medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
The canon A crapula (X 3.1.14) calls "mentis exsilium" one of the
results of drunkenness. This phrasing is more colloquial & striking in
the sermon. I agree it must be hangover.
You might want to check:
PUBLICATION NUMBER AAT 3046444
TITLE Drunkenness and the religious body
AUTHOR Emerson, Kelly A.
DEGREE PhD
SCHOOL THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
DATE 2002
PAGES 296
ADVISER Baldwin, John; Spiegel, Gabrielle
ISBN 978-0-493-60634-7
SOURCE DAI-A 63/03, p. 1075, Sep 2002
SUBJECT HISTORY, MEDIEVAL (0581); RELIGION, HISTORY OF (0320);
HISTORY, EUROPEAN (0335)
Tom Izbicki
Throughout the Middle Ages, medieval moralists denounced drunkenness,
bemoaned its persistent popularity, and warned against its connection
with other sins. Excessive drinking was a very real problem, a fact
which is not surprising considering that drink played a significant role
in the most quotidian events of medieval life. Given the intoxicating
effects of alcohol, this role would always be somewhat problematic, and
controlling consumption remained an elusive task. Part One of this
dissertation considers drunkenness from the perspective of medieval
medicine and morality in order to present an overview of the problems
involved and to illustrate the persistent association of drunkenness
with gluttony, loquacity, lethargy, and sexual desire. Most
significantly, this section demonstrates that the mechanics of
drunkenness are those of everyday bodily happenings and argues that the
great anxiety attached to drunkenness was in-part a reflection of a
general anxiety about digestion and the body's natural state. Part Two
considers drunkenness in a specifically monastic context. In the West,
wine became an accepted part of the religious diet, but monastic
legislation and moral writings insisted that moderation and necessity
govern its consumption. In so far as the monastery represented a haven
from excess, monastic consumption and practice could be contrasted
sharply with the drunken excesses common in the outside world. Yet not
even the strictest observance of moderation could completely eliminate
the dangers posed by the necessity of consumption. The careful physical
and procedural ordering of the monastic life which characterizes
monasticism arose in part out of the attempt to circumscribe such
dangers. But drunkenness was more than a practical problem. Perhaps the
most obvious violation of the religious imperative to avoid excess,
drunkenness became emblematic of human weaknesses: the susceptibility of
carnal beings to fleshly needs, their inability to resist such
temptations, and the somatic messiness that was at once a cause and a
consequence of the body's weaknesses. At the same time, drunkenness, as
metaphor, was used to describe the experience of spiritual union with
the divine. Paradoxically, drunkenness was a model for both the most
carnal and spiritual states and individual might experience.
Thomas Izbicki
Research Services Librarian
and Gifts-in-Kind Officer
Eisenhower Library
Johns Hopkins
Baltimore, MD 21218
(410)516-7173
fax (410)516-8399
>>> Catherine Gunn <[log in to unmask]> 2/27/2007 12:04 PM >>>
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
culture
Dear colleagues
In a sermon to beguines by Nicholas de Gorran (from the collection of
sermons preached at the Paris beguinage in 1272-73 edited by Nicole
Beriou)
Nicholas warns his listeners that they should not go to the tavern
where
they will spend in an evening all they have earned in a week, drink too
much
and 'occides caput tuum' - I'm guessing this means get a hangover?
(I'm not sure of the relevance of this advice to the beguines: the
point of
the story is always to be aware of the consequences of your actions).
If anyone can help with the translation of this phrase, I would be
grateful,
Cate
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