Friedrich Sunder

Friedrich Sunder (* 1254 ; † April 14, 1328 in Engelthal ) was a monastery chaplain in the Dominican convent Engelthal near Nuremberg, who had a reputation for special experiences of grace. He wrote notes about it, which have come down to us in the form of a life of grace ; they are an important document of mystical literature.

Life

Little is known about the life of Friedrich Sunder. He is believed to have come from a clan that lived in the villages around Engelthal. After a secular youth he was a clergyman from 1287, apparently immediately in the Dominican convent Engelthal, which at that time experienced its heyday institutionally, personally, economically and spiritually. Here he worked inside and outside the monastery for over 40 years until his death.

In numerous monastery documents he attests to the regulation of secular business. His contribution to the internal and external expansion of the monastery is still evident today in a chapel consecrated to St. Willibald (formerly also St. Andreas), which he had commissioned.

personality

As far as can be seen, Friedrich Sunder was of a sociable but apparently rather reserved manner. He did not report any conspicuous actions; he obviously impressed above all with his philanthropic behavior and his convincing lifestyle. His sense of justice and deep piety were pronounced. He was soon a popular and successful pastor and was sought out from afar as a confessor; he was considered a gifted personality. Christine Ebner saw in him above all the great Minner of God, but also valued his advice on questions of theology and the practice of faith. Sunder had a close friendship with a beguin Gerdrut, who later entered the Engelthal monastery as a nun; with her he found the possibility of spiritual exchange.

plant

For more than twenty years, according to his own account, Sunder received special experiences of grace, especially during the celebration of mass. At the urging of his confessor, the Dominican Konrad von Füssen , he had been writing them down since 1317. A variety of aspects of personal piety, the Church's doctrine of faith and the experience of God are discussed, from questions of asceticism and the veneration of saints to the understanding of the Eucharist and mass as well as the consideration of the Passion event to statements about mystical events such as the Unio, the birth of God and Deification of humans (in the sense of the Latin term "deificatio"). Shortly after Sunder's death, his writings were editorially revised and turned into a grace vita. In an often highly stylized representation, the attempt is made to convey the actually unspeakable grace event between God and man with the help of legendary narrative forms and mystical terminology. Overall, the work turns out to be a model of a “life of grace” in which mystical teaching is presented as a “life”.

Characteristic of the work is the representation of different areas of a “higher” reality, which is perceived in the form of “no longer physical”, “imaginative” and “intellectual” visions up to the “visio beatifica”; in the process, all visions are declared not to be sensually experienced: "lipish (ie physical, sensual) face" and "liplich gehoerd" have never happened to Friedrich Sunder "by all sinen days". The form of the representation also changes according to the different areas of experience, whereby the imagery is also by definition never “seen”, but only “heard” (ie conveyed aurally). This imagery is also consistently pre-formed in a literary way, whereby, depending on the respective topic, real-historical areas as well as traditional material from the Bible, bride mysticism and minnows give the image reproach. For the highest level of experience there is finally neither picture nor word, but only the statement of the unspeakable nature of the event.

Sunder also made some notes of conversations with his soulmate Gerdrut. These then became part of their vita, which was written by the Engelthaler chaplains Heinrich and Konrad Friedrich, but only a short fragment has been preserved. Stylistically, Gertrud's vita is in the tradition of the legendary literature and thus differs significantly from the gracious life of Friedrich Sunder.

meaning

Scientifically, the grace life of the Engelthaler monastery chaplain is important in several ways.

Aspect of the history of piety

In terms of the history of piety, the drafting of such a vita is quite remarkable, since Friedrich Sunder emerged neither as a miracle worker nor as an ascetic or visionary; his pastoral work was rather inconspicuous. However, like almost all “mystical” literature, this Vita only reached a very limited circle of recipients in its time. The Engelthaler chaplain would have been forgotten had it not happened by chance that his life of grace had been preserved in a single manuscript. Friedrich Sunder is of particular interest as a type for today's research. It stands for a large number of people who are unknown today, who, far from professorships or high church positions, were deeply affected by the religious movement of the 13th century and thus became the bearers of an epoch-making turning point in the Christian life of faith, in which the church-handed down doctrine of faith is now based on a new, individually shaped way was experienced and internalized.

