Mechthild of magdeburg biography of albert king

German Christian mystic and Beguine whose writing describes the love affair between God and her soul. Born between and near Magdeburg in Lower Saxony Germany ; died in the convent at Helfta in although some suggest her death might be as late as Had religious experience c.

Mechthild of Magdeburg (– c.

In , when Mechtild of Magdeburg's The Flowing Light of the Godhead was found in a dusty corner of a monastery, it was considered a major discovery. Here was a work by a 13th-century woman describing the life of a mystic. Not only was it the first Christian mystical text known to be written by a man or a woman in the vernacular or language of the common people rather than in Latin, it also contained one of the first descriptions of a type of Christian devotion known as the Sacred Heart.

With this discovery, German literary historians and theologians declared Mechtild of Magdeburg one of the first and best examples of the German mystic movement. Yet it is difficult to say anything with certainty about the woman who wrote this text. What we do know comes primarily from references she recorded in her book. She was probably born in the Lower Saxony area of Germany near Magdeburg, which was one of the emerging towns of that time.

Her birth date between and is deduced from dates given in the prologue to her book. It is generally agreed that she was born of well-to-do parents because of her knowledge of scripture and Christian tradition, suggesting she was educated in some manner, and because of her knowledge of courtly life and customs, suggesting she may have had firsthand experience of life at court.

Mechtild herself reveals little about her upbringing. She states that the status of one's birth is not of primary importance, declaring that "discipline and good habits render one noble and well-bred. As to her own education, Mechtild confessed that she could not write in Latin and was "unlearned," but her book begins and ends with the declaration that she wrote it with her own hand—a very unusual accomplishment for a woman of the 13th century.

We do not know if she received her education from a noble upbringing or later in life. Either way, her writing ability suggests that she possessed the discipline and good habits which rendered her noble and well-bred.