The Language of Reform in Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Monasticism: East and West
Sponsoring Organization(s)
Byzantine Studies Association of North America (BSANA)
Organizer Name
Greg Peters
Organizer Affiliation
Biola Univ.
Presider Name
Richard Barrett
Presider Affiliation
Indiana Univ.-Bloomington
Paper Title 1
Monastic Criticisms and Pious Ideals in the Writings of Twelfth-Century Byzantine Bishops
Presenter 1 Name
Hannah Ewing
Presenter 1 Affiliation
Ohio State Univ.
Paper Title 2
The Language of Reform: An Examination of Eastern and Western Monastic Foundation Documents
Presenter 2 Name
Greg Peters
Start Date
9-5-2013 3:30 PM
Session Location
Valley II Garneau Lounge
Description
During the eleventh and twelfth centuries there were major monastic reform movements in both the eastern (Theotokos Evergetis, for example) and western (Cîteaux, for example) areas of Europe. These reform movements and the resulting monastic foundations generated a vast amount of literature that is still extant today: monastic rules and typika, customaries, hagiographies and vitae, treatises in defense of monasticism, etc. These documents have oftentimes been edited and studied in great detail in such works, for example, as Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents, eds. John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (Dumbarton Oaks, 2000) and Giles Constable, The Reformation of the Twelfth Century (Cambridge University Press, 1996). These documents have rarely been examined, however, for their use of a language of reform. This session invites papers from scholars working in eleventh- and/or twelfth-century monastic history in the east and west on aspects of the language and vocabulary used to help effect the reforms postulated in the various genres of monastic documents, not only rules or typika. What promises were made for obedience to these documents? What punishments were promised for disobedience to the rule or typikon? Were the punishments enacted or was the language simply used as an attempt to motivate change? If punishments were handed out, what was the nature of the punishments that recalcitrant monastics received for disobedience to the rule or foundation document? Presentations exploring these topics and other questions are especially welcome as are papers employing a variety of methodologies.
Greg Peters
The Language of Reform in Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Monasticism: East and West
Valley II Garneau Lounge
During the eleventh and twelfth centuries there were major monastic reform movements in both the eastern (Theotokos Evergetis, for example) and western (Cîteaux, for example) areas of Europe. These reform movements and the resulting monastic foundations generated a vast amount of literature that is still extant today: monastic rules and typika, customaries, hagiographies and vitae, treatises in defense of monasticism, etc. These documents have oftentimes been edited and studied in great detail in such works, for example, as Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents, eds. John Thomas and Angela Constantinides Hero (Dumbarton Oaks, 2000) and Giles Constable, The Reformation of the Twelfth Century (Cambridge University Press, 1996). These documents have rarely been examined, however, for their use of a language of reform. This session invites papers from scholars working in eleventh- and/or twelfth-century monastic history in the east and west on aspects of the language and vocabulary used to help effect the reforms postulated in the various genres of monastic documents, not only rules or typika. What promises were made for obedience to these documents? What punishments were promised for disobedience to the rule or typikon? Were the punishments enacted or was the language simply used as an attempt to motivate change? If punishments were handed out, what was the nature of the punishments that recalcitrant monastics received for disobedience to the rule or foundation document? Presentations exploring these topics and other questions are especially welcome as are papers employing a variety of methodologies.
Greg Peters