Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- The New Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 General Introduction
- Part I The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
- Part II The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
- 18 The Historiography of Central Medieval Western Monasticism
- 19 Sources for the History of Monasticism in the Central Middle Ages (c. 800–1100)
- 20 Questions of Monastic Identity in Medieval Southern Italy and Sicily (c. 500–1200)
- 21 Discerning “Reform” in Monastic Liturgy (c. 750–1050)
- 22 Monasticism, Reform, and Authority in the Carolingian Era
- 23 Carolingian Monastic Schools and Reform
- 24 Monastic Economics in the Carolingian Age
- 25 Missions on the Northern and Eastern Frontiers, c. 700–1100
- 26 Minsters and Monasticism in Anglo-Saxon England
- 27 Monastic Art and Architecture, c. 700–1100: Material and Immaterial Worlds
- 28 Monastic Daily Life (c. 750–1100): A Tight Community Shielded by an Outer Court
- 29 The Double Monastery as a Historiographical Problem (Fourth to Twelfth Century)
- 30 Interactions between Monks and the Lay Nobility (from the Carolingian Era through the Eleventh Century)
- 31 Monastic Reform from the Tenth to the Early Twelfth Century
- 32 Monastic Canon Law in the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Centuries
- 33 Eastern Influence on Western Monasticism, 850–1050
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- Index
- References
31 - Monastic Reform from the Tenth to the Early Twelfth Century
from Part II - The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 January 2020
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- The New Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 General Introduction
- Part I The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
- Part II The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
- 18 The Historiography of Central Medieval Western Monasticism
- 19 Sources for the History of Monasticism in the Central Middle Ages (c. 800–1100)
- 20 Questions of Monastic Identity in Medieval Southern Italy and Sicily (c. 500–1200)
- 21 Discerning “Reform” in Monastic Liturgy (c. 750–1050)
- 22 Monasticism, Reform, and Authority in the Carolingian Era
- 23 Carolingian Monastic Schools and Reform
- 24 Monastic Economics in the Carolingian Age
- 25 Missions on the Northern and Eastern Frontiers, c. 700–1100
- 26 Minsters and Monasticism in Anglo-Saxon England
- 27 Monastic Art and Architecture, c. 700–1100: Material and Immaterial Worlds
- 28 Monastic Daily Life (c. 750–1100): A Tight Community Shielded by an Outer Court
- 29 The Double Monastery as a Historiographical Problem (Fourth to Twelfth Century)
- 30 Interactions between Monks and the Lay Nobility (from the Carolingian Era through the Eleventh Century)
- 31 Monastic Reform from the Tenth to the Early Twelfth Century
- 32 Monastic Canon Law in the Tenth, Eleventh, and Twelfth Centuries
- 33 Eastern Influence on Western Monasticism, 850–1050
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- Index
- References
Summary
Reform is one of the most frequently referenced, but least understood, aspects of monasticism’s development in the tenth to early twelfth centuries. Its status as a key paradigm in discussions of that period originated with contemporary apologetic commentators who relied on reform to support a broad range of auctorial agendas. Some of these individuals were seeking to justify ongoing or recent interventions by reformist agents in the life of monastic groups, while others, writing from an a posteriori perspective, used accounts of reform as a means to construct a heroic memory for past spiritual and institutional leaders, to project certain ideals relevant to the current state of monasticism, or to justify the actions of reformers living in their own age. All, or nearly all, of these discourses supported an interpretation of monastic reform as an abrupt, sometimes traumatic, but nearly always beneficial procedure, rooted in the desire to realize a more authentic experience of the cenobitic ideal and remediate some of the challenges facing monastic communities, such as the decline of discipline, bad leadership, and interference from secular society.
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- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West , pp. 599 - 617Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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