A Course Blog for Elon's REL 204: Christian Traditions.
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
The Irony in Monasticism
"Monasticism in Western Medieval Europe" is an account of monastic monks and nuns' lifestyles, monasteries, and rituals that all result from their decision to put aside material possessions and live lives full of simplicity, as Jesus Christ did. The essence of monasticism is following a humble way of life in order to reach salvation, but I could not help noticing that these nuns and monks are quite inconsistent with their views and practices. These individuals claim to live lives that divert from luxury or extravagance, yet they seem to be extremely preoccupied with adorning their monasteries with ornate and ostentatious artworks and decorations. Filling their churches with these items is not only expensive, but it also defeats the purpose of their attempt to live simply. Because of this, I wonder whether other people who lived during this time period questioned the faith of these monks and nuns because their actions and words contradicted one another. Since these religious people preached one thing but lived another way, I feel as if many other Christians were taken aback and hesitant to accept the Christian faith. These monks and nuns seemed to care a lot about the appearance of their churches to attract visitors and worshippers, but they should have focused on more substantial ways to entice them, such as through preaching, living by example, and committing good deeds. If I were an inhabitant of this time period, I would definitely question the intentions of the monks and nuns. The inconsistency of these monks and nuns' practices and beliefs represent that no matter how hard humans try to live like Jesus Christ, they will inevitably fail since all of humanity is inclined to succumb to sinfulness and temptation.
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While I totally understand the apparent irony in the situation, there is another perspective to consider. The monks and nuns lived in simplicity: their cells were simple and they did not have extravagant clothing. The adornment of the church could be considered a contradiction, but it could also be considered a form of worship. The ornate decorations did not make the life of the nuns and monks more luxurious, but showed the beauty that God was capable of created. Additionally, the appearance of the churches may have attracted visitors at first, but there were also "substantial" ways to teach the members of the church. The monks and nuns were trying to achieve a balance, attract the visitors first and then sustain them. While there are arguments for and against art in churches, it is important to remember that anything with serves absolutely no purpose will be discarded: there must always be some pragmatic purpose.
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ReplyDeleteI agree that it can seem ironic, but I think that Kristina also has an important point. Art in churches serves a number of purposes, which aren't just to show or demonstrate wealth. We'll talk about this a little more tomorrow, I'm sure, and when we read Robin Jensen's book.
ReplyDeleteStill, great observations and comments!
I agree with the above comments. Churches are, after all, temples built in the honor of and for the purpose of worshipping the Christian God, so it would make sense for those devoted to the faith (the monastics in this case) to decorate their churches accordingly. By using these ostentatious and expensive decorations, they are (in their minds, at least) honoring their God and creating a space that is worthy of worshipping Him.
ReplyDeleteAnother point to consider is that a lot of these flashy decorations were for the benefit of poor, uneducated people who didn't always know what was going on in church, especially since most of the sermons/preachings were done in Latin, regardless of where the churches were located. This is why stain glass windows were so popular - their illustrations allowed the common people to understand the stories and messages of the Bible without having to be able to read. Having grand and richly decorated worship spaces would help to keep the parishioners in awe and would help to keep them coming back, and might even help them to understand the might and grandeur of the Christian God.
Also, the Church collected huge amounts of money through donations, tithes, taxes, etc. They probably had a lot of money that they didn't know what to do with, so it's understandable that they would pay for lavish decorations. At the end of the day, I can't really complain about it. Some of the best works of art in history were created for the Church, and if the monastics had shunned aesthetics in the way you're suggesting then we may never have had those masterpieces.