In this study of Dante and the religious orders and institutions of his time, I argue that the poet embeds histories of the religious orders into the Commedia. I demonstrate that Dante’s historical vision, as it pertains to the religious orders, is one of parallel decline, whereby the virtuous intentions of religious institutions are corrupted as time moves forward. By taking Dante’s own historical scheme, which is best articulated through the character of St. Benedict of Nursia in Paradiso 22, I propose a reading of the Commedia that excavates and traces the histories that Dante tells of the papacy, cardinals and bishops, monasticism, and the mendicant fraternal orders. The first chapter identifies the scriptural foundations of apostolic succession as they are articulated in the Commedia, and how the historical tribulations of the early church, especially the Donation of Constantine, is depicted by Dante through his early papal history. The second chapter posits that Dante’s “modern popes” are a useful category for understanding how the papal history of the Commedia intersects with issues of conversion and political theory. My third chapter focuses on Dante’s history of cardinals and bishops and has two goals: to explore the ways in which the twinning of the figures of Peter and Paul create the backbone of the Commedia’s program for apostolic renewal and to examine and historicize Dante’s critiques of the Decretalists. The next chapter, on the history of monasticism, focuses on Benedict of Nursia and the origins of Western monasticism as depicted in the Commedia, the history of monastic reform traced by Dante in his poem, and the ways in which he stages issues of compulsion on the backdrop of religious life. In my fifth and final chapter I turn to Dante’s histories of the mendicant fraternal orders (the Order of Friars Minor and the Order of Preachers) and the lives of their two founders (Francis and Dominic) as told in Paradiso. By tracing the histories of religious orders that are sutured into the fabric of his Commedia, this dissertation proposes a new way of examining Dante’s historical imagination and narrative craft.

For every famous author of the twelfth-century renaissance, there are numerous lesser-known writers. Despite being overshadowed by more brilliant scholars or those closer to the centre of important events, their voices add depth to the study of the intellectual history of this period. A founding member of one of the earliest Premonstratensian houses; a highly-educated and prolific author, much in demand as a hagiographer; and a vigorous defender of the clerical order, Philip of Harvengt is one such writer, and a worthy subject for study. This thesis examines two bodies of Philip’s works – his letters and his hagiographical writings – analysing the predominant and recurrent concerns and ideals expressed in them, and the means by which they are expressed. The letters are carefully crafted works, examples of the literary labour which Philip writes is incumbent upon the cleric. The first part of this thesis approaches these letters in chapters on four themes: the role of the ecclesiastical prelate; the importance of learning; the relationship between religious orders; and Philip’s use of the motif of friendship. His hagiographical works, too, are examples of literary artistry, to move as well as to educate the audience. In the second part of the thesis, these will be discussed individually, with the first chapter analysing his vita of Oda, a nun attached to his own house, whom he portrays as a martyr. The succeeding chapters consider Philip’s rewritings of earlier vitae, and show how he managed his sources in order to produce vitae depicting their subjects according to his ideal model of sanctity. Philip’s letters express concerns shared by contemporaries, reflecting anxieties surrounding roles and ideal forms of living in a period immediately following the first fervour of religious renewal. His hagiographies articulate ideals of sanctity, clarifying these when they are not made sufficiently explicit in earlier works, for the better edification of an audience pursuing this vita perfecta. Both letters and hagiographies are designed to exhort and instruct the reader or listener: above all, Philip is a teacher.

A dynamic interpretation of the Prayer of St. Benedict provides a methodology for understanding and explicating Christian faith consistent with enduring elements in the theological tradition and meaningful to the contemporary milieu. Within the overarching structure of the Prayer as a meta-paradigm, are three subsidiary paradigms that describe characteristics of approaches to faith. The structure, content, and intention of the Prayer reveal these to be experiential, critical, and transcendental. Wisdom is asserted as integrating and orienting the discussion, which is a constructed on a Personalist foundation and is a postcritical reflection on faith. Faith is grounded in the affirmations and assumptions of faith, discerned in the enfolding appeals, and the supplications, a basis for an expository discourse on the dimensions of faith. / Systematic Theology & Theological Ethics / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

