Henry Suso, OP (also called Amandus, a name adopted in his writings, and Heinrich Seuse or Heinrich von Berg in German; 21 March 1295 – 25 January 1366) was a German

Dominican friar The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

and the most popular vernacular writer of the fourteenth century (when considering the number of surviving manuscripts). Suso is thought to have been born on 21 March 1295. An important author in both Latin and Middle High German, he is also notable for defending

Meister Eckhart Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart, Master EckhartUlm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

on 25 January 1366, and was beatified by the Catholic Church in 1831.

Biography

Suso was born Heinrich von Berg, a member of the ruling family of

Berg Berg may refer to: People *Berg (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) *Berg Ng (born 1960), Hong Kong actor * Berg (footballer) (born 1989), Brazilian footballer Former states * Berg (state), county and duchy of the Hol ...

. He was born in either the

free imperial city In the Holy Roman Empire, the collective term free and imperial cities (german: Freie und Reichsstädte), briefly worded free imperial city (', la, urbs imperialis libera), was used from the fifteenth century to denote a self-ruling city that ...

of Überlingen on Lake Constance or nearby Constance, on 21 March 1295 (or perhaps on that date up to 1297–99). Later, out of humility and devotion to his mother, he took her family name, which was Sus (or Süs, meaning "sweet"). At 13 years of age he was admitted to the novitiate of the Dominican Order at their

priory A priory is a monastery of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or nuns (such as the Dominicans, Augustinians, Franciscans, and Carmelites), or monasteries of ...

in Constance. After completing that year of probation, he advanced to do his preparatory, philosophical, and

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

studies there. In the prologue to his ''Life'', Suso recounts how, after about five years in the monastery (in other words, when he was about 18 years old), he experienced a conversion to a deeper form of religious life through the intervention of Divine Wisdom. He made himself "the Servant of Eternal Wisdom", which he identified with the divine essence and, in more specific terms, with divine Eternal Wisdom made man in Christ. From this point forward in his account of his spiritual life, a burning love for Eternal Wisdom dominated his thoughts and controlled his actions; his spiritual journey culminated in a mystical marriage to Christ in the form of the Eternal Wisdom, an allegorical Goddess in the Hebrew Bible associated with Christ in medieval devotion.

Career

Suso was then sent on for further studies in philosophy and theology, probably first at the Dominican monastery in Strasbourg, perhaps between 1319 and 1321, and then from 1324 to 1327 he took a supplementary course in theology in the Dominican ''

Studium Generale is the old customary name for a medieval university in medieval Europe. Overview There is no official definition for the term . The term ' first appeared at the beginning of the 13th century out of customary usage, and meant a place where stud ...

'' in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

, where he would have come into contact with

Meister Eckhart Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart, Master Eckhart Returning to his home priory at Constance in about 1327, Suso was appointed to the office of ''lector'' (lecturer). His teaching, however, aroused criticism – most likely because of his connection with Eckhart in the wake of the latter's trial and condemnation in 1326–29. Suso's ''Little Book of Truth'', a short defence of Eckhart's teaching, probably dates from this time, perhaps 1329. In 1330 this treatise, and another, were denounced as heretical by enemies in the Order. Suso traveled to the Dominican

General Chapter A chapter ( la, capitulum or ') is one of several bodies of clergy in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings. Name The name derives from the habit of convening monks or canons for the re ...

held at

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

in 1330 to defend himself. The consequence is not entirely known – at some point between 1329 and 1334 he was removed from his lectorship in Constance, though he was not personally condemned. Knowledge of Suso's activities in subsequent years is somewhat sketchy. It is known that he served as prior of the Constance convent – most likely between 1330 and 1334, though possibly in the 1340s. It is also known that he had various devoted disciples, a group including both men and women, especially those connected to the '' Friends of God'' movement. His influence was especially strong in many religious communities of women, particularly in the Dominican Monastery of St. Katharinental in the

Thurgau Thurgau (; french: Thurgovie; it, Turgovia), anglicized as Thurgovia, more formally the Canton of Thurgau, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital is Frauenfeld. Thurgau is par ...

, a famous nursery of mysticism in the 13th and 14th centuries. In the mid-1330s, during his visits to various communities of Dominican

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

s and

Beguines The Beguines () and the Beghards () were Christian lay religious orders that were active in Western Europe, particularly in the Low Countries, in the 13th–16th centuries. Their members lived in semi-monastic communities but did not take forma ...

