MECHTHILD OF MAGDEBURG 



imagery drawn largely from the language of 

 earthly passion," as opposed to the mystic whose 

 " longing is to go out from his normal world in 

 search of a lost home, a better country," as well 

 as to the one whose " craving is for inward 

 purity and perfection." l 



In order to enter into the spirit of her 

 writings, and particularly the prophetic ones, 

 it is necessary to consider how the character and 

 style of her work was induced and affected, on 

 the one hand by her environment and her time, 

 and on the other by her saintly nature and 

 poetic temperament, as well as by her intimate 

 and personal attitude towards things touching 

 the inner life. 



The world, in Mechthild's day, was in a 

 state of unrest and of looked-for change. Man- 

 kind was ever haunted by forebodings of the 

 approaching happening of something momentous. 

 Whole-hearted faith in the Church was waning, 

 and although outward conformity still prevailed, 

 there existed very diverse opinions, tolerated so 

 long as they did not become too obtrusive. 

 Prophetic writings, giving expression to the 

 yearnings of the time yearnings fomented and 

 fostered by the prevailing misery caused, in no 

 small degree, by the wars between Pope and 

 Emperor taught that the world was on the 

 brink of a new era. One of the most influential 

 of these writings, entitled The Eternal Gospel, 



1 For the suggestive elaboration of this threefold classification, 

 see Evelyn Underbill, Mysticism, chap. vi. p. 151 seq. 



