The Flemish School of Mystical Theology
The Oxford Handbook of Apophatic Theology August 20, 2026 DOI: 10.1093/9780191887017.003.0022 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that apophatic theology is central to the Flemish school, as seen in Hadewijch's divine longing, Ruusbroec's dialectical affirmation of distinction and participation, and The Evangelical Pearl's transmission of themes like divine nothingness and detachment to early-modern spiritual schools. |
Abstract
Abstract This essay considers the apophatic elements in the writings of some of the major exponents of the Flemish or Dutch school of vernacular theology in the high and late-medieval period. First the spirituality of the beguine Hadewijch is discussed, in whose oeuvre the topic of divine longing takes central stage. Secondly, the mystical theology of Jan van Ruusbroec and his ideal of the common life that hinges on the dialectical affirmation of our radical distinction from God, on the one hand, and our participation in the intra-trinitarian dynamics of processions, return (or regiratio), and fruitive rest in the perichoretic unity, on the other hand. Finally, the chapter treats of The Evangelical Pearl, written by an anonymous female author in the early sixteenth century. This major work adopted many of the themes of the spirituality of the Low Countries and Rhineland (including the themes of divine nothingness and detachment) and transmitted them to Spanish, French, English, and German schools of spirituality in the early-modern period.