6. The tower should be thought of as being at the west end of the church over the entrance, at the opposite end from the altar.
7. The choir is that section of the church situated between the nave and the sanctuary, usually separated from the nave by a grill or something similar.
8. The Middle High German word ampellen (Latin: ampullae) can mean both small containers for liquid and lamps.
9. The complete lyrics can be found in 11 2 above.
10. These words are in Latin in the text: Gaudeamus omnes in domino. They are the first words of the introit for the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Good Counsel, April 26.
11. Following the Lux div. Neumann (note to 11 4, 65 f.; N 11 31-32) takes this she to be the poor girl.
12. This "Book of the Genealogy" ofJesus Christ is Matthew 1:1-16 and is read on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, September 8.
13. Since Mechthild uses the word wihen (ordain) here in alluding to the marvelous happening that occurred when the pregnant Mary visited pregnant Elizabeth, whose baby leaped in the womb and was filled with the Holy Spirit (see Lk 1:41), perhaps she is interpreting this event to mean that John thus received ordination. However, when she later defends this vision against the charge that it is not authentic because in it John the Baptist, a layman, celebrates mass, she does not bring up such an argument. See VI 36 below.
14. Neumann (note to 11 4, 89-91; N 11 32) finds this phrase confusing. He suggests emending the text to read "at the words [of consecration] and signs of his hand."
15. This is probably best taken to mean that the lamb unites itself completely with the soul of the girl, which is in the divine image. This happens "in her stable," her body.
16. The lines in brackets, which also occur in the Lux div., were obviously added after Mechthild's death. No one, however, has been able to offer convincing arguments as to exactly when, where, or by whom they were added.
17. That is, the garment worn next to the skin.
18. The reader is warned not to attach undue theological weight to the phrase "one being." The context does not warrant it. God speaks here in lyrical phrases and as a lover-not as a theologian-in saying he and the soul shall become one.
19. As Neumann (note to 11 6, 14; N 11 33) points out, Mechthild usually employs Playful or playing (spilend) to refer to ecstatic mystical union, availing herself thereby of the traditions of courtly love and bride mysticism.
20. This is the beginning of the Gloria in the ordinary of the mass. Translation: "Glory to God in the highest."
21. In the text the pronouns and possessive adjectives in the beginning of the chapter are masculine because they refer back to "A person" (Ein mensche), which is masculine. They are best taken, however, as referring to Mechthild herself because she often refers to herself this way. Therefore I have changed he, him, and his to she and her.
22. Neumann (note to 11 14, If.; N 11 33) considers this title to be at least partially corrupt.
23. Because the Lux div. translates "from humanity" with "from the weakness of humanity" (ex infirmitate humanitatis), Neumann (note to II 14, 3; N 11 33-34) weighs the possibility that the original might have been more in line with the Lux div.
24. The lyrical charm of this passage, as in many passages, is enhanced by the rhyme in the original: stunt, runt, gesunt, munt, count.
25. Chapters 17 and 18 are another example of Mechthild's employing the courtly-lyric form of the dialogue or exchange.
26. That is, regrettably I sink back to earth because our union also involves my body, which weighs me down and hastens my return to earth.
27. A more literal rendering: "in your and God's bed of love."
28. I have adopted Schmidt's (p. 54) punctuation here because I cannot discover a plausible meaning by following Neumann's (II 19, 12-13; N I 50) punctuation.
29. As Neumann (note to 11 19, 17; N 11 35) points out, notlich, which I have rendered as "overwhelmed," is used by Mechthild to refer to the soul or God's (overwhelming) love at the point of mystical ecstasy.
30. In I 1 above, Lady Love also addressed the soul as her mistress and queen.
31. Cf. 2 Cor 12:2-4.
32. I have not translated this last clause in line with the reading that Neumann, despite misgivings (note to51 ; 11 19, N 11 36), has decided to retain. A literal translation of that reading would indicate that the soul deceives the senses. Taking the context into consideration and the translation of the clause offered in the Lux div., it seems likely that Mechthild wants to say that, in this heaven created by the devil, either the senses are themselves deceived, or they deceive the soul.
