Within the book, “ Self And Society In Medieval France”, the author, Guibert of Nogent, gives a brief history of his life during the 12th century and shows the reader what a monastic life should look like. During this time it was hard not to see oneself fall into sin, for the temptations and vices of the world were everywhere to be seen. By joining a monastery, individuals were able to escape the sins of the world and live a virtuous life, void of the corruption and temptation. Guilbert uses his book to highlight some of the key characteristics found within a Benedictine Monastic life and also (in some parts) as an illustration of what life is like when one does not choose the life of a monk. Around this time other orders such as Cistercians …show more content…
The first step to take in walking the monastic life is to give up the luxuries of the world and become one with the church(this is what occurred with Gilbert 's mother).This was important for people at the time because as they looked at their surroundings and saw sin as far as the eye can see( a prime example of this is the city of Laon where everyone engaged in evil practice such as simony, murder, etc), they knew that their life needed to change which in turn helped push the idea of living a monastic life. Now in tandem with asceticism, Guilbert also notes that submission is key in living a good life. By submitting yourself to God’s will, you relinquish yourself of power and control of your own life, both of which that are hard to easily give up. By submitting yourself to God’s will, those seeking to live the monastic life had to not only abstain from worldly desires but go forth and do things that they simply may not have wanted to …show more content…
The Carthusian order, also known as the Order of Saint Bruno, was one of the orders that came about during the 12 century that combined the eremitical way of life( this is one of the oldest monastic ways that stresses seclusion from society) with cenobitic life( which focuses on community life). Following the Rule of Statutes, this in comparison to the Rule of St. Benedict which is followed by Benedictine Monks, Carthusian monks differed from Benedictine Monks as they lived in their own separate cells where they ate, prayed, and studied, which provided an emphasis on solitude and silence. Carthusian monks did not have any abbots, but instead only priors. The other order that emerged at this time would be the Cistercian order, which has many similarities to traditional Benedictine practices. Cistercian monks focused mainly on field work and a return to manual labor, something which had been forgotten in other orders. Leaving the house of Molesme in 1098, Cistercian Monks hoped to start their own order where the Rule of St. Benedict would be observed properly. Over time the Cistercian order grew as they began to devise structures which bound individual houses together in a way that was not done before. Differing from the Carthusians, Cistercian monks focused on three occupations: the performance of the liturgy, manual labor, and
Jeanne de Jussie, a dedicated Catholic nun, recorded events that took place in Geneva during the Reformation as the official chronicler for the Saint Clare convent. Although littered with biases, Jeanne de Jussie’s experiences reflect broader trends during the Reformation; therefore, The Short Chronicle is a valid source and not merely a personal attack against the Protestants. Her experiences and beliefs, including those concerning celibacy, reflected those of many members of the Catholic Church during the Reformation. Also, her categorization of Protestants as ‘heretics’ was consistent with the practices of the Catholic Church. Although biased, her fears about Protestant views on celibacy and marriage were legitimate and consistent with
...such as extreme spiritual austerities can hold their place in history because they mattered to the people who practiced them, not necessarily because they were an agent for driving change. Bynum rejects morally absolutist reconstructions of the past in favour of a more relativistic reading which delves into the imagination and subconscious of the medieval writers themselves. She meets them, as much as possible, in their own milieu rather than projecting modern constructions (such as ‘anorexia nervosa’) into the past where they serve little use in our understanding of the medieval mind. Despite her close work with the Annalist School, Bynum makes no attempt toward ‘l’Histoire Totale’ or some grand narrative of the past, and in this regard the work is most honest, thought-provoking, and definitive for 21st century scholars studying the medieval mind and its times.
Julian of Norwich lived during a time of great fear dominated by economic and physical hardships, feudal era of control, fear of death from the bubonic plague, corruption within the church’s hierarchy and doubt and insincerity was rampant amongst believers. Living a simple existence she depende...
Although Father Latour may possess few worldly desires, one may argue he wants what others can benefit from as well as pleasing himself. Along his journeys, Latour encounters various people, most associates of the Catholic Church like himself. It seems as each time Latour detects a sense of deceit in a person, he progresses in his own mission of morality. When one is trying so hard to embrace and follow the rules and restrictions of religion, as well as enjoy the worldly luxuries, a divided character is created within oneself. It is not until true and total devotion is committed to ones religion that material things become irrelevant and one can be at peace.
In his youth, St. Boniface encountered many priests or clerics who traveled from town to town. Through these spiritual conversations, it became evident to St. Boniface that he wanted to pursue a life with God. Eventually, after continuos begging and his fathers fatal sickness, he was sent to the care of the Monastery of Examchester. (Appleton) It is here, that St. Boniface expressed to the Abbot at the time, that he wanted to live a monastic life. The father of the monastery, after council, granted him his wish. Here is where the saint began to prove his love for God, and could begin his journey of the Christian life. After exceeding all expectations and surpassing the knowledge of his teachers, he moved to a neighboring monastery, called Nursling, whereby he studied under the influence of Abbot Winbert.(St. Boniface Church) Here he gained vast knowledge of scriptures and the spiritual exposition of the Bible. Here, he gained such a reputation that men and women from far and wide traveled to study scriptures under his guidance. At the age of 30 he was humbly ordained a priest and yet another branch of his life was fulfilled.
