medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Greetings all,
I´m sure most list-members are quite familiar with the literature on medieval
miracles and canonization procedures, but I´ve run across a query which I don´t think
I´ve ever seen addressed. Are there, in the ancient or medieval traditions, official
formulas or instructions for making a vow? For what may be vowed? I am specifically
interested in vows to saints for health or other purposes, not (for example) careless
vows, as in the case of Jephtha´s daughter. I have the feeling this was just common knowledge - everybody knew roughly what to do - but I wondered whether theologians (or authors of penitentials?)
may have said about it, if anything. I´d be particularly interested in learning of
terms in other languages that might correspond to the Icelandic 'confirm, formalize' -
in the Icelandic miracle collections, we are often told, after a vow, 'and then s/he
festa heitit', which I would translate as 'formally confirmed (the English analogue for 'festa'
is 'fasten') the vow. There is, however, no indication of what was actually done in this procedure (which happens when the vow is made, I am not talking about paying the vow when the cure has been received, a different matter entirely). I believe that both Vauchez and Finucane have written about the 'power' of the vow being in the words themselves (so, at any rate, claims the article I am reading.) I will
dig out these references, but wondered whether there is any further literature on the subject.
I would not, myself, have seen medieval vows as particularly good examples of 'the power of
words', but if there is literature on this topic I´d like to know about it. Indeed, I´d be happy
for a detailed encyclopedia article on the general topic of vows in the Christian tradition, if one
exists.
Thanks in advance,
Meg Cormack
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|