Meister Eckhart, in his day, was a Paris-educated German Dominican who appeared to have nearly attained the stature of Aquinas. He formulated and preached a 'wayless way' of union with God that was personal and superficially seemed to bypass many of the ritual and sacramental features of the Church. His fame rose in tandem with the popularity of beguines, loosely organized groups of religious women who did not take Holy Orders and were not affiliated with any specific religious order, and who were eventually forced to disband under pressure from Church hierarchy. Never condemned as a heretic, some of Eckhart's teachings were nevertheless ruled as being in error. A period of obscurity was followed by renewed interest beginning in the 19th century. Harrington presents a very balanced view of the man and his teachings and does an excellent job of immersing the reader in the period.
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