 On the other hand, most scholars consider the "layman" to be a pure fiction invented by Merswin to hide his authorship because of the intimidating tactics of the Inquisition at the time.It has been suspected that his practical communication of the mystical path is behind the influential 14th-century "anonymous" "Theologia Germanica", which was disseminated after his disappearance.According to the medieval introduction of the document, its author was an unnamed member of the Teutonic Order of Knights living in Frankfurt.