Abstract
The paper focuses on the theological term fiducia and its potential vernacular equivalents and aims to demonstrate if and to what extent these terms are an issue of the so-called ‘Deutsche Mystik’. Therefore, it initially outlines the theological tradition of fiducia and illustrates its usage in a Latin sermon by Meister Eckhart. Eckhart regards fiducia, on the one hand, as an important part of scholastic psychology (referring to the Arabic philosopher Avicenna) and, on the other hand, as a condition for approaching God. It becomes apparent that this concept of fiducia emerges in a similar context in an early vernacular work, the rede der underscheidunge, where fiducia is translated as getriuwunge, getriuwen(ne), but also as triuwe. Finally, the paper argues that Johannes Tauler uses getriuwunge/getriuwen(ne) in his vernacular sermons with recourse to, but also in distinction to Meister Eckhart as a term relevant to his mystical theology.
© 2015 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