33. Cf. 2 Cor 11:14.
34. I have omitted two lines after" Three Persons" that Neumann puts in brackets because they were clearly not written by Mechthild. Translation: "which begin thus: God's true greeting, coming from the heavenly flood." This is a reference to the opening line of I 2 above.
35. Another of Mechthild's references to herself as a dog. Cf. 11 3 above.
36. See Book II, note 28 above.
37. The Lux div. introduced this chapter with "In raptu... "(In a rapture,...).
38. The Seraphim are those in the highest order of angels. The lowest order is made up of those simply called angels.
39. Concerning a sword piercing Mary's soul, cf. Lk 2:35.
40. That is, clerics and/or members of religious orders.
41. C£ Mt 14:1-12 and Mk 6:14-29.
42. John the Evangelist, the disciple "whom Jesus loved" and who at the Last Supper "was lying close to the breast ofJesus" (Jn 13:23), was in medieval times considered the mystic among the apostles. His symbol was the eagle, which, according to medieval lore, was the only animal that could look directly at the sun and not go blind. In like manner, John was thought to be able to look into the Godhead and not go blind.
43. Cf. 2 Cor 12:2-4.
44. Cf. Acts 7:54-60.
45. The word in the text, petze, is a corruption of the Latin pax (peace) and refers to the kiss of peace in the mass or to the object (crucifix or image of Christ) that the celebrant passed around to be kissed after the recitation of the "Lamb of God."
46. Cf.Jer 30:12.
47. Cf. Mt 8:4
48. The whole exchange between Mechthild and the devil is modeled on Christ's temptation in the wilderness. Cf. Mt 4:1-10; Mk 1:12-13; and Lk 4:1-13.
49. That is, by love.
50. Schmidt (notes 85 and 87, p. 363) points out Mechthild's probable dependence on Richard of St. Victor's De quattuor gradibus violentiae caritatis (On the Four Steps of Violent Love) for her concept of "bound love."
51. Cf. Jb 7:5 and 30:30.
52. In love poetry to break off or pluck flowers is frequently an allusion to loss of virginity.
53. This is perhaps a reference to her writing the FL.
54. For the apples, cf. Sg 2:3-5. The tree in most medieval interpretations of the Song of Songs is the cross of Christ. Concerning color symbolism, see Horst Laubner, Studien zum geistlichen Sinngehalt des Adjektivs im Werk Mechthilds von Magdeburg (Goppingen: Kummerle, 1975), 41-48.
55. Because this line is missing in a good manuscript (B) and in the Lux div., and because its meaning in this context is unclear, it may not be authentic. Cf. note to 11 25, 129; N 11 45.
56. These two final lines occur only in the Lux div. In the critical edition Neumann offers a Middle High German reconstruction of them (translated here).
57. That is, because I am trying to honor you by writing this book.
58. These last three words succinctly describe the three major difficulties Mechthild faces in seeking acceptance for her book: 1. Learned: she has little education. 2. Religious: she does not belong to a religious order approved by and under the jurisdiction of the church. 3. Man: women in general found it difficult to be taken as speaking with authority. Thus arises the need to insist that God is the book's author.
59. The gospel passage providing the foundation for this entire speech by God is Mat
thew 11:26/Luke 10:21-22.
60. The sentence up to this point presents some textual difficulties. How many writers are indicated? What does Mechthild mean by "write after me"? Neumann has chosen to rely heavily on the Lux div. in attempting to establish the critical text. The Lux div. speaks of writers (plural) and has them writing (conscripserint; most likely a future perfect indicative) after Mechthild (post me). Conscribere can indicate either the act of writing according to a model or text, or the act of taking down dictation (note to 11 26, 34 f.; N 11 46 and Neumann 1964, 183-86).
Book III
1. That is, the empty space left by the fallen angels.
2. For an extended study of this chapter, see Petrus Tax, "Die grol3e Himmelsschau Mechthilds von Magdeburg and ihre Hollenvision," Zeitschrift fur deutsches Altertum and deutsche Literatur 108 (1979), 112-25.
3. This is a ceremonial greeting. Schmidt (note 98, p. 365) describes a picture in a ms in Einsiedeln (Cod. Eins. 710, fol. 20b) of Christ laying his right hand on the breast of the soul represented as a nun. She has her left hand resting on his right shoulder.
