Dear Meg,
I don't think so. I certainly have not but have simply noticed it once or
twice in my reading. I have always sort of assumed that it had a Germanic
origin, possibly a word used in some early medieval vernacular but I have no
real basis for that assumption.
Jo Ann
-----Original Message-----
From: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Friday, September 17, 1999 11:48 AM
Subject: Re: monastic query
>Jo Ann,
> has anyone studied the appearance of the "nonne" and related
>terms in the various european languages? I'm trying to figure out
>how it gets to iceland, where an interesting variant turns up:
>meynunna, literally "virgin nun." presumably this is to distinguish
>young women who joined from older women who became nuns in later life.
> Meg
>
>> A cloister is the inner area of a monastery where outsiders are either
>> excluded altogether or have only the most restricted access.
>
>> Nunnery is a relatively modern designation, in English only, for women's
>> monasteries. Whenever I use it, I pair it with monkery (a must rarer
but
>> nevertheless licit usage.) The distinction between nun and sister is
also a
>> modern legalism. In medieval texts the most common use is sanctimonial
for
>> female religious though you will also find monacham and --very
>> rarely--nonne. Sister is what they call each other. Orders develop
slowly
>> as conglomerates of monasteries from the late twelfth century and again,
>> congegations
>> (as descriptive of a group of religious communities ) is generally a
modern
>> designation for groups under episcopal supervision as compared to
>> independent orders.
>
>> Jo Ann
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Francine Nicholson <[log in to unmask]>
>> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: Thursday, September 16, 1999 2:39 PM
>> Subject: RE: monastic query
>
>
>> >> From: Rev. David G. Peters [SMTP:[log in to unmask]]
>> >>
>> >> Perhaps you could add "cloister" and "nunnery" to your list.
>> >> It is my understanding that Martin Luther was technically not a
monk,
>> >> but a friar. I would also be interested in whether this information
is
>> >> correct and, if so, what distinguishes monks from friars?
>> >> Thanks for entertaining such pedantic questions, my friends!
>> >>
>> >>
>> > If you're going to add nunnery, then you should probably also ask
>> >for the distinction between a nun and a sister, and an order and a
>> >congregation.
>> >
>> > BTW, some monasteries are nunneries, but not all nunneries are
>> >monasteries.
>> >
>> > Francine Nicholson
>
>
>Margaret Cormack [log in to unmask]
>Dept. of Philosophy and Religion fax: 843-953-6388
>College of Charleston tel: 843-953-8033
>Charleston, SC 29424-0001
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|