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
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- 50 Late Medieval Monasticism: Historiography and Prospects
- 51 Sources of Late Medieval Monasticism
- 52 Monastic Liturgy, 1100–1500: Continuity and Performance
- 53 Books and Libraries within Monasteries
- 54 Art in Monastic Churches of Western Europe from the Twelfth to the Fourteenth Century
- 55 Lay Brothers and Sisters in the High and Late Middle Ages
- 56 Female Religious Life in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries
- 57 Striving for Religious Perfection in the Lay World of Northern Europe
- 58 Monks and the Universities, c. 1200–1500
- 59 Bishops, Canon Law, and the Religious, c. 1140–1350
- 60 Daily Life in Late Medieval Monasteries
- 61 Monastic Preaching, c. 1350–1545
- 62 Research on Monasticism in the German Tradition
- 63 Satirical Depictions of Monastic Life
- 64 A Crisis of Late Medieval Monasticism?
- Index
- References
57 - Striving for Religious Perfection in the Lay World of Northern Europe
from Part IV - Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 January 2020
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
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- 50 Late Medieval Monasticism: Historiography and Prospects
- 51 Sources of Late Medieval Monasticism
- 52 Monastic Liturgy, 1100–1500: Continuity and Performance
- 53 Books and Libraries within Monasteries
- 54 Art in Monastic Churches of Western Europe from the Twelfth to the Fourteenth Century
- 55 Lay Brothers and Sisters in the High and Late Middle Ages
- 56 Female Religious Life in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries
- 57 Striving for Religious Perfection in the Lay World of Northern Europe
- 58 Monks and the Universities, c. 1200–1500
- 59 Bishops, Canon Law, and the Religious, c. 1140–1350
- 60 Daily Life in Late Medieval Monasteries
- 61 Monastic Preaching, c. 1350–1545
- 62 Research on Monasticism in the German Tradition
- 63 Satirical Depictions of Monastic Life
- 64 A Crisis of Late Medieval Monasticism?
- Index
- References
Summary
A sermon detailing the active and contemplative life by the Dominican preacher Meister Eckhart (d. c. 1328) opens, “St. Luke writes in his gospel that our Lord Jesus Christ entered a little town where a woman named Martha received him. She had a sister named Mary who sat at Christ’s feet and listened to his words; but Martha hurried about serving our dear Lord.” As Giles Constable has demonstrated, both Martha and her sister Mary were popular and important models in later medieval devotion. Mary was identified with the anonymous sinner who washes Jesus’ feet (Luke 7:36–50) and with Mary Magdalene. Nevertheless, it is important to keep in mind that Martha, this quiet and industrious woman from Bethany, became an influential model for pious lay women during the high and later Middle Ages. Given her importance, the late medieval cult of Martha both offers a point of entry to the subject of lay religious life and forms the basis for this chapter.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West , pp. 1057 - 1073Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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