The Friend of God from the Oberland
- The Friend of God from the Oberland
The Friend of God from the Oberland ("Der Gottesfreund vom Oberland", sometimes translated as "the friend of God from the Upland," or "the mysterious layman from the Oberland") was the name of a figure in Middle Age German mysticism, associated with the Friends of God and the conversion of Johannes Tauler.
His name comes from the Bernese Oberland.
In "Story of the First Four Years of a New Life", Rulman Merswin writes: "Of all the wonderful works which God had wrought in me I was not allowed to tell a single word to anybody until the time when it should please God to reveal to a man in the Oberland to come to me. When he came to me God gave me the power to tell him everything." The identity and personality of this "Friend of God," who bulks so largely in the great collection of mystical literature, and is everywhere treated as a half supernatural character, is one of the most difficult problems in the history of mysticism.
The accounts of his life say that about 1343 he was forbidden to reveal his identity to anyone save Rulman Merswin. As all the writings bear the marks of a single authorship it has been assumed, especially by Denifle, that "the Friend of God" is a literary creation of Merswin and that Merswin (and his school) produced the entire body of work as tendency-literature designed to set forth the ideals of the movement to which he had given his life. Thus "the great unknown" from the Oberland is the ideal character, "who illustrates how God does his work for the world and for the church through a divinely trained and spiritually illuminated layman," just as William Langland in England about the same time drew the figure of Piers Plowman. There is much in this contention that is sound, but Rieder seems to go unnecessarily far in denying altogether that Merswin wrote any of the mystical books. The conclusion remains that the literature must be treated as tendency-writing and not as genuine biography and history.
See besides the works cited, Rufus M Jones, "Studies in Mystical Religion", ch. xiii. (London, 1909).
External links
* [http://www.angelfire.com/ok3/apologia/fog.html The Friends of God]
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Bernese Oberland — The Bernese Oberland (Bernese highlands) is the higher part of the canton of Bern, Switzerland, in the south of the canton: The area around Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, and the valleys of the Bernese Alps (thus, the inhabitable parts from… … Wikipedia
Friends of God — The Friends of God (German: Gottesfreunde) was a Middle Age lay mystical group (though it was never an organized sect) and a center of German mysticism. It was founded between 1339 and 1343 in Basel, Switzerland, and was also fairly important in… … Wikipedia
Friends of God — • An association of pious persons, both ecclesiastical and lay, having for its object the cultivation of holiness Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Friends of God Friends of God … Catholic encyclopedia
Johannes Tauler — (c. 1300 – 15 June 1361) was a German mystic theologian. Statue of Johannes Tauler, the Strasbourg Saint Pierre le Jeune Protestant Church. Contents … Wikipedia
Rulman Merswin — (around 1307 1382) was a German mystic, leader for a time of the Friends of God.He was originally a successful merchant in Strasbourg. In 1347, he retired from business to join the Friends of God as one of mystic Johannes Tauler s disciples.In… … Wikipedia
Henry Denifle — Henry Denifle, in German Heinrich Seuse Denifle (January 16, 1844, Imst, Austrian Tyrol June 10, 1905, Munich), was an Austrian paleographer and historian. Contents 1 Life and work 2 Work on Mysticism 3 Work on Medieval Philosophy … Wikipedia
Nicholas of Basel — (c. 1308–1391) was a prominent member of the Beghard community, who travelled widely as a missionary and propagated the teachings of his sect. Though vigorously sought after by the Inquisition he eluded its agents for many years until in 1391 he… … Wikipedia
painting, Western — ▪ art Introduction history of Western painting from its beginnings in prehistoric times to the present. Painting, the execution of forms and shapes on a surface by means of pigment (but see also drawing for discussion of depictions in … Universalium
List of fictional books — A fictional book is a non existent book created specifically for (i.e. within) a work of fiction. This is not a list of works of fiction (i.e., actual novels, mysteries, etc), but rather imaginary books that do not actually exist.UsesSuch a book… … Wikipedia
Gott — 1. Ach du grosser Gott, was lässt du für kleine Kartoffeln wachsen! – Frischbier2, 1334. 2. Ach Gott, ach Gott, seggt Leidig s Lott, all Jahr e Kind on kein Mann! (Insterburg.) – Frischbier2, 1335. 3. Ach, du lieber Gott, gib unserm Herrn ein n… … Deutsches Sprichwörter-Lexikon
