ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the necessary interconnection of study and contemplation providing the foundation for speaking about God in the Christian journey of faith. It provides the impetus behind the Dominican order the primary context shared by Thomas Aquinas and Meister Eckhart which was the preaching of doctrine. The chapter explores the uniquely Dominican character of Aquinas' and Eckhart's life. For the Dominicans, in order to preach doctrine, every friar first had to be learned in the discipline of theology. Their life of prayer and contemplation determined the Dominican masters' approach to the study of theology, and the order's mission, imparting knowledge necessary for salvation through preaching, is core to both Aquinas' and Eckhart's work. The friars of the newly-formed Dominican order were sent to study with Paris-trained master to enable them to excel as preachers and teachers of Christian doctrine.
