Regarding the Feast of All Souls,
There is also a very interesting version of the story found Raoul
Glaber's _Historiarum libri quinque_. It compares in some respects to
Jotsald's, but differs in others. In Glaber's case, we hear of the
establishment of the special day by Odilo via the mouth of an African
hermit, who extols the "widely-renowned" monastery of Cluny for its
particular ability to liberate the souls of the dead through the prayer of
its monks. (Sorry, I don't have the exact reference in Glaber, but if
anyone wants it, I can retrieve it). It is hard to say whether Jotsald had
any knowledge of Glaber's story or not, or visa-versa, although it is
almost surely the case that Glaber's comes first.
Brent H.
Brent Hardy
Department of History
Emory University
Atlanta, GA 30033
[log in to unmask]
On Sat, 2 Nov 1996, GP. Ferzoco wrote:
> Carolyn Muessig has on a couple of occasions re-posted to the list some
> medieval-religion messages that have been particularly interesting,
> informative and appropriate to discussions at hand. In this case, I wish
> to follow this example by re-posting a message sent to the list last year at
> this time.
>
> Following the post I had made for the feasts of 2 November, Richard Landes
> asked the list whether anyone had information at hand regarding the feast
> of All Souls and Cluny. Isabelle Cochelin kindly provided the following
> reply, which can be consulted at our Web archives; the precise location of
> this message is:
> http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion/1995-11/0017.html
>
> * * * * * * * * * * * * *
>
> On the subject of All Souls,
>
> The information is given in a Vita of Odilo and in the customaries. For
> instance, in the Vita by Pierre Damien (PL 144, col.936-37), you can read:
> Tunc venerabilis pater Odilo per omnia monasteria sua constituit generale
> decretum ut, sicut primo die mensis Novembris, juxta universalis Ecclesiae
> regulam, omnium Sanctorum solemnitas agitur, ita sequenti die in psalmis et
> eleemosynis et praecipue missarum solemniis omnium in Christo quiescentium
> memoria celebretur.
>
> The other Vita of the saint is by the monk Jotsaud (PL 142, col.897-14,
> plus 2 chapters edited by E. SACKUR in Neues Archiv, 15 (1890): 118-21) I
> re-read it quicklu and did not see any mention of the Feast. But I might
> have gone through it too quickly. You have a chapter of the Liber tramitis
> reserved to this subject: the fact that Odilo created the feast of all
> souls: ed. P. Dinter, Liber tramitis aevi Odilonis Abbatis, (Corpus
> consuetudinum monasticarum, X), 1980, 138,p.199. It is then mentioned again
> in the customaries by Ulrich (PL 149, I,xlii,col.688-89 with a reference to
> the Vita) and Bernard (ed. M. Herrgott, Cura disciplina monastica, 1726,
> II,xxxii,p.353-54).
>
> Doing my Ph-D on cluniac sources (customaries and Vitae) from 909 to 1156,
> I have everything photocopied at home, as we say in french "under the
> hand". So, if I can be of help to anyone...
>
> Isabelle Cochelin [log in to unmask]
>
> * * * * * * * * * * * * *
> As it turns out, it has come to my attention that Isabelle recently
> defended her doctoral dissertation at the Universite' de Montre'al with
> great distinction, and is presently on a post-doctoral fellowship in
> Paris. Fe'licitations, Isabelle!
>
> George Ferzoco
>
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