medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: Jussi Hanska <[log in to unmask]>
> One indeed encounters within the Exempla occasionally true historical
characters. Sometimes the stories repeated in them are familiar from
other sources, for example Roman historians, but sometimes they are
unique sources of the event in question.
yes, that's what i understand from my limited foraging in the medium.
i suspect that well-known (more or less) fellows were mentioned by name to add
a certain Veracity to the accounts --esp. those which might be more than a bit
on the fantastical side.
the exemplum involving Prince Henry D. doesn't seem to fall into that catagory
however --unless one is to believe that the conversion of such a worldly
Prince in the Church, leading an extrodinarily opulent lifestyle is
"fantastical" by its very nature.
> Occasionally it is reasonably easy to assume that the whole story is
fabricated. For example the stories where the person in question visits the
other world. In most cases, however, and this is the case with Caesarius'
exemplum discussed here, one has no sources that would confirm the story.
Basically then, it is a matter of faith. Of course, one can make educated
guesses on the basis of the story itself. Does it sound reliable? Could it
have been true? How close was the reporter to the events described? And so and
on.
> In this particular case I am inclined to think that the story may very well
be true but in the end of the day it is still an educated guess - nothing more
and nothing less. However, I think here one should remember the old Italian
proverb: "Se non è vero è ben trovato."
yes, i think i've got the making of a good footnote, here.
something like "The circumstances of Henry's conversion are not entirely
clear, but it seems that there was a tradition within the order in the early
13th which suggests that he paid a visit to Bernard at Clairvaux some time
before he actually entered the abbey itself...."
thanks, Jussi.
c
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