View source for Tauler, Johann (ca. 1330-1361)

Johann Tauler, a noted mystic of the Middle Ages, the son of a well-to-do citizen of [[Strasbourg (Alsace, France)|Strasbourg]], entered the Dominican Order at an early age, probably led to do so by Eckhart. He studied in Cologne under Nikolaus of Basel and Eckhart. For a short time he lived in Strasbourg, preaching and teaching with success. Then he returned to his native town and preached there until his death.

The story told in the Meisterbuch of the "Friend of God from the highlands" (Rulman Merswin) does not deal with Tauler, as had been supposed (by Preger and [[Keller, Ludwig (1849-1915)|Ludwig Keller]]). The books ''Buch von der geistlichen Armut'' and ''Betrachtungen des Leidens und Sterbens Jesu'' were not written by him. The hymns formerly attributed to him have also been proved to be spurious. But his sermons, published in various editions, are considered genuinely his. They were much read in certain Mennonite circles, especially in South Germany. The best loved was the "Nachfolge des armen Lebens Jesu," which was, however, falsely attributed to him.
= Bibliography =
Clark, J. M. <em>The Great German Mystics: Eckhart, Tauler, and Suso</em>. Oxford, 1949.

Hege, Christian and Christian Neff. ''Mennonitisches Lexikon'', 4 vols. Frankfurt &amp; Weierhof: Hege; Karlsruhe: Schneider, 1913-1967: v. IV, 292.

Redern, H. von. <em>Der Gottesfreund Johann Tauler</em>. 1923.

<em>Die Religion in Geschichte and Gegenwart</em>, 5 vols. 2nd ed. Tübingen: Mohr, 1927-1932: v. V.
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[[Category:Persons]]