German Baroque Mystics: European Connections

Literary/ Cultural Context Essay

Gerhart Hoffmeister (University of California, Santa Barbara)

Ed. by Gerhard P. Knapp, University of Utah
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.4.1: German-language Writing and Culture: Germany, 500-present.
Vol. editors: Gerhard P. Knapp (University of Utah), Jennifer Marston William (Purdue University), Herbert Rowland (Purdue University), Jill E. Twark (East Carolina University)

Domains

Theology

Dates

Date of occurrence 1575-1675

Places

Germany (Location)
Netherlands (Location)
Poland, Slaskie (Location)
England (Involved)
Spain (Involved)

Genres and Modes

Religion and Spirituality (any)
- Religious writing

Resources

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According to conventional wisdom, mystics close their eyes to the world around them (Greek *

myein

=to close one’s eyes), meditate in their caves or cloisters, but once their ideas gain a vibrant following of disciples, their mystical writings contribute to the development of language and literature and inspire movements of spiritual renewal and rebirth. This happened among all civilizations, be it in the Orient, in Antiquity, or in Early Modern Europe. This entry presents a much overlooked, yet highly intriguing case in terms of successful networking among three mystics and the subsequent cross-fertilization of their esoteric concepts and images. All three of them grew up in the seventeenth century in Silesia (German: Schlesien), the easternmost province of the German empire, at first…

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1776 words

Citation: Hoffmeister, Gerhart. "German Baroque Mystics: European Connections". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 March 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=14902, accessed 21 November 2024.]