ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the ideals of the dominant model of moral philosophy as moral philosophers get played out in the designation of certain forms as “philosophical” or “non-philosophical". The former issue would have been central for Mechthild’s contemporaries, whereas the latter issue is perhaps more pertinent for a modern audience. Mechthild is clear that the loving “bound” soul has a particular capacity for what can best be described as a “loving” perception. Mechthild scholars have debated how much the editor of The Flowing Light may have changed the order of Mechthild’s writings; it is uncertain exactly how closely the organization of the text that resembles its original structure. In terms of spiritual doctrine, Mechthild’s knowledge of the unity of the soul with the Trinity comes—more than anything else—from her intimate experiences as the lover of Christ. Commentators have questioned just how conscious Mechthild’s use was of these literary forms in The Flowing Light.
