According to conventional wisdom, mystics close their eyes to the world around them (Greek *
myein=to close one’s eyes), meditate in their caves or cloisters, but once their ideas gain a vibrant following of disciples, their mystical writings contribute to the development of language and literature and inspire movements of spiritual renewal and rebirth. This happened among all civilizations, be it in the Orient, in Antiquity, or in Early Modern Europe. This entry presents a much overlooked, yet highly intriguing case in terms of successful networking among three mystics and the subsequent cross-fertilization of their esoteric concepts and images. All three of them grew up in the seventeenth century in Silesia (German: Schlesien), the easternmost province of the German empire, at first…
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Citation: Hoffmeister, Gerhart. "German Baroque Mystics: European Connections". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 March 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=14902, accessed 23 November 2024.]