Enemies of the Cross: Suffering, Truth, and Mysticism in the Early Reformation by Vincent Evener (review)

Reviewed by: Enemies of the Cross: Suffering, Truth, and Mysticism in the Early Reformation by Vincent Evener Liam Temple Enemies of the Cross: Suffering, Truth, and Mysticism in the Early Reformation. By Vincent Evener. (New York: Oxford University Press. 2021. Pp. xi, 420. 99. 00. ISBN 978-0-190-07318-3. ) Vincent Evener has produced a thoughtful and well-researched account of suffering, truth, and mysticism in the early Reformation (c. 1517-25). Focusing on the figures of Martin Luther, Andreas Bodenstein von Karlstadt, and Thomas Müntzer, the work seeks to reveal "how divergent views on the connection between suffering, truth, and salvation emerged" (3) in the period. A constant sub-narrative of the book is an exploration of the ways in which these views were informed by the mystical teachings of Meister Eckhart. Chapter 1 lays the groundwork by introducing the Eckhartian tradition, including the work of later writers such as John Tauler. Evener explores the reception of these works through the marginal annotations Luther and Karlstadt left on their respective copies of Tauler's Sermons (sadly Müntzer's copy has not survived), showing their responsiveness to the concept of the annihilation of the soul unto nothingness. Such a shared interest "helped shape both the reformers' initial alliances and their subsequent divisions" (73), as all three arrived at an understanding that "God's action for human salvation meant profound, annihilating suffering for fallen human nature and the self-centred ego" (74). Chapter 2 focuses on the development of Luther's understanding of, and message about, suffering in several of his earliest works, exploring his engagement with Eckhartian ideas about annihilation, as well as with medieval concepts of penance. Chapter 3 focuses on vernacular pamphlets published by Luther and Karlstadt between 1519 and 1521 which exhorted "a new paradigm of the Christian as sufferer" (116). To achieve this aim, both authors "filled their publications with mystical motifs, particularly surrounding annihilation, yielding, humility, and union with Christ" (161). Chapters 4 and 5 focus on the different conclusions Karlstadt and Müntzer arrived at concerning salvation, suffering, and reform when they engaged with the Eckhartian tradition. For Karlstadt, the goal became "to reduce the self-will to nothingness, returning to the precreated and pristine created state in which the only will was God's" (195). Despite a shared inheritance, Karlstadt eventually counted Luther and his allies as "enemies of the cross" (196) in light of his new understanding. For Müntzer, in whom "the ideas and terminology of Eckhartian mysticism abound" (236), the concept of annihilation and God's possession of the soul were absorbed into a wider apocalyptic framework of suffering in which the elect became instruments for the execution of God's will in a world ruled by the ungodly. Here Evener presents a nuanced exploration of these two lesser-studied figures, restoring their important role in the development of concepts of suffering in the early Protestant tradition. Chapter 6 explores the collision of the different understandings of suffering arrived at by Luther, Karlstadt, and Müntzer during the Peasants' War of 1524–25. End Page 416 While sharing in the Eckhartian tradition, "their varied understandings of annihilation and union yielded equally varied positions on appropriate ecclesial-political action" (239). Luther argued that Christians united by faith should accept that God sometimes worked sub contrariis, even amid the persecution of the true church. Müntzer, however, believed that spiritual annihilation resulted in souls becoming the possession of God, transformed into "instruments to reorder church and society, casting down and separating the godless from the godly. " This contrasted with Karlstadt, who believed such possession and union was only achievable after death. (289). Müntzer's vision would be met with disaster after the failure of the Peasants' War resulted in his execution. The chapter serves as a satisfying conclusion to the book, drawing together the diverse theological conceptualizations of previous chapters and exploring their socio-political implications. Overall, Evener has produced an innovative and thought-provoking work which adds to our understanding of the role of suffering, the inheritance of late-medieval spiritual texts, and the competing discernments of true and false religion in the earliest period of the. . .