The Vita Sunders can also contribute to a differentiated understanding of the term “mysticism” - which was only used later for this purpose. In the life of grace it is fundamentally not about highlighting special experiences, but about the experience of an all-encompassing community of salvation, through which the divine flow of grace flows. Sunder and others who had similar religious experiences did not see themselves as "mystics"; just as little did they see themselves in opposition to church doctrines and customs. What is understood today as “Christian mysticism” - the direct experience of the personal presence of God within oneself - occurs here precisely in the rites and sacraments prescribed by the church, insofar as these are now performed or accepted in an existentially deepened manner. Extraordinary conditions such as visions and ecstasies are not a prerequisite for this. As a result, this type of mystical literature could also be received in the ecclesiastical reform movements of the 15th century, when all extraordinary religious experiences were viewed with skepticism or with hostility.

Literary aspect

The Vita Sunders is significant from a literary point of view, among other things, because the way Sunders experience is thematized several times, as well as the form in which his experiences are written down. The type of figurative expression is expressly reflected: Following the scene in which the baby Jesus is sucking on the breasts of the soul, it is said: one must show "our minds with lipic (ie here: sensually imaginable, i.e. pictorial) things", "as zwschen daz got vnd Blessed has been issued" in the "vnvsspraechen" (ie, with words not obtain) grace flow between God and the soul, referred to herein as "vßwal vnd jnwal" (outflow and inflow), with the concepts of emanation indicated is . This linguistic-theoretical reflection can be seen as proof that the imagery of the Sunder vita is of a literary nature, with the intention of conveying abstract theological statements in an understandable manner. This possibility must then also be taken into account for similar vitae. At the same time, conventional prejudices against the so-called “ women's mysticism ” become obsolete: If it is the vita of a male person who shows Jesus in the image of a child and the soul in the image of Maria lactans , then such images can no longer be traced back to suppressed motherhood of unsatisfied women become.

Religious-historical aspect

The image of God in the life of grace is remarkable in the history of religion , in that God never appears as a distant, strict judge, but is always turned towards man; Mercy is his defining characteristic. This image of God, which is also made known in the other works of Engelthaler literature and other mystical writings of this time, is so exclusively emphasized in Sunder's Gnadenvita that devil and hell simply do not appear. The work thus sets a clear contrast to contemporary ecclesiastical teachings, in which fearful beliefs often prevailed.

Spiritual-historical aspect

In terms of intellectual history, the Sunder Vita documents, in accordance with other texts of this time, how the religious upheaval of the 13th century, which focused on the inner, spiritual life of man, represents a decisive step in the development of European individual consciousness, as well as in the humanization of social conditions in the sense of a deeper ethicalization of one's own conduct of life and an intensive (soul) care for the welfare of others.

Psychohistorical aspect

However, Sunder's representations are also interesting from a psychohistorical point of view and have been interpreted accordingly. Ralph Frenken evaluates Sunder's visions as hallucinations that may lead to traumatic experiences. The Jesus child is a central theme; Sunder had experiences in this regard, for example, after he practiced bloodletting. Sunder experienced himself together with Jesus as a child in the presence of the Blessed Mother in the conjugal bed: “ There Jesus lay in the bed, and Mary, his holy mother, united the blessed soul with the Jesus. And they had so little joy and amusement with each other from jerking and kissing, with laughter and with all divine amusement. “He also believed he was going to give birth to the baby Jesus and, in another vision, had the child suckle his breasts.

Frenken emphasizes that from a childhood history and psychological point of view, the representations of Sunder's visions in his notes are indications of pedophile fantasies and attempts to deal with early traumatic relationships. Sunder wrote of his parents: “Because the brother had neither father nor birth mother on earth who did (him) good in his soul after his death, (because of this) our Lord delighted him with heavenly relatives, of whom he gave him many . “The desire for religious reparation is clearly evident.

Method-critical aspect

In view of contrary interpretations, the grace-life is also of interest with regard to the methods of a scientific text analysis. First of all, it turns out to be essential to reflect on a terminology appropriate to the text. For example, a term such as “adventure mysticism” becomes questionable or at least requires differentiation if the text analysis makes it clear that “all visionary images and scenes are not seen by oneself, but are subsequently conveyed to the events in a verbal way”. If the text also consistently differentiates between what happens to the “lib / lichnam” (body) and what happens to the “sel” (soul), the question is whether it is still possible to speak of “Sunder's experiences” in an undifferentiated manner.