The goal of this thesis was to analyse the development of abbey in Waldsassen since the end of 14th century to the finish of George's of Podiebrad reign. Author struggled to describe on the basis of analysis of above all unpublished monastic sources, which are deposited in State archive in Amberg, various aspects of life in Waldsassen convent. Apart from the economic base and its changes, which are well covered by amount of sources, also social a political relations to secular power in the Holy Roman Empire - roman rulers and princes are studied. Then the basis deals with contacts of monastery with the Crown of Bohemia and its aristocracy and also with the position of Waldsassen in the Order and its cooperation with other Cistercian monasteries. Matters dealt with the papal throne are not forgetten, too. Detailed analysis was dedicated to parish network and the land register of Waldsassen, which presents the valuable source for former economic relationships and toponyms of "Stiftland" and Upper Palatine. The fourth chapter is also comprehensive, describing Waldsassen during the Hussite wars and eliminates some myths about this period in the region. Closing parts of this thesis are dedicated to the renewal of abbey domain and to the effort, which was invested mutually to maintain good relations...

A dynamic interpretation of the Prayer of St. Benedict provides a methodology for understanding and explicating Christian faith consistent with enduring elements in the theological tradition and meaningful to the contemporary milieu. Within the overarching structure of the Prayer as a meta-paradigm, are three subsidiary paradigms that describe characteristics of approaches to faith. The structure, content, and intention of the Prayer reveal these to be experiential, critical, and transcendental. Wisdom is asserted as integrating and orienting the discussion, which is a constructed on a Personalist foundation and is a postcritical reflection on faith. Faith is grounded in the affirmations and assumptions of faith, discerned in the enfolding appeals, and the supplications, a basis for an expository discourse on the dimensions of faith. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Cette thèse offre une nouvelle édition de trois documents essentiels pour l’histoire du monastère italien de Bobbio au 9e siècle :le « Breve memorationis » de l’abbé Wala (c. 835) et les polyptyques de 862 et 883. Au travers d’une analyse qui prête une attention inédite à la matérialité des documents originaux, il a été possible de mettre en évidence un certain nombre de logiques internes aux documents et de démarches d’enquête et de mise par écrit jusque là totalement ignorées par la recherche. L’importance des logiques de succession géographique des possessions a notamment été mise en évidence, en rapport direct avec la forme donnée au texte de 862 par son rédacteur. La personnalité de Wala est longuement étudiée, ainsi que l’organisation interne du monastère à laquelle son nom est associé. Enfin, le polyptyque de 883 bénéficie d’une attention nouvelle, qui permet de rédéfinir sa place et son rôle par rapport à son modèle de 862. / Doctorat en Histoire, art et archéologie / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The present thesis examines the way in which two twelfth century authors, the Cistercian monks, Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153) and William of St. Thierry (c. 1080-1148), used Augustine (354-430) in the articulation of their mystical thought. The approach to this subject takes into account the fact that in the works of all these medieval authors the “mystical” element is inescapably entangled with their theological discourse and that an accurate understanding of their views on the soul’s direct encounter with God cannot be achieved without a discussion of their theology. This thesis posits that the cohesion of Bernard’s and William’s mystical thought lies in their appropriation of the guiding principle of Augustine’s mystical theology: “You made us for yourself and our heart is restless until it rests in you” (conf. 1.1.1), reflected in the subtle interplay of three main themes, namely (1) the creation of humanity in the image and likeness of God, which provides the grounds for the understanding of the soul’s search for direct contact with God; (2) love as a longing innate in every human being, which explores the means to attain immediacy with God; and (3) the soul’s direct encounter with God, which discusses the nature of the soul’s immediate experience of the divine presence that can only be achieved in lasting fullness at the end of time. This examination of Bernard’s and William’s use of Augustine is structured on the basis of these three core themes which form the scaffolding of their mystical thought. Investigating the specific methods of their reception of Augustine will highlight the originality and uniqueness of each of the two Cistercian authors, who while drawing on the same patristic source use it nevertheless in various ways, by focussing on different aspects of Augustine’s immense oeuvre and by arriving at distinct mystical programmes.