...le. This sovereignty emphasises an essential notion that differed the Cluniac rule to that of previous monasteries incorporating the Rule of St. Benedict with the alterations of Duke William I. The Cluniac monks became renowned for their prayers for the dead, which attracted more and more attention throughout the lay people gaining the monastery popularity and subsequently wealth. In the monasteries attempt at the monks living an isolated life with uncompromising respect for monastic purity, the attraction of lay people forced the monks to interact and become involved with temporal matters consequently contradicting entirely the Foundation Charter. The Cluniac Monastery attracted a lot of attention across the Kingdom of France and other European Kingdom’s, which greatly influenced the Foundation Charter’s expanding influence and therefore significance historically.
The epic poem, “The Lay of the Nibelungs” (1200’s), set to practice the major pillars in the code of chivalry that the Duke of Burgundy in the 14th century eventually condensed and ascribed to the Burgundian Knights: Faith, Charity, Justice, Sagacity, Prudence, Temperance, Resolution, Truth, Liberality, Diligence, Hope, and Valor. Though values bear merit, “The Lay of the Nibelungs” teaches that true worth and longevity comes from assessing the situation and applying intellect to the code, from submitting to God, and from not cheating the system (the laws and cultural norms of the time that be).
...und it better. Life for them were fair to them but probably not understood by the outsiders. They cared for nothing more than their education and God, and the works of God. They prayed and they worshiped all day and lived where the church was. People of their kind needed a quiet and peaceful way to get their one on one with their god away from the violence on the streets. What if women or men couldn’t become monks or nuns? Women would probably have no education or a passion for god and his works. As for men, they wouldn’t have a peaceful place to independently confide in their god. Life would be different if the same rules applied as of today.
As we have looked into the causes of monasticism, the development of monasticism and the history behind some of its practices. We can start to understand whom these hooded little men really are and what they stood for. We can see that this movement was truly needed. Monasticism aided in the rapid development of a hierarchical, centralized organization in the church because the monks were bound to obedience to superiors who in turn owed their allegiance to the pope. We do admire the fine contributions the monks made to medieval life. This was not only a movement in the history of Christianity, but it is still practiced today. One author defined monasticism as such: "Monasticism did not begin by being passed one to another but arose like spontaneous eruptions, or like a spring gushing forth in different places from a source underground."
In Matthew Lewis’ The Monk, a novel where a nun ends up pregnant, a friar rapes a child, and a sister escapes to engage in sexual escapades, it is illustrated that some people are better off out of the monastic life than
... time when much of the barbarian west was only nominally Christian, Benedict’s Rule kept alive the spirit of pursuing a life of gospel perfection” (Reid 50). “Benedict’s rule, which was a synthesis of several rules, could be applied to any number of monasteries and locations” (Vidmar 79). This universality of his rule helped to stabilize not only monasticism and the church, but also rub off on the common people and nobility that the monastics encountered.
He opposed the solitary life, but rather wanted a more cenobitic, or communal way of life. Basil argued that cenobitic life was the best way to follow the will of God and that it is important to be surrounded by a loving community. Although these communities would remain small so the monks could create a personal relationship between one and another. He was not afraid to express his opinions to his fellow disciples and made monasticism a universal concept. Through his actions, Basil expressed his belief that one needs to be unselfish and detached from the satisfaction of the outside world to leave a peaceful life. Each one of the monks in his community were required to live in absolute poverty. To him, it was more important to start a new life, in which one would follow the will of God. “In the West, he is venerated as one of the Four Greek Doctors, in the East as the first of the Three Holy Hierarchies. As patriarch of Eastern monks, he has always enjoyed great fame in Russia, and is honored there as one of its patron saints.” He also defined the terms ousia (nature) and hypostasis (being, person). In all, St. Basil had a great influence on Christianity who will be remembered for the founding of communal monasticism and one who put himself before
Many bishops and abbots (especially in countries where they were also territorial princes) bore themselves as secular rulers rather than as servants of the Church. Many members of cathedral chapters and other beneficed ecclesiastics were chiefly concerned with their income and how to increase it, especially by uniting several prebends (even episcopal sees) in the hands of one person, who thus enjoyed a larger income and greater power. Luxury prevailed widely among the higher clergy, while the lower clergy were often oppressed. The scientific and ascetic training of the clergy left much to be desired, the moral standard of many being very low, and the practice of celibacy not everywhere observed. Not less serious was the condition of many monasteries of men, and even of women (which were often homes for the unmarried daughte...
The Church was run by a Pope, monks, and nuns, and priests. The Pope was the head of the Catholic Church. The Pope was views as God’s representative, and the populous looked up to them on how to live and pray. It was the Pope’s choice, to decide what the church would teach. Pope Benedict forced all monks and nuns to take three vows, in order to practice in the Church. A vow of poverty, to give up all worldly goods; a vow of chastity to stay single; a vow of obedience to promise to obey the church and the rules of the monastery (Benedictine Rules). Nuns were women who prayed, weaved, practiced teaching, and wrote books, while monks devoted majority of their lives to the discipline of prayer.
Bainvel, Jean. The New Catholic Encyclopedia. New York City: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15006b.htm (accessed September 23, 2011).