Friends of God
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The Friends of God (German: Gottesfreunde; or gotesvriunde) was a medieval
Name
The name "Friends of God" may have been influenced by various sources. A number of biblical passages use the term (e.g. Judges 8.22, James 2.23, Exodus 33.11, Psalm 138.17, Wisdom 7.27, Lk 12.4, John 15.15) The concept of friendship with God had also been applied by various medieval authors, and particularly among Meister Eckhart and his followers.[2]
History
The movement grew out of the preaching and teaching of
The group achieved a nascent institutional form in 1367 when wealthy layman Rulman Merswin purchased and restored a derelict monastery in Strasbourg known as the grünenwörth ('Green Isle').[6] Grünenwörth served as a refuge for study for the Friends of God and as a “school of prophets” which produced a number of mystical texts.[7] Merswin is suspected of being the anonymous author The Friend of God from the Oberland.[8]
The Friends of God, as led by Tauler and Suso, sought a mystical path in line with established Catholic doctrine, following Thomas Aquinas. Rulman Merswin, under the guidance of The Friend of God from the Oberland, wanted to purify the Church. This stress on reform brought The Friends of God into conflict with the Church and not long after Merswin’s death in 1382, they were condemned.[1]
After Merswin's death, some sources claim that
Another prominent member, Martin of Mainz, a follower of Nicholas of Basel, was also burned for heresy in 1393.[10]
Beliefs
Many leaders of the group were executed for heresy because they criticized the corruption of Catholicism: they believed that there would soon be judgment from God on the church. The group was a democratic lay movement, and they held holiness, love, piety and devotion as important.[11] The movement was a mysticist movement and they held great importance in rescuing other peoples' souls.[12]
Texts
A number of mystical texts are associated with The Friends of God, most notably the Theologia Germanica and the Book of the Nine Rocks. Many of the works were attributed to The Friend of God from the Oberland, although probably written by Rulman Merswin himself.[7]
See also
- Margaretha Ebner
- The Friend of God from the Oberland
- Theologia Germanica
References
- ^ a b Walsh, Reginald. "Friends of God." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 6 December 2017
- ^ a b McGinn 2005, p. 408.
- ^ "Friends of God | religious group | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2021-12-19.
- K G Saur VerlagGmbh & Co; Reprint 2011 ed. Edition p. 493
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia
- ^ McGinn 2005, p. 417.
- ^ Jones, Rufus M., Studies in Mystical Religion, Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, no date pp. 247-252 (originally published London: Macmillan, 1909)
- ISBN 9780791414194
- ^ "Nicholas of Basel", BrillOnLine
- ^ a b Leff, Gordon. Heresy in the Later Middle Ages: The Relation of Heterodoxy to Dissent, c. 1250 – c. 1450, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1967 (reprinted by Sandpiper Book, 1999), p. 383
- ^ "Friends of God | religious group | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
- ^ "Philip Schaff: History of the Christian Church, Volume VI: The Middle Ages. A.D. 1294-1517 - Christian Classics Ethereal Library". www.ccel.org. Retrieved 2021-12-28.
Works cited
- McGinn, Bernard (2005). The Harvest of Mysticism in Medieval Germany (The Presence of God Volume 4). The Crossroad Publishing Company.
Further reading
- Rufus M. Jones, Studies in Mystical Religion, Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, no date (originally published London: Macmillan, 1909)
- Gordon Leff, Heresy in the Later Middle Ages: The Relation of Heterodoxy to Dissent, c. 1250 – c. 1450, Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1967 (reprinted by Sandpiper Book, 1999)