Throughout the life of grace, the need to consider individual statements in terms of their significance is evident . A text analysis, for example, shows clear differences between scenes in which Jesus appears as the child of Mary and scenes in which Jesus acts independently. The latter appear in the life of grace only in the chapters that deal with the “mystical” complexes of meanings of “Unio”, “God's birth” and “Conubium spirituale” (the “spiritual marriage”), so not even in a tenth of the entire text. For the event of the birth of God, Sunder (or the editors of the text) could hardly fall back on any other pictorial metaphor than that of the child given in tradition. In the life of grace , the Unio and Conubium are also closely related to the birth of God; so the child metaphor is still used here.

In contrast to these scenes, the child figure in the scenes with Mary serves essentially to emphasize Mary in her function as "Mother of God". In the scene on the occasion of the bloodletting, where Mary's assistance is at stake, Jesus appears as “ir kindlin”; as soon as Jesus appears alone immediately afterwards, he is “our Lord” for the soul.

With regard to a scene like that of bloodletting (and many others), it should be asked critically whether it is suitable for an individual psychological question, since the text analysis clearly shows this passage as an editorial summary. As the limit of text analysis and any other scientific question, it must finally be realized that Sunder's original records are no longer available and are only handed down in a more or less extensive editorial revision. In addition, it can no longer be determined to what extent the copy of the Life of Grace , which was written at intervals of more than a hundred years, changed the original text as was quite common at that time.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ In the following from Ringler 1980 (see below: Sources), pp. 364–368.
2. ↑ See evidence in Ringler 1980 (see below: Sources), p. 156.
3. ↑ See Engelthal and Engelthal Monastery : Illustration of the former St. Willibald Chapel
4. ↑ See passages in Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), p. 397, lines 236 and 391f., Especially lines 29-32; 36-38; 51f.
5. ↑ See evidence in Ringler 1980 (see below: sources), p. 156f .; 365f. and Gnaden-Leben, line 51, ibid. p. 392
6. ↑ See evidence in Ringler 1980 (see below: Sources), pp. 448f. as well as Gnaden-Leben Z. 1851-1853, ibid. p. 442.
7. ↑ See evidence in Ringler 1980 (see below: Sources), p. 332.
8. ↑ See Ringler 1980 (see below: sources), p. 353; 355f.
9. ↑ In the following after Ringler 1980 (see below: Sources), p. 341f .; there also the respective documents.
10. ↑ See Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), p. 408, lines 617-619.
11. ↑ See Siegfried Ringler: Heinrich von Engelthal . In: VL² , 3, 720-722 (1981)
12. ↑ See Siegfried Ringler: Friedrich, Konrad . In: VL² , Vol. 2, Col. 952 (1980)
13. ↑ Miracles, asceticism, visions or successful pastoral care were prerequisites for writing the vita of a non-martyr until the 13th century.
14. ↑ Cf. Siegfried Ringler: The reception of Gertrud von Helfta in the area of ​​southern German women's convents. In: Michael Bangert, Hildegund Keul (ed.): In front of you stands the empty shell of my longing. The mysticism of the women of Helfta. Benno-Verlag, Leipzig 1998, pp. 134–155, here especially pp. 134–141; 143f.
15. ↑ See the evidence on Dominican “mystical” sermons in Engelthal, in Ringler 1980 (see below: sources), pp. 153f .; 264f., Which illustrate this paradigm shift (in the theological sense) from a different perspective .
16. ↑ See Ringler 1980 (see below: Sources), pp. 178–182; 270-272; 345, each with documents, as well as the text passages Z. 1017-1028, ibid. P. 419f., And 1565-1568, ibid. P. 434.
17. ↑ See especially Thali 1997 (see below: literature), pp. 313–315.
18. ↑ See Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), p. 415, lines 866-870, with commentary ibid. Pp. 257–259.
19. ↑ This can also be demonstrated in the entire rest of the vita; see. Ringler 1980 (see below: sources), p. 360f .; 362f .; in the further s. ibid. Register p. 478: "Gnaden-Leben des Friedrich Sunder".
20. ↑ Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), p. 413, line 775 u. ö., with commentary on pp. 187-189; P. 415, lines 854-870, with commentary p. 255-259.
21. ↑ See Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), p. 418, lines 959-989, with commentary p. 267f.
22. ↑ See especially Gertrud von Helfta , where God is seen centrally as "God-love".
23. ↑ See the chapter "Friedrich Sunder" in Frenken 2002, pp. 107–126.
24. ↑ Ralph Frenken: Childhood and Mysticism in the Middle Ages 2002.
25. ↑ Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), p. 400.
26. ↑ Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), p. 415f., New High German transmission in Frenken (2002), p. 117.
27. ↑ See Sunder (1980), pp. 414f. In the text, however, it does not say “his breasts”, but “breasts of the soul”: “prústlin der sel”!
28. ↑ Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), p. 396: “Dar vmb daz the brother vf trich nit father nor muotter liplich, who after his death cain guot taetin siner sel, dez complements jn our lord wol with heavenly frúnden which he gave to jm vil. ”New High German transmission in Frenken (2002), p. 110f. The nhd. Transmission is to be improved in some places: "For the fact that the brother had neither biological father nor biological mother on earth who would do him good in his soul after his death, our Lord completely compensated him with heavenly relatives." Ringler.
29. ↑ However, the text does not provide any information about the exact time of the death of the parents. Sunder's mother died early, although it remains open whether this happened in Friedrich's early childhood or in his early adolescence ( Gnaden-Leben p. 420, lines 1057 f.). That the seventy-year-old Friedrich then also experienced the death of his father - which cannot be dated at all - ( Gnaden-Leben, p. 420, p. 396, line 184) should not be surprising. The question is to what extent statements about trauma can be justified given such facts.
30. ↑ Ringler 1980 (see below: sources), p. 224 and p. 236, with the corresponding documents.
31. ↑ Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), pp. 402f., Lines 399-407 and 434; P. 422f., Lines 1137f., With commentary especially p. 221.
32. ↑ Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), pp. 412–416, lines 755-918; P. 439, lines 1736-1748, with commentary p. 257-259. In this respect it is questionable to see the Jesus child as “a central theme” of the entire life of grace .
33. ↑ This also avoids the difficulty of the terminology of the mystical bride, that Jesus as the partner of a - male - person would have to be represented as the "bride", while with female mystics he could easily appear as the "bridegroom". Before one believes - at a distance of almost 700 years - to be able to determine "pedophile fantasies", an individual psychological analysis would have to be clarified in advance whether there were any alternatives to the child form for the thought complex "God's birth".
34. ↑ Gnaden-Leben (see below: sources), p. 400, lines 326 and 332. See also p. 420, lines 1034 and 1041f .: With regard to the power of the Queen of Heaven to mediate grace, Jesus appears as “ir liebs kint ”, while at the same time it is“ got din herre ”for the soul.
35. ↑ According to the standards of a literary text analysis, a text that has been revised several times and has only been handed down at intervals of over a hundred years cannot provide any conclusive statements about a person, unless a statement is also based on facts handed down outside the literature (e.g. Documents or historical realia) can be confirmed.