, Suso became acquainted with Elsbeth Stagel, prioress of the monastery of Dominican nuns in Töss. The two became close friends. She translated some of his Latin writings into German, collected and preserved most of his extant letters, and at some point began gathering the materials that Suso eventually put together into his ''Life of the Servant''. Suso shared in the exile of the Dominican community from Constance between 1339 and 1346, during the most heated years of the quarrel originally between Pope John XXII and the Holy Roman Emperor, continued by Pope Benedict XII. He was transferred to the monastery at Ulm in about 1348. He seems to have remained there for the rest of his life. Here, during his final years (possibly 1361–63), he edited his four vernacular works into ''The Exemplar''. Suso died in Ulm on 25 January 1366.

Mortifications

Early in his life, Suso subjected himself to extreme forms of mortifications; later on he reported that God told him they were unnecessary. During this period, Suso devised for himself several painful devices. Some of these were: an undergarment studded with a hundred and fifty brass nails, a very uncomfortable door to sleep on, and a cross with thirty protruding needles and nails under his body as he slept. In the autobiographical text in which he reports these, however, he ultimately concludes that they are unnecessary distractions from the love of God.http://www.philosophy , r. o. (2004). "Internal Suffering and Christianity." available from

Writings

Suso's first work was the ''Büchlein der Wahrheit'' (''Little Book of Truth'') written between 1328 and 1334 in Constance. This was a short defence of the teaching of Meister Eckhart, who had been tried for heresy and condemned in 1328–29. In 1330 this treatise and another (possibly the ''Little Book of Eternal Wisdom'') were denounced as heretical by Dominican opponents, leading Suso to travel to the Dominican General Chapter held at Maastricht in 1330 to defend himself. Suso's next book, ''Das Büchlein der ewigen Weisheit'' (''The Little Book of Eternal Wisdom''), written around 1328–1330, is less speculative and more practical. At some point between 1334 and 1337 Suso translated this work into Latin, but in doing so added considerably to its contents, and made of it an almost entirely new book, which he called the '' Horologium Sapientiae'' ( ''Clock of Wisdom''). This book was dedicated to the new Dominican Master General, Hugh of Vaucemain, who appears to have been a supporter of his. At some point in the following decades, Stagel formed a collection of 28 of Suso's letters in the ''Grosses Briefbuch'' (''Great Book of Letters''), which survives. Suso also wrote a long text purporting to tell the story of his spiritual life and ascetic practices (variously referred to as the ''Life of the Servant'', ''Life'', ''Vita'', or ''Leben Seuses''), and revised the ''Büchlein der Wahrheit'' and the ''Büchlein der ewigen Weisheit''. At some point in his later years, perhaps 1361–63, he collected these works, together with 11 of his letters (the ''Briefbüchlein'', or ''Little Book of Letters'', a selection of letters from the ''Grosses Briefbuch''), and wrote a prologue, to form one book he referred to as ''The Exemplar''.Bernard McGinn, ''The Harvest of Mysticism'', (2005), p. 204. There are also various sermons attributed to Suso, although only two appear to be authentic. A treatise known as the ''Minnebüchlein'' (''Little Book of Love'') is sometimes, but probably incorrectly, attributed to Suso. Suso was very widely read in the later Middle Ages. There are 232 extant manuscripts of the

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hig ...

''Little Book of Eternal Wisdom''. The Latin ''Clock of Wisdom'' was even more popular: over four hundred manuscripts in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, and over two hundred manuscripts in various medieval translations (it was translated into eight languages, including Dutch, French, Italian, Swedish, Czech, and English). Many early printings survive as well. The ''Clock'' was therefore second only to the ''Imitation of Christ'' in popularity among spiritual writings of the later Middle Ages. Among his many readers and admirers were

Thomas à Kempis Thomas à Kempis (c. 1380 – 25 July 1471; german: Thomas von Kempen; nl, Thomas van Kempen) was a German-Dutch canon regular of the late medieval period and the author of '' The Imitation of Christ'', published anonymously in Latin in the ...

and

John Fisher John Fisher (c. 19 October 1469 – 22 June 1535) was an English Catholic bishop, cardinal, and theologian. Fisher was also an academic and Chancellor of the University of Cambridge. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI. Fisher was executed by o ...

. Wolfgang Wackernagel and others have called Suso a "

Minnesinger (; "love song") was a tradition of lyric- and song-writing in Germany and Austria that flourished in the Middle High German period. This period of medieval German literature began in the 12th century and continued into the 14th. People who w ...

in prose and in the spiritual order" or a "Minnesinger of the Love of God" both for his use of images and themes from secular, courtly, romantic poetry and for his rich musical vocabulary. The mutual love of God and man which is his principal theme gives warmth and color to his style. He used the full and flexible Alemannic idiom with rare skill, and contributed much to the formation of good German prose, especially by giving new shades of meaning to words employed to describe inner sensations.