4. Cf. Walther von der Vogelweide's Under der linden, where the girl asks: "Did he kiss me?" (Kust er mich?); to which she immediately supplies the answer: "Yes indeed, a thousand times." Schmidt (note 100, pp. 365-66) gives examples of occurrences of the divine kiss in medieval religious writings.
5. God, a spiritual being, creates or makes by giving a command with words; e.g., "Let there be light" (Gn 1:3).
6. Tax, "Himmelsschau," p. 117, interprets this to mean that a whole tenth (and highest) choir fell together with Lucifer.
7. This short sentence probably means that some angels from the other nine choirs fell with Lucifer as well.
8. Tax, "Himmelsschau," p. 117, considers desolation (das ellende) to be a synonym for breach (bruch). But perhaps it is better to think of it as the upper reaches of the breach. Cf. also Schmidt, note 103, p. 366.
9. The song of the virgins that one would expect here is absent from all mss.
10. That is, they have not yet assumed their places on the chairs.
11. First in ascending order.
12. That is, in the choir totally vacated by Lucifer and those closest to him.
13. Christ arose from the dead in the perfect manhood of someone thirty years old. All redeemed Christians shall rise from the dead as thirty year olds. But the unbaptized children shall not rise from the dead in the same manner as the faithful elect.
14. That is, the body.
15. Exactly what Mechthild means by this allusion is not clear. The Middle High German word used here to describe the dog is edel (noble), but the Lux div. translates edelwith crudelior (fiercer). Perhaps that conception is that a dog with good bloodlines is a better watchdog or hunter.
16. This concluding paragraph offers a clever defense against possible objections: first, by calling to mind the evangelical injunction to become as guileless children and not take on the legalistic attitudes of the Pharisees; and, second, by stating that God is the chapter's primary author. Perhaps already at this stage of her writing Mechthild was experiencing attacks by detractors, or perhaps she added this paragraph later.
17. Mechthild here addresses the bride in the Song of Songs.
18. Cf. Sg 2:17.
19. That is, that wisdom teach me moderation.
20. That is, the Annunciation.
21. That is, that she cannot be present at the recitation of the Divine Office.
22. That is, from celebrating mass.
23. That is, if a priest in serious sin celebrates mass, the mass is valid but the priest sins mortally.
24. The image (plucking) is that of the Trinity as a stringed instrument.
25. The word hanttrfiwe (solemn assurance) means literally hand-loyalty; i.e., faithfulness promised by some formal gesture with the hand. It is used in reference to the faithfulness promised by the groom to the bride at the wedding ceremony. Cf. note to 111 9, 52; N 11 56.
26. The prophets frequently called Israel a whore for being unfaithful to its God. Cf., for example, Is 1:21; Jer 3:6-10; and Ez 16 and 23.
27. The Lux div. reads "mystical temple of Solomon."
28. The following chapter is filled with allusions to the accounts of the passion and death of Christ given in the gospels.
29. I have rendered mit heliger italheit by "in holy simplicity." However, as Neumann (note to 111 10, 22; N 11 57-58) points out, the phrase is troublesome for several reasons. Another possible reading is "in hellish vanity."
30. Neumann's (note to III 10, 29; N 11 58) best guess for this difficult word (minnelouffe) is to relate it to the chase or hunt imagery of the Song of Songs, imagery that appears also in 11 25 above.
31. Mechthild seems to be saying that "that," i.e., receiving communion despite her feelings of unworthiness, is no more a hindrance to her glorifying God in so doing than it is to use an oven to bake. Just as an oven fulfills its purpose through baking, she fulfills hers by accomplishing in herself God's goodness. And to do so, she must receive communion.
32. This is in Latin in the text: Puer natus est nobis (Is 9:6). It is from the introit of the third mass of the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord.
33. That is, those in purgatory.
34. That is, members of the clergy and/or religious orders.
35. A venia is a complete prostration performed while praying.
36. A discipline is a whip made of cord for penitential practices.
37. That is, female members of religious orders and beguines.
38. That is, fellow members of my order.
39. The biblical imagery most similar to that in this chapter would seem to be Paul's in Ephesians 6:11-17.
40. The final section of this sentence is hopelessly corrupt in ms E. The Lux div. preserves a vestige of the image of mutual illumination between God and creature found elsewhere. The final three words of the critical edition are "in das mine" (into mine). I have rendered them literally and think that mine means my (God's) heart, parallel to creatures' hearts mentioned earlier in the sentence.
