Angelus Silesius | |
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| Born | Johann Scheffler baptised 25 December 1624 |
| Died | 9 July 1677 (aged 52) Breslau, Silesia, Habsburg monarchy |
| Alma mater | University of Strasbourg Leiden University University of Padua |
| Occupations | Catholic priest, physician, mystic and religious poet |
| Notable work | Heilige Seelen-Lust (1657) Cherubinischer Wandersmann (1657) Ecclesiologia (1677) |
Angelus Silesius,OFM (c. 1624 – 9 July 1677), bornJohann Scheffler, was a GermanCatholic priest, physician,mystic andreligious poet. Born and raised aLutheran, he began to read the works of medieval mystics while studying in the Netherlands and became acquainted with the works of theGerman mysticJacob Böhme through Böhme's friendAbraham von Franckenberg.[1] Silesius's display of his mystic beliefs caused tension with Lutheran authorities and led to his eventual conversion to Catholicism in 1653, wherein he adopted the nameAngelus (Latin for "angel" or "heavenly messenger") and theepithetSilesius ("Silesian").[2] He entered theFranciscans and was ordained a priest in 1661. Ten years later, in 1671, he retired to aJesuit house where he remained for the rest of his life.[2]
An enthusiastic convert and priest, Silesius worked to convince German Protestants inSilesia to return to the Catholic Church.[2] He composed 55 tracts and pamphlets condemningProtestantism, several of which were published in twofolio volumes entitledEcclesiologia (i.e.,Ecclesiology). However, he is now remembered chiefly for his mystical poetry, and in particular for two poetical works, both published in 1657:Heilige Seelen-Lust (The Soul's Holy Desires), a collection of more than 200 religioushymn texts that have since been used by both Catholics and Protestants; andCherubinischer Wandersmann ("The Cherubic Pilgrim"), a collection of 1,676 short poems, mostly inAlexandrine couplets. His poetry explores contemporary themes of the greatness of God, mystic interpretations of the Trinity, and the relationship between the soul and Christ. A small number of these couplets seem to savour ofquietism orpantheism. They ought to be interpreted in an orthodox Catholic sense, for Angelus Silesius was not a pantheist. His prose writings are orthodox; "The Cherubic Pilgrim" was published with the ecclesiasticalImprimatur, and, in his preface, the author himself explains his "paradoxes" in an orthodox sense, and repudiates any future pantheistic interpretation.[2]
While his exact birthdate is unknown, it is believed that Silesius was born in December 1624 inBreslau, the capital of Silesia. The earliest mention of him is the registration of hisbaptism on Christmas Day, 25 December 1624. At the time, Silesia was a province of theHabsburg Empire. Today, it is the southwestern region ofPoland. Baptized Johann Scheffler, he was the first of three children. His parents, who married in February 1624, wereLutheranProtestants.[3] His father, Stanislaus Scheffler (c. 1562–1637), was ofPolish ancestry and was a member of the lowernobility. Stanislaus dedicated his life to the military, was made Lord ofBorowice (or Vorwicze) and received a knighthood from KingSigismund III.[1] A few years before his son's birth, he had retired from military service inKraków. In 1624, he was 62. The child's mother, Maria Hennemann (c. 1600–1639), was a 24-year-old daughter of a local physician with ties to theHabsburg Imperial court.[4]
Scheffler obtained his early education at the Elisabethsgymnasium (Saint Elizabeth's Gymnasium, orhigh school) in Breslau. His earliest poems were written and published during these formative years. Scheffler was probably influenced by the recently published works of the poet and scholarMartin Opitz and by one of his teachers, the poetChristoph Köler.[4]
