Marieke Abram: Volkssprachliche Philosophie im ›Spieghel der volcomenheit‹ von Hendrik Herp (1410–1477)

In the field of tension between theory and practice, Latin and the vernacular, philosophy and mystical theology, the Franciscan observer Hendrik Herp wrote a mystical guide for laymen. For his ›Spieghel der volcomenheit‹ (1455-1460), he unconventionally systematized the views of important Latin and vernacular scholars. The work soon found a wide readership throughout Europe, among laymen and clerics alike, making it a mediator of philosophical ideas in various social classes. Nevertheless, hardly anyone would mention Herp in a history of philosophy today. This study concentrates on the reading and impact history of the ›Spieghel‹. It shows the philosophical content that Herp incorporated into his mystical theology, the channels through which the ›Spieghel‹ was successfully disseminated and how the work was received. A particular focus is placed on Herp’s conception of the soul and its anagogical path back to its origin, the divine triadic unity.