41. That is, with God, or familiarity with divine things.
42. I have translated "gegen dem ewigen gotte" by "face to face with God eternal." Although face to face may seem at first an unnecessary addition, I think it is warranted because, in the standard medieval view of Moses, which goes back to Augustine (De genesi ad litteram 12, cap. 27, n. 55; PL 34, 477-78), this prophet's exalted position rested on his being the only Old Testament figure to have seen God face to face. The preposition gegen employed by Mechthild instead of the more usual mit (with) seems to imply this traditional thought concerning Moses.
43. That is, the Song of Songs, whose author was believed to be Solomon.
44. Cf. Sg 4:7.
45. Cf. Jer 31:22. Patristic theology considered this passage to be a prophecy of the Incarnation.
46. Cf. Dn 14:30.
47. For a detailed analysis of this chapter, see Tax, "Himmelsschau," pp. 126-36.
48. A medieval reader would most likely see this as an allusion to the city of the devil, or Babylon, as described by Augustine in his City of God.
49. "High spirit" (hoher muot) is a conventional term in courtly poetry and describes the feeling of exhilaration one should feel because one is a member of such a worthy society. Thus, Mechthild seems to be condemning courtly literature as a frivolous pursuit that distracts from serious spiritual concerns.
50. Such effects of a powerful vision have a long tradition. Cf., for example, Dn 7:28; 8:27; and 10:7-9.
51. The neo-Platonic influence and perhaps heretical implications of the soul's origin emanating from this passage need not be taken with complete theological seriousness. Content here is clearly being influenced by Mechthild's striving for rhyme and lyrical effect.
52. Mechthild seems to be saying that limbo (or Abraham's bosom), where those pre-Christian figures destined for heaven, such as Adam, Eve, Moses, the prophets, etc., had to wait until saved
by Christ's redemptive act, was converted into the worst part of purgatory after Christ's ascension. Just as Mechthild condemns Christians to a worse punishment than non-Christians, so also does she consign prominent Christians who barely avoided hell to this "renovated" limbo.
53. That is, what we have not done penance for on earth has to be atoned for hereafter.
54. That is, they have repented and confessed their sins, but have never done penance for them.
55. The Lux div. translates this phrase by "sine medio" (directly). Perhaps the image is that of the soul at death escaping the body through the mouth.
56. The critical edition has a period here and joins the following clause to the next sentence. I find it much more difficult to come up with a satisfactory reading following that punctuation. Schmidt (p. 113) punctuates as I do.
57. Neumann (note to 111 23; N 11 64) remarks that this chapter has no corresponding chapter in the Lux div. and was probably moved here from Book VII.
58. The soul's final speech marks her as a courtly lover pursuing her beloved. Her love consists in desire rather than in fulfillment. She is willing to suffer anything to attain her goal, but she knows, as does, say, the poet Reinmar von Hagenau, that her basic manner of bearing herself is to be one of faithful waiting.
59. Here Mechthild expresses a thought that recalls lines of a poem by Walther von der Vogelweide (Herzeliebez frouwelin) in which he states that it is not beauty that causes love but rather love that causes one to be beautiful: "Liebe machet schoene wip" (Love makes women beautiful).
Book IV
1. Neumann (note to IV 2, 101-3; N 11 66) thinks these last two sentences might well have been added by Mechthild later, as she was editing her work.
2. Schmidt (p. 125) translates die cristanheit with "the church" (die Kirche). I have chosen the more literal "Christianity." Clearly, however, the two concepts are almost identical in Mechthild's thinking.
3. These three words are in Latin in the text: "Ego sum Jhesus."
4. Mechthild seems to be indicating here that she went into ecstasy.
5. That is, the cupidity's desire.
6. That is, the spiritual authority Christ gave to Peter and his other disciples to bind and to absolve. Cf. Mt 16:18-19; 18:18; and Jn 20:23.
The Flowing Light of the Godhead Page 30