Meister Eckhart

June 9, 2014
In his third book on Eckhart, Fox (The Hidden Spirituality of Men) sets out to explore the 13th-century Christian mystic’s ideas of spirituality as a path to action. Subject and author share a mutual history of radicalism and conflicts with orthodoxy. Fox, who was formerly a Dominican friar and is now an Episcopal priest, presents a continuity of ideas rather than a direct line of influence. Each chapter is structured around a spiritual or secular thinker whose words and focus parallel Eckhart’s. Excerpts and commentaries on his work are placed alongside those of Karl Marx, Adrienne Rich, Carl Jung, Rumi, Rabbi Abraham Heschel, and others. These juxtapositions explore contemporary concerns, such as gender inequality and environmentalism. By connecting Eckhart’s wisdom to the problems of today, Fox creates a sense of optimistic urgency; solutions do not wait in the future or lie in the past, but are present right now if people choose to act with compassion and conviction. The book is not only an excellent introduction to Eckhart’s theology, but also as an inspirational guidepost for connecting faith with activism.