He subsequently studied medicine and science at theUniversity of Strasbourg (orStrassburg) inAlsace for a year in 1643.[1] It was then a Lutheran university with a course of study that embracedRenaissance humanism. From 1644 to 1647, he attendedLeiden University. At this time, he was introduced to the writings ofJacob Böhme (1575–1624) and became acquainted with one of Böhme's friends,Abraham von Franckenberg (1593–1652), who probably introduced him to ancientKabbalist writings,alchemy, andhermeticism, and to mystic writers living inAmsterdam.[1][4][5] Franckenberg had been compiling a complete edition of Böhme's work at the time Scheffler resided in the Netherlands. TheDutch Republic provided refuge to many religioussects, mystics, and scholars who were persecuted elsewhere in Europe.[4] Scheffler then went to Italy and enrolled in studies at theUniversity of Padua inPadua in September 1647. A year later, he received a doctoral degree inphilosophy and medicine and returned to his homeland.[1]
On 3 November 1649, Scheffler was appointed to be the court physician toSilvius I Nimrod, Duke of Württemberg-Oels (1622–1664) and was given an annual salary of 175thalers. Although he was "recommended to the Duke on account of his good qualities and his experience in medicine,"[1] it is likely that Scheffler's friend and mentor, Abraham von Franckenberg, had arranged the appointment given his closeness to the Duke. Franckenberg was the son of a minor noble from the village of Ludwigsdorf nearOels within the duchy.[5] Franckenberg returned to the region the year before.[5] It is also possible that Scheffler's brother-in-law, Tobias Brückner, who was also a physician to the Duke of Württemberg-Oels, may have recommended him.[4] Scheffler soon was not happy in his position as his personalmysticism and critical views onLutherandoctrine (especially his disagreements with theAugsburg Confession) caused friction with the Duke and members of the ducal court. The Duke was characterized in history as being "azealous Lutheran and verybigoted."[1] Coincidentally, it was at this time that Scheffler began to havemystical visions, which along with his public pronouncements led local Lutheran clergy to consider him aheretic. After Franckenberg's death in June 1652, Scheffler resigned his position—he may have been forced to resign—and sought refuge under the protection of the Roman Catholic Church.[6]
The Lutheran authorities in theReformedstates of the Empire were not tolerant of Scheffler's increasing mysticism, and he was publicly attacked and denounced as aheretic. At this time, theHabsburg rulers (who were Catholic) were pushing for aCounter Reformation and advocated a re-Catholicisation of Europe.[7] Scheffler sought toconvert to Catholicism and was received by the Church ofSaint Matthias inBreslau on 12 June 1653. Upon being received, he took the nameAngelus, theLatin form of "angel", derived from theGreekángelos (ἄγγελος, "messenger"); for hisepithet, he tookSilesius (Latin for "Silesian").[2] It is uncertain why he took this name, but he may have added it in honour of his native Silesia or to honour a favouritescholastic, mystic ortheosophic author, to distinguish himself from other famous writers of his era: perhaps theSpanish mystic writerJuan de los Ángeles (author ofThe Triumph of Love) or Lutheran theologian Johann Angelus inDarmstadt.[1][4] He no longer used the name Scheffler, but did on occasion use his first name, Johann. From 1653 until his death, he used the namesAngelus Silesius and alsoJohann Angelus Silesius.
Shortly after his conversion, on 24 March 1654, Silesius received an appointment as Imperial Court Physician toFerdinand III, theHoly Roman Emperor. However, this was probably an honorary position to offer some official protection against Lutheran attackers, as Silesius never went to Vienna to serve the Imperial Court. It is very likely that he never practiced medicine after his conversion to Catholicism.[1]
In the late 1650s, he sought permission (anihil obstat orimprimatur) fromCatholic authorities in Vienna and Breslau to begin publishing his poetry.[1] He had begun writing poetry at an early age, publishing a few occasional pieces when a schoolboy in 1641 and 1642.[4] He attempted to publish poetry while working for the Duke of Württemberg-Oels, but was refused permission by the Duke's orthodox Lutheran court clergyman, Christoph Freitag. However, in 1657, after obtaining the approval of the Catholic Church, two collections of his poems were published—the works for which he is known—Heilige Seelen-Lust (The Soul's Holy Desire) andDer Cherubinische Wandersmann (The Cherubinic Pilgrim).
