medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Nicole Schulman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>I would imagine (and others would too) that events like the Black Death would
impact upon the mentalite of an age, and thus the views of
joe(sephine) average in the fourteenth or fifteenth century would
probably be pretty different from those in the 11th or 12th c.
absolutely.
Oldie but Goodie : Millard Meiss, _Painting in Florence and Siena after the
Black Death._
>One of the questions that fascinates me is the divergence of religious belief
that appears to have existed between the literati and the rustici (and those
in between). Using the earlier example of perceptions of the miraculous --
Were these perceptions the same for the educated cleric recording those
miracles, as they were for the formerly-blind beggar who
regained his sight (for example)? I would doubt it.
me too, but, as you imply, it depends upon the period you're dealing with.
Hugo Farsitus' account of the "miracles" associated with the ergot outbreak in
the Soissonais in the 1120s is the product of an obviously very well educated
(as a doctor, perhaps?) man who is, among other things, looking at the
phenomenon occuring before his eyes in a relatively dispassionate and
objective manner.
relative to the folks who were actually witnessing the miracles and having the
visions, that is.
but there's no trace in his narrative of any level of skepticism re the actual
validity of the miracles & visions themselves.
this might not be the case in writings of even a century or so later.
Hugo was *much* closer --in many, many ways-- to the _rusticii_ of his time
than an educated cleric of the end of the middle ages would be to his
contemporary rustics.
the gap existed in the early 12th c., but, significant as it was, it was
*tiny* compared to the gaping maw it became later.
though, even in the later period, i'd say that what the two classes (and all
Medievals) had in common was much more fundamental and significant than what
they did not share and, as such, they were much closer to each other than we
Modrens are to either of them.
>there is a great risk when attempting to understand things like the
spirituality of the Middle Ages of both:
>1) underemphasizing the degree to which "the Middle Ages" changed
over time, and people changed
absolutely.
>AND
>2) being overly reductionist in describing "the people" of the Middle
Ages as an amorphous mass, instead of a very varied group of people.
AND
3) being tyranised by our own constructs --in this case that of an homogeneous
"Middle Ages," stretching from 300 to 1500.
>Just some words of caution :)
caution's good.
christopher
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