Class Notes 3/15

Christian Traditions Notes 3/15

Mechthild of Magdeburg

• God’s Absence
• Absence is of God is painful but strengthens her
• God Speaks to the Soul
• Relationship of soul and God
• Become so close they resemble each other
• God also loves and wants connection to the human

St. John of the Cross

• Highlights love relationship with the soul and God
• Highly charged

• Bridegroom has “hidden himself” and the bride is unhappy
• Bride seems obsessed with him
• She feels abandoned
• “She”=the soul (St. John’s soul)
• Bridegroom responds
• “Your mother”=Eve, Garden of Eden
• Under the apple tree, the soul was engaged with God
• Renewal of relationship with God and the soul
• Bride wants to continue the relationship
• Rings of an eternal life ending
• Courtly poems
• Similar to romance novels but that happen with knights
• Love is unrequited
• Woman pushed away, put that leads to more desire for the man
• 1100-1400
• Height of medieval monasticism
• A lot of romantic poetry

Medieval Women Religious

The Paradox for Medievals

• Jesus first appeared to women after his death, suggesting that women’s prayers are efficacious
• First to hear about his resurrection
• Women were at the cross mourning his death
• Women’s prayers are particularly important
• Paradox: Women were seen as unclean, childish, and prone to sexual wantonness

A Little Context

• Prior to 6th century, women were deacons, a role with pastoral authority
• Paul wrote about this in letters
• When women are restricted from the diaconate (Council of Orleans in 533), there was an increase in female monasticism
• “Regulars”
• Follow the rule of the monastic orders and the hours

Medieval Nuns in the High Middle Ages

• Height of female monasticism, 1100-1400. At the beginning less than 10% of those made saints were women, but by the 15th century 28% of the saints were women
• Medieval women’s monasteries emphasized the rule of community life, virginity, renunciation of property, and enclosure
• Take vows of obedience, celibacy, and poverty
• Relic: something that remains of a saint
• Primary: actual pieces of the saint, ex.-bones or nails
• Secondary/contact: piece that a saint has touched/owned

Types of Women Religious

• Nuns
• These were “regulars” who followed the rule and lived in community
• Anchoress
• Women enclosed in a small room, usually adore the Eucharist
• Julian of Norwich
• Vowess
• Usually a widow who took vows of chastity, but not obedience and poverty
• Beguine
• A lay religious women living in community
• Haven’t taken vows
• Beguinage
• Write their own rules but live lives dedicated to God
• Often do work
• Take care of the sick

Emphases of Female Piety According to Bynum

• Feeling the suffering/wounds of Christ
• Fascination of Christ as an infant
• Identification of Mary as mother, but also in competition with her
• Christ as bridegroom
• Emphasis on the Eucharist