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In Theologizing Friendship, the author aims to revitalize Jean Leclercq's defense of monastic theology, while expanding and qualifying some of the central theses expounded in Leclercq's magisterial The Love of Learning and the Desire for God. The current work contributes to a revised and updated status quaestionis concerning the theological relationship between classical monasticism and scholasticism, construed in more systematic and speculative terms than those of Leclercq, rendered here through the lens of friendship as a theological topos. The work shares with Ivan Illich's In the Vineyard of the Text the conviction that the rise of the Schools (Paris, Oxford, etc.) constitutes one of the...
The Meditations, written over a period from 1125 to 1137, are a personal account of William of Saint-Thierry’s ascent into Trinitarian intimacy. Writing to the monks of Mont Dieu sometime around 1144, he proposed the Meditations as helpful in forming minds in prayer. These Meditations, with their accompanying commentary, are now presented as helpful in forming an intimate relationship with the triune God.
Christian persons today might seek spiritual development and ponder the benefit of mindfulness exercises but also maintain concerns if they perceive such exercises to originate from other religious traditions. Such persons may not be aware of a long tradition of meditation practice in Christianity that promotes personal growth. This spiritual tradition receives a careful formulation by Christian monastic authors in the twelfth century. One such teaching on meditation is found in the treatise De consideratione written by St. Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153) to Pope Eugene III (d. 1153). In textual passages where St. Bernard exhibits a clear concern for the mental health of the Pope (due to nume...
A Companion to William of Saint-Thierry provides eight new studies on this noted twelfth-century Cistercian writer by some of the most prolific English-language William scholars from North America and Europe and is structured around William’s life, thought, and influence. A Benedictine abbot who became a Cistercian monk, William of Saint-Thierry (c. 1085-1148) lived through the first half of the twelfth century, a time of significant reform within western Christian monasticism. Although William was directly involved in these reforming efforts while at the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Thierry, his lasting legacy in Christian tradition comes through his written works, many as a Cistercian monk, that showcase his keen intellect, creative thinking, and at times profound insight for spiritual life and its fulfilment. Contributors: David N. Bell, Thomas X. Davis, E. Rozanne Elder, Brian Patrick McGuire, Glenn E. Myers, Nathaniel Peters, Aage Rydstrøm-Poulsen, and F. Tyler Sergent.
Bernard of Clairvaux is perhaps the most controversial figure of Western Europe's vibrant twelfth century. Unlike Abelard, who is seen as a proponent of modern thinking, Bernard is often relegated to the darkest corner of the Middle Ages. Nothing is easy with Bernard, but these fresh evaluations of him and their reviews of recent scholarship enable the reader to make a more balanced evaluation of the man, his writings, and his impact on his period. Bernard emerges as a multifaceted figure who sought to reform monasticism and ended up becoming a saint with an appeal to virtually all classes in medieval society. Bernard lives on today with the lay and monastic scholars who continue to find new layers of meaning in his writings. Contributors include Christopher Holdsworth, Michael Casey, James France, Diane Reilly, John Sommerfeldt, Mette B. Bruun, Burcht Pranger, Chrysogonus Waddell, E. Rozanne Elder, and Brian Patrick McGuire.
Military chaplains are highly trained professionals with multiple graduate degrees and varying civilian pastoral experience. They enter the chaplaincy after a rigorous selection process and military courses, which all must verify their calling to military ministry. Throughout a chaplain’s career, he or she will attend many continuing education seminars, civilian education graduate programs, and conferences, all provided by the military. However, chaplains are challenged with the rigorous multitasked environment of this ministry. Multiple deployments into combat have negatively impacted the personal lives of those seeking to care for the souls of the soldier. This book encourages the import...
GETTING BACK IN THE RIVER creates the opportunity for new insights and fresh, yet timeless, understandings of grieving, and provides actual steps of core healing in bereavement.
This volume analyses the renewal of Western moral thought in the twelfth century. This renewal was marked by a burgeoning of increasingly systematized texts, a lively reception of ancient moral philosophy and a greater emphasis on the psychology of the moral agent. Five contributions are devoted to monastic morality (Anselm of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvaux, Hugh of Folieto, Hugh of Saint Victor, Peter Abelard); another five to (proto-)scholastic thought (John of Salisbury, Peter Abelard, Stephen Langton, the idea of natural virtue, the justification of lying); three discuss moral issues in a wider social context (liberality vs. avarice, royal justice in England, the cardinal virtues and the French monarchy). The two remaining contributions explore ethical traditions in Islamic and Jewish philosophy. With contributions by István P. Bejczy, Céline Billot-Vilandreau, Marcia L. Colish, Jeroen Laemers, John Kitchen, Cary J. Nederman, Richard G. Newhauser, Willemien Otten, Burcht Pranger, Riccardo Quinto, Ineke van ’t Spijker, Arjo Vanderjagt, Björn Weiler and George Wilkes.
The institution of the lay brotherhood was not original to the Cistercians, but they developed it to its fullest extent. Although lay, the conversi were under the same vows as monks and represented a new form of religious life. While monks were bound to the recitation of the Divine Office, the lay brothers were dedicated to a life of toil and acted as the monks' auxiliaries. Their contribution to the spiritual and material life of the Cistercian Order was immense. By consideration of tales from the exemplum literature, evidence from general chapter statutes, and information on the architectural provisions made for the lay brothers in the abbey and on the outlying granges, this book puts flesh on the bare bones of a life directed by their own Usages. The book is richly illustrated with images from manuscripts, stained glass, and architectural sculpture.
This book is a revised edition of the classic overview of the principal texts, themes, and teachings of Carmel: Elijah and Mary, the Rule of St. Albert, the Carmelite understanding of prayer, and the message of Sts. Teresa, John of the Cross, and Thérèse. Carmel is known above all for her priceless heritage of spirituality. For centuries, in the spirit of Elijah and the ancient prophets, Carmelites have sought to encounter the living God and to teach others the ways of prayer. In sixteenth-century Spain, Saint Teresa of Avila brought renewed vitality to this religious family by inaugurating a reform movement that became known as the Discalced Carmelites, a new and fruitful branch on an anc...