On 27 February 1661, Silesius tookholy orders as aFranciscan. Three months later, he wasordained a priest in the SilesianDuchy of Neisse—an area of successful re-Catholicisation and one of twoecclesiastical states within the region (that is, ruled by aPrince-Bishop). When his friendSebastian von Rostock (1607–1671) becamePrince-Bishop of Breslau, Silesius was appointed hisRath und Hofmarschall (a counselor andChamberlain).[7] During this time, he began publishing over fiftytracts attacking Lutheranism and theProtestant Reformation. Thirty-nine of these essays he later compiled into a two-volumefolio collection entitledEcclesiologia (1676).[2]
After the death of the Prince-Bishop of Breslau in 1671, Silesius retired to theHospice of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star (theMatthiasstift), a Jesuit house associated with the church ofSaint Matthias at Breslau.[2][4] He died on 9 July 1677 and was buried there. Some sources claim he died fromtuberculosis ("consumption"), others describe his illness as a "wasting sickness."[1] Immediately after news of his death spread, several of his Protestant detractors spread the untrue rumour that Silesius had hanged himself.[4] By his Will, he distributed his fortune, largely inherited from his father's noble estate, to pious and charitable institutions, including orphanages.[2]
The poetry of Angelus Silesius consists largely ofepigrams in the form ofalexandrinecouplets—the style that dominated German poetry and mystical literature during theBaroque era.[1] According to Baker, the epigram was key to conveying mysticism, because "the epigram with its tendency towards brevity and pointedness is a suitablegenre to cope with theaesthetic problem of theineffability of themystical experience."[8] TheEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition identifies these epigrams asReimsprüche—or rhymeddistichs—and describes them as:
...embodying a strange mysticalpantheism drawn mainly from the writings ofJakob Böhme and his followers. Silesius delighted specially in the subtleparadoxes of mysticism. Theessence of God, for instance, he held to be love; God, he said, can love nothing inferior to himself; but he cannot be an object of love to himself without going out, so to speak, of himself, without manifesting hisinfinity in a finite form; in other words, by becoming man. God and man are therefore essentially one.[9]
Silesius's poetry directs the reader to seek a path toward a desired spiritual state, an eternal stillness, by eschewing material or physical needs and the human will. It requires an understanding of God that is informed by the ideas ofapophatic theology and ofantithesis andparadox.[10] Some of Silesius's writings and beliefs that bordered onpantheism orpanentheism caused tensions between Silesius and local Protestant authorities. However, in the introduction toCherubinischer Wandersmann, he explained his poetry (especially its paradoxes) within the framework of Catholic orthodoxy and denied pantheism which would have run afoul of Catholic doctrine.[2]
His mysticism is informed by the influences of Böhme and Franckenberg as well as of prominent writersMeister Eckhart (1260–1327),Johannes Tauler (c. 1300–1361),Heinrich Suso (c. 1300–1366), andJan van Ruysbroeck (1293/4–1381).[4] Critic and literary theoristGeorg Ellinger surmised in his study of Silesius that his poetry was influenced by loneliness (especially due to the death of his parents and becoming an orphan early in life), ungoverned impulsivity, and lack of personal fulfillment, rendering much of his poetry confessional and exhibiting internal psychological conflict.[11]
Several of the poems of Silesius have been used or adapted ashymns used in Protestant and Catholic services. In many early Lutheran and Protestanthymnals, these lyrics were attributed to "anonymous", rather than admit they were penned by the Catholic Silesius, known for his criticism and advocacy against Protestantism.[6] In many instances, the verse of Silesius is attributed in print to "anonymous" or to "I.A." While I.A. were the Latin initials forIohannis Angelus they were often misinterpreted asIncerti auctoris, meaning "unknown author". Likewise, several truly anonymous works were later misattributed to Silesius, thanks to the same ambiguous initials.[6] Verses by Silesius appear in the lyrics of hymns published inNürnberg Gesang-Buch (1676), Freylinghausen'sGesang-Buch (1704), Porst'sGesang-Buch (1713); and Burg'sGesang-Buch (1746). Seventy-nine hymns using his verses were included inNicolaus Zinzendorf'sChrist-Catholisches Singe und Bet-Büchlein (1727). During the 18th Century, they were frequently in use in the Lutheran, Catholic, andMoravian Churches.[6] Many of these hymns are still popular in Christian churches today.
I will end with a great line by the poet who, in the seventeenth century, took the strangely real and poetic name of Angelus Silesius. It is the summary of all I have said tonight — except that I have said it by means of reasoning and simulated reasoning. I will say it first in Spanish and then in German:
- La rosa es sin porqué; florece porque florece.
- Die Rose ist ohne warum; sie blühet weil sie blühet.[12]
The line he quoted,Die Rose ist ohne warum; sie blühet, weil sie blühet... from Silesius'sThe Cherubinic Pilgrim (1657), can be translated as: "The Rose is without a 'wherefor'—she blooms because she blooms." The influence of mysticism is seen in the work of Borges, especially in his poetry, which frequently references Silesius and his work.[13]
I am like God and God like me.
I am as large as God, He is as small as I.
He cannot above me, nor I beneath him be.
However, the context of this line in the film contradicts the meaning intended by Angelus Silesius. Max Cady has aGod complex and quotes Silesius' poem to emphasize to his intended victims both thepower of his individual will and his god-like ability to exact a violentvengeance. The context intended by Silesius was of man's realization through his spiritual potential forperfection that his nature's meaning and fulfilment was oneness with God in the sense of themystical divine union ortheosis—that experience of direct communion of love between the believer and God as equals by grace.[citation needed]
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