MEISTER ECKHART · 13TH–14TH CENTURY · DOMINICAN / RHINELAND MYSTIC
Talks of Instruction
Summary and key themes of this work
Eckhart's earliest surviving work, a set of spiritual instructions delivered to young Dominican novices at Erfurt in the 1290s. More practical and less paradoxical than the later sermons, the Talks address obedience, self-denial, the nobility of the will, and the practice of finding God in all things. They offer the clearest window into Eckhart as a spiritual director — patient, wise, and deeply attentive to the struggles of those beginning the contemplative life.
Talks of Instruction is a central text in the Christian mystical tradition, offering insight into the spiritual life, the nature of divine union, and the transformation of the soul.
This work is central to the Dominican / Rhineland Mystic tradition, shaping the understanding of the spiritual life and the soul's journey toward union with God.
Selected Passages
The soul must give up all things and receive all things from God alone and possess them as though God had loaned them, not given them.