medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
For what little it's worth, my impression after looking at the article is that while its overlooking "Eastern" monastic practices is a blemish in an encyclopedia that often does better on this score it is probably pretty accurate for Latin-rite monasticism in general. Certainly the names of the ninth- through twelfth-century abbots of Montecassino don't seem to reflect a general practice there of taking a new name upon making one's profession. And whereas there are more saint's names among the eleventh- through mid-thirteenth-century abbots of SS. Trinità at Cava de' Tirreni, most of that house's twelfth-century abbots bore names that are likely to have been theirs before entering religion (e.g. Falco, Marinus, Benincasa). Monastic tombstones from ninth-century San Vincenzo al Volturno show retention of vernacular names.
Where the article falls down a bit is in not calling attention to the obvious early medieval instances, e.g. Benedict Biscop and Rabanus Maurus. Constantine-Cyril (brother of Methodius), though the name change took place in Rome, is probably a instance of Greek cultural practice.
The (old) _Catholic Encyclopedia_, s.v. "Christian Names", has a very useful final section somewhat misleadingly entitled "Confirmation names" that addresses Paul's point about major changes in general rather than specifically monastic custom. See:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10673c.htm
The final paragraph of Alexander Kazhdan's article "Names, Personal" in the _Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium_ (II, 1435-36) similarly generalizes on the basis of later medieval evidence. There may simply be no way of confirming the supposition that the innumerable Middle Byzantine monastic Daniels, Eliases, Lukes, Niluses, Sophroniuses, etc. took those names upon entering religion, though we know from various Bioi that the practice of a name change at this time of passage certainly existed. John Wickstrom's query, though not so formulated, probably envisioned Latin-rite practice only. But it would also be interesting to know when the Greek practice began. I don't remember it from the writings of the Desert Fathers.
Best,
John Dillon
On Tuesday, May 6, 2008, at 2:38 pm, Paul Chandler wrote:
>
> I did not really feel qualified to give an evaluation of the article
> which I
> briefly summarised, but maybe it's just not up to the usually high standard
> of this encyclopedia. As we have seen, there are plenty of earlier examples
> of change of name.
>
> Is it possible that the biblical examples which would have been in
> everyone's minds (Abraham, Peter, Paul, etc.) suggested a change of
> name to
> mark the undertaking of a special mission, or some other major change,
> without name-changing becoming a universal or normative custom? -- Paul
> Chandler
>
> 2008/5/6 George H. Brown <[log in to unmask]>:
>
> > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> > I was surprised to learn that the custom was formally established so
> late,
> > because even in the 8th c. it is attested. Biscop Baducing took
> the name
> > Benedict after he left secular life as a Northumbrian noble and
> became monk
> > and then abbot of Wearmouth/Jarrow. At the same time some Anglo-Saxon
> > missionaries took on new names, e.g., Wynfrith was given the then name
> > Boniface by Pope Gregory II.
> >
> > GHB
> >
> > medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> > According to V. Macca, "Nome di religione", Dizionario degli
> Istituti di
> > Perfezione, 6 (1980): 321-325, this is a fairly recent custom, which
> becomes
> > widespread with the religious reform movements around the time of the
> > Council of Trent.
> >
> >
> --
> Paul Chandler, O.Carm. | Institutum Carmelitanum
> via Sforza Pallavicini, 10 | 00193 - Roma | Italy
> tel: +39-06-6810.0849 | fax: +39-06-6830.7200
> [log in to unmask]
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