Henry Suso facts for kids
Quick facts for kids BlessedHenry Suso OP |
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| Religious, priest and mystic | |
| Born | 21 March 1295 Free Imperial City of Überlingen, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 25 January 1366 (aged 70) Free Imperial City of Ulm, Holy Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church (Dominican Order) |
| Beatified | 22 April 1831, Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Gregory XVI |
| Feast | 25 January (previously 2 March) |
| Influences | Meister Eckhart |
Henry Suso (born Heinrich von Berg, also known as Amandus or Heinrich Seuse) was a German Dominican friar. He was one of the most popular writers in the German language during the 1300s.
Suso was born on March 21, 1295. He was an important author in both Latin and Middle High German. He is also known for defending the ideas of Meister Eckhart, another famous mystic, after Eckhart was accused of heresy. Henry Suso died in Ulm on January 25, 1366. The Catholic Church recognized him as "Blessed" in 1831.
Contents
His Life Story
Henry Suso was born Heinrich von Berg. His family was important in the region of Berg. He was born in Überlingen or Constance, near Lake Constance. This was around March 21, 1295. Later, he humbly chose to use his mother's family name, Suso, which means "sweet."
When he was 13, he joined the Dominican Order in Constance. After a year of training, he continued his studies there. He learned about philosophy and theology (the study of religious faith).
In his writings, Suso shared that when he was about 18, he had a deep spiritual experience. He felt a strong connection to "Eternal Wisdom," which he saw as God's divine essence and as Christ. From then on, his life was filled with a burning love for this Eternal Wisdom. He felt like he was spiritually married to Christ, seen as this "Eternal Wisdom."
His Career and Teachings
Suso continued his studies in philosophy and theology. He likely studied in Strasbourg and then in Cologne. In Cologne, he met Meister Eckhart and probably Johannes Tauler, who were also well-known mystics.
Around 1327, Suso returned to Constance. He became a lector, which means a teacher. However, his teachings caused some problems. This was likely because of his connection to Eckhart, who had been accused of heresy. Suso wrote a short book called Little Book of Truth to defend Eckhart's ideas.
In 1330, some people in the Dominican Order said his writings were heretical. Suso traveled to Maastricht to defend himself. He was removed from his teaching job in Constance, but he was not personally condemned.
We don't know much about Suso's activities in the next few years. He might have been the head of the Constance monastery for a time. He also had many devoted followers, both men and women. Many of these followers were part of a group called the Friends of God.
Suso had a strong influence on communities of Dominican nuns. He often visited the monastery of St. Katharinental, which was famous for its mystics. In the mid-1330s, he met Elsbeth Stagel, a prioress (leader) of a Dominican nunnery in Töss. They became close friends. She helped him by translating some of his Latin writings into German. She also collected his letters and gathered notes that Suso later used to write his Life of the Servant.
Suso had to leave Constance with his Dominican community between 1339 and 1346. This was during a conflict between the Pope and the Holy Roman Emperor. Around 1348, he moved to the monastery in Ulm. He stayed there for the rest of his life. In his final years, he put together his four main German works into one book called The Exemplar.
Henry Suso died in Ulm on January 25, 1366.
His Early Spiritual Practices
When he was young, Suso practiced very strict forms of self-discipline. He later wrote that God told him these extreme practices were not necessary. During this time, Suso created several painful devices for himself. For example, he wore an undergarment with many brass nails. He also slept on a very uncomfortable door and used a cross with sharp needles under his body. However, in his own story, he eventually realized that these things were distractions from truly loving God.
His Writings
Suso's first work was the Büchlein der Wahrheit (Little Book of Truth). He wrote it between 1328 and 1334. This book was a short defense of Meister Eckhart's teachings. Eckhart had been accused of heresy.
Suso's next book was Das Büchlein der ewigen Weisheit (The Little Book of Eternal Wisdom). He wrote it around 1328–1330. This book was more about practical spiritual life than deep ideas. Later, Suso translated this work into Latin and added much more to it. He called this new Latin book the Horologium Sapientiae (Clock of Wisdom). This book was very popular.
Elsbeth Stagel collected 28 of Suso's letters. This collection is known as the Grosses Briefbuch (Great Book of Letters). Suso also wrote a long text about his spiritual life and practices, often called the Life of the Servant. He also updated his earlier books.
Later in his life, around 1361–1363, Suso gathered these works. He included 11 of his letters (called the Briefbüchlein, or Little Book of Letters). He wrote an introduction for them, creating one large book he called The Exemplar.
Suso's writings were widely read in the Middle Ages. There are over 230 copies of the Little Book of Eternal Wisdom still existing. The Latin Clock of Wisdom was even more popular. There are over 400 Latin copies and more than 200 copies in other languages. It was translated into eight languages, including Dutch, French, and English. Many early printed versions also exist. The Clock of Wisdom was one of the most popular spiritual books of its time, second only to The Imitation of Christ. Famous readers included Thomas à Kempis and John Fisher.
Suso was known for his beautiful writing style. He used images and themes from love poetry to describe his spiritual ideas. He was called a "Minnesinger" (a medieval German love poet) of God's love. His main theme was the mutual love between God and humans. He used the German language skillfully, helping to shape good German prose.
His Legacy
Henry Suso was respected as a preacher. He spoke in cities and towns across Germany and Switzerland. He didn't preach to large crowds, but he guided individuals. People from all walks of life were drawn to his appealing personality. He became a personal spiritual director for many.
Suso was said to have started a group called the Brotherhood of the Eternal Wisdom among the Friends of God. However, the "Rule of the Brotherhood of the Eternal Wisdom" was actually a free translation of a chapter from his Horologium Sapientiae and appeared much later.
Suso was recognized as "Blessed" in 1831 by Pope Gregory XVI. His feast day is celebrated on January 25 by the Catholic Church.
The words of the famous Christmas song "In dulci jubilo" are sometimes said to have been written by Suso.
Editions and Translations
The Exemplar (Middle High German):
- Henry Suso, Das Buch von dem Diener (The Life of the Servant), ed. K. Bihlmeyer, Heinrich Seuse. Deutsche Schriften, 1907
- Das Büchlein der ewigen Weisheit (The Little Book of Eternal Wisdom), ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ibid.
- Das Büchlein der Wahrheit (The Little Book of Truth), ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ibid.
- Das Briefbüchlein (The Little Book of Letters), ed. K. Bihlmeyer, ibid., pp. 360–393
- "The exemplary life and writings of Blessed Henry Suso, Complete ed. based on manuscripts, with a critical introd. & explanatory notes by Nicholas Heller
- Exemplar, A complete and illustrated (bilingual) Dutch translation. Seusewerken.freens.eu
Preaching and Letters (Middle High German):
- Henry Suso, The Great Book of Letters, ed. K. Bihlmeyer, Heinrich Seuse. Deutsche Schriften, 1907, pp. 405–494
Latin:
- Henry Suso, Horologium sapientiae (Clock of Wisdom), ed. P. Künzle, Heinrich Seuses Horologium sapientiae, Freiburg: Universitatsverlag, 1977
- Heinrich Seuse, De Klok van de Wijsheid (Horologium Sapientiae). A complete (bilingual) Dutch translation (translated from the Medieval Latin by Peter Freens, 2023). SeuseWerken.freens.eu
Images for kids
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Bl. Henry Suso in Literature.
