, into the silent desert, where distinction never looked in—neither Father nor Son nor Holy Spirit. In the innermost place, where no one is at home, there this light is satisfied, and there it is more one than it is in itself; for this ground is a simple stillness, which is immovable in itself. And from this immovability all things are moved, and all those that live intellectually and are drawn into themselves receive life. That we may thus live intellectually, may God help us. Amen.