literature

swell

• Siegfried Ringler: Life and revelation literature in women's monasteries in the Middle Ages. Sources and Studies . Artemis, Munich 1980:
  • The grace life of Friedrich Sunder, Klosterkaplan zu Engelthal : Text p. 391–444, Commentary p. 144–331
  • Reports and testimonies about Friedrich Sunder: pp. 448–450
  • Sister Gerdrut von Engelthal's vita : text pp. 445–447, commentary pp. 331–334

Secondary literature

• Susanne Bürkle: Literature in the monastery. Historical function and rhetorical legitimation of women-mystical texts from the 14th century . Francke, Tübingen / Basel 1999 (Bibliotheca Germanica 38)
• Ralph Frenken: Childhood and Mysticism in the Middle Ages. (= Supplements to Mediaevistics. Volume 2) . Lang / Frankfurt am Main 2002.
• Leonard Patrick Hindsley: The Mystics of Engelthal: Writings from a Medieval Monastery . Palgrave MacMillan, New York 1998. ISBN 0-312-16251-0 .
• Ursula Peters: Religious Experience as a Literary Fact. On the prehistory and genesis of women-mystical texts of the 13th and 14th centuries . Niemeyer, Tübingen 1988 (Hermaea NF 56)
• Siegfried Ringler: Sunder, Friedrich . In: VL² , 9, 532-536 (1994)
• Johanna Thali: 'vil herczliebe kúngin'. The meaning of Mary in the grace vita of the Engelthaler monastery chaplain Friedrich Sunder. In: Eckart Conrad Lutz (ed.): Medieval literature in a life context. Results of the Troisième Cycle Romand 1994. Universitätsverlag, Freiburg / Switzerland 1997 (Scrinium Friburgense 8), pp. 265-315 online
• Johanna Thali: Praying - Writing - Reading. Literary life and Marian spirituality in Engelthal Abbey . Francke, Tübingen / Basel 2003 (Bibliotheca Germanica 42)