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> The definition of Irish white martyrdom I was using was derived from Clare
> Stancliffe's "Red, White and Blue Martyrdom," in Whitelock et al.,
> _Ireland
> in Early Mediaeval Europe_, pp. 21-46. In that study, white martyrdom is
> simply a life of asceticism (admittedly, often involving peregrinatio).
> Bitel agrees with this in _Isle of the Saints_. Is there some other study
> that focuses on white martyrdom specifically as "voluntary exile from the
> land of one's birth for
> the 'love of God'"?
>
I haven't read Stancliffe's article so I can't address its specifics
(except to say that translating the color as "blue" really isn't correct).
I'm speaking from memory of the work I did for my unpublished master's
thesis which was based on marginalia that discussed and described ascetic
ideals in the various versions of the Martyrology of Oengus. The original
ideal of peregrinatio as a form of ascetic practice was well accepted in the
very early Irish church. As time passed, it became less acceptable
(especially under the influence of the ce/li de/) and we start to see
sarcastic little poems and barbed remarks about those who think they have to
go to Rome to save their souls. Also, we see the simultaneous growth of
family-based monasteries (for example, the churches and monasteries
associated with Colum cille were almost always headed by a member of the
Cenel Conaill). Increasingly, the emphasis was placed on the life of
asceticism rather than where it was carried out. The de-emphasis on
peregrinatio also probably resulted from increasing influence from the
Romanizing party which was in favor of the Benedictine ideal of remaining in
one monastery. However, the ideal of going to live in a monastery that was
not in your home territory did persist.
Francine Nicholson
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