Snipped:
>> In teaching ancient and medieval Christianity, I have discovered that
>> most of my Christian students (who are generally protestants) have
>> trouble realizing that there were no protestants in the period we cover.
>
>I have sometimes encountered various sorts of Baptists who maintain that
>their denomination represents an unbroken tradition back to John the
>Baptist; when I try to say what Jo Ann says, they are quite disturbed--but
>it appears to be a matter of faith with them, which puts the question
>pretty much beyond argument.
Mark Williams
--------------------------
It shows the importance (in various fields) of studying Church History.
I recently observed to a retired professor (of Ch.His.) that I had found
it was always the Cinderella of theological studies. Yes, he said, I
agree: but look what happened to her!
More seriously, simple ignorance in this area is the cause of much
misunderstanding, and therefore (in this area especially) destructive.
My own private irritation is with the assumption (lurking all over) that
monks (and I might add, nuns) *were* this, that or the other.
Put that another way: I think (but please knock this one over if you have
some figures) that the biggest Black Monk (ie OSB, not Cistercian) house
in Britain since Augustine came to Canterbury (14th centenary in progress)
was Ampleforth in about 1960, being around 150. Even now at just under
100 it is bigger than medieval Westminster or Canterbury, though possibly
not Durham.
I shall be delighted if someone can produce better figures, and we have a
palm here already to be yielded to some other winner.
PS Numbers, of course, are not the whole story...
a.c.
Anselm Cramer OSB
Ampleforth Abbey, York
GB - YO6 4EN
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