Late Medieval Mysticism of the Low Countries

The spiritual tradition of the Low Countries, mostly written in Dutch (or Flemish, which is the same language) must rank, together with the German School, as the most important vernacular tradition in late medieval and early modern Europe. This book presents for the first time texts from this school of Netherlandish mysticism of the late medieval period in English translation. It contains extracts or full treatises from all the major representatives of this school after the death of Jan van Ruusbroec. None of these texts are available in English, and some were never published at all but were translated from late medieval manuscripts. The book contains texts of a mystical and pastoral nature, often dealing with the problem of suffering, reflecting the troubled times during which they were written. Readers will appreciate the wide variety of texts offered here. There are a number of more traditional mystical-theological writings that look back to the age of Ruusbroec, developing a prof