Theologia Germanica

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Theologia Germanica, also known as Theologia Deutsch or Teutsch, or as Der Franckforter, is a mystical treatise believed to have been written in the later 14th century^[1] by an anonymous author. It was discovered and published by Martin Luther and became popular and influential in Lutheran pietistic circles. According to the introduction of the Theologia the author was a priest and a member of the Teutonic Order living in Frankfurt, Germany.^[2]

The Theologia was written during the disruptive reign of the Avignon Papacy (1309–78), when many clerics were forbidden to perform Catholic rites because of the power struggle between the Pope and Holy Roman Emperor. Lay groups of pious individuals, like the Friends of God, became prominent during this time, and the author is usually associated with the Friends of God.^{[citation needed]}

The Theologia Germanica survives today in only eight manuscripts, all from the second half of the fifteenth century, suggesting that it was not widely disseminated before it came to the attention of Martin Luther.^{[citation needed]}