Legacy and veneration

In the world Suso was esteemed as a preacher, and was heard in the cities and towns of Swabia, Switzerland,

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, and the Netherlands. His apostolate, however, was not with the masses, but rather with individuals of all classes who were drawn to him by his singularly attractive personality, and to whom he became a personal director in the spiritual life. Suso was reported to have established among the Friends of God a society which he called the Brotherhood of the Eternal Wisdom. The so-called ''Rule of the Brotherhood of the Eternal Wisdom'' is but a free translation of a chapter of his ''Horologium Sapientiae'' and did not make its appearance until the fifteenth century. Suso was beatified in 1831 by

Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI ( la, Gregorius XVI; it, Gregorio XVI; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in 1 June 1846. He ...

, who assigned 2 March as his feast day, celebrated within the

Dominican Order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...

. The Dominicans now celebrate his feast on 23 January, the ''

feria In the liturgy of the Catholic Church, a feria is a day of the week other than Sunday. In more recent official liturgical texts in English, the term ''weekday'' is used instead of ''feria''. If the feast day of a saint falls on such a day, the ...

'', or "free" day, nearest the day of his death. The words of the Christmas song "

In dulci jubilo "In dulci jubilo" (Latin for "In sweet rejoicing") is a traditional Christmas carol. In its original setting, the carol is a macaronic text of German and Latin dating from the Middle Ages. Subsequent translations into English, such as J. M. N ...

" are attributed to Suso.

Editions and translations

''The Exemplar'' (

): * Henry Suso, ''Das Buch von dem Diener (The Life of the Servant)'', ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ''Heinrich Seuse. Deutsche Schriften'', 1907 (translated by Frank Tobin, i
''The Exemplar, with Two German Sermons''
New York: Paulist Press, 1989, pp. 61–204) * ''Das Büchlein der ewigen Weisheit (The Little Book of Eternal Wisdom)'', ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ibid. (trans. in F. Tobin, ibid., pp. 204–304) * ''Das Büchlein der Wahrheit (The Little Book of Truth)'', ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ibid. (trans. in F. Tobin, ibid., pp. 305–332) * ''Das Briefbüchlein (The Little Book of Letters)'', ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ibid., pp. 360–393 (trans. in F. Tobin, ibid., pp. 333–360) * ''"The exemplary life and writings of Blessed Henry Suso'', Complete ed. based on manuscripts, with a critical introd. & explanatory notes by Nicholas Heller (translated from the German by Sister M. Ann Edward (Sister Mary of the Immaculate Heart). 2 v. (c) Priory Press; 15 Apr 1962)Catalog of Copyright Entries, Third Series: Books and Pamphlets, Vol 16 Part 1 No 1, Jan–June 1962, p. 756; Library of Congress, Washington DC; 1963 * ''Exemplar, A complete and illustrated (bilingual) Dutch translatio
''Seusewerken.nl''
(translated from the Middle High German by Peter Freens; with illustrations by Anna Ruiters. Preaching and Letters (Middle High German): * Henry Suso, ''The Great Book of Letters'', ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ''Heinrich Seuse. Deutsche Schriften'', 1907, pp. 405–494 *Sermons 1 and 4 (those now recognized as authentic) are published in English translation in ''The Exemplar, with Two German Sermons'' (trans. F. Tobin, (New York: Paulist Press, 1989), pp. 361–376) Latin: * Henry Suso
''Horologium sapientiae (Clock of Wisdom)''
ed. P. Künzle, ''Heinrich Seuses Horologium sapientiae'', Freiburg: Universitatsverlag, 1977 (translated by Edmund Colledge
''Wisdom's Watch upon the Hours''

Catholic University of America Press The Catholic University of America Press, also known as CUA Press, is the publishing division of The Catholic University of America. Founded on November 14, 1939, and incorporated on July 16, 1941,Roy J. Deferrari ''Memoirs of the Catholic Unive ...

994 Year 994 ( CMXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * September 15 – Battle of the Orontes: Fatimid forces, under Turkish gener ...

References

;Attribution * *

External links

* *
Henry Suso at Christian Classics Ethereal LibraryOPVS Research Group Summary of current work on Suso
{{DEFAULTSORT:Suso, Henry 1295 births 1366 deaths 14th-century Christian mystics 14th-century German writers 14th-century venerated Christians Burials in Baden-Württemberg Dominican beatified people Dominican mystics German beatified people German Dominicans German male non-fiction writers German Christian mystics 14th-century German Roman Catholic priests German translators House of Berg Medieval Christian devotional writers People from Überlingen Rhineland mystics Translators to Latin 14th-century Latin writers