This thesis examines a series of documents described as electoral charters, produced in monastic institutions of the Loire Valley from the late tenth to late eleventh centuries. By considering the variations in the formulas used for each charter, the study considers what the charters were saying about power or wanted to project about the powers at play in the events they described. Through this, the thesis demonstrates that the power of lordship projected by such documents was of a very traditional nature throughout the period in which they were being produced. The count's role on each occasion showed him to be a dominant force with a power of lordship composed of possession and rights of property ownership, but also intangible elements, including a sacral interest. By considering the context of events surrounding each charter of election, the thesis demonstrates that elements of this lordship could be more or less projected at different times in order that different statements might be made about the count. Thus, the symbolic expressions of power appear to have been bigger elements or more strongly emphasised in periods when the count's political or military power was under pressure. The differences in formulas used throughout the period of the charters' production demonstrate that, despite the appearance of new elements that may appear to have been important novelties, these processes were likely to have been original to proceedings, and therefore the notions of a reform of investitures taking place in the mid-eleventh century must be nuanced. Instead of demonstrating a mutation in relationships between lord and Church, the documents demonstrate an alteration in style and content, becoming more narrative and verbose and in these ways revealing elements of the process of abbatial elevations that had previously been hidden from view.

The thesis focuses on the economy of the Cistercian Order, from its inception until the end of the 13th century. There are two parallel analysis of monasteries Obazine (France) and Plasy (Bohemia), which are compared in the final part of the research. First the study present foundation of monasteries in the historical context of the country and the region. Then he focuses on the process of acquiring property and attempts to reveal common and different features in the economic development of the courts and farming. The work may present the real situation only to the extent that it allows the historical sources. The main historical source is cartulary of Obazine and documents of Plasy from Codex diplomaticus et epistolaris regni Bohemiae. In addition, the study draws information from various foreign and czech literature.

Dans cette thèse, nous étudions la question du traducteur du corpus de Jean Damascène en arabe. Deux noms sont proposés : Antoine, higoumène du Monastère Saint-Siméon-le-jeune (10e siècle) et ‘Abdallah ibn al-Faḍl (11e siècle). La découverte d’un traité supplémentaire, le Contre les Nestoriens 1, ignoré de nos prédécesseurs s’est avérée être la clef pour résoudre cette question. C’est pourquoi nous nous sommes résolus de faire une édition critique de ce traité et du deuxième traité Contre les Nestoriens 2, tous deux traduits par le même traducteur et portant sur le même sujet. Dans l’introduction qui précède l’édition, nous consacrons une première partie au contexte historique de cette traduction, c’est-à-dire aux circonstances du passage d’Antioche du grec à l’arabe. Dans la deuxième partie, nous faisons un état de la recherche sur la traduction de Jean Damascène en arabe. Puis, nous fournirons une nouvelle description des manuscrits qui contiennent au moins un des deux traités Contre les Nestoriens et soulignerons leur apport à la solution de la question posée. Après avoir identifié le traducteur et les œuvres qu’il a traduites, nous essayerons de recueillir quelques informations biographiques sur notre traducteur à partir des colophons. Nous étudierons également la postérité du texte avant de laisser place à l’édition critique. L’ensemble est complété par plusieurs index. / In this thesis, I would like to study the question about the translator of John Damascene’s corpus Greek into Arabic. Two names were suggested by scholars: Antony, Abbot of the Monastery Saint-Symon-the-Young (10th century) and ‘Abdallah ibn al-Faḍl (11th century). The discovery of a second Against the Nestorians was the key to solve this question. For this reason, I decided to make a critical edition of the two Against the Nestorians because the translator and the subject are the same, willing to publish the whole translation in the future. In the introduction that precedes the edition, I talked about the historical context and the events that leaded to the translation activity in Antioch (10th /11th century). In the second chapter, I resumed scholars’ conclusions on the Arabic translation of John Damascene’s works. Then, I gave a new description of the manuscripts that have at least one of the two Against the Nestorians and explain how that helped me identifying the translator. After identifying the translator and the works he translated, I collected some new bibliographical information about him from the colophons. I also studied the posterity of the translation. In the third chapter, I tried to find a Greek manuscript similar in content to the Arabic translation. I presented also the way the translator translates from Greek into Arabic. Then, I divided the different manuscripts into groups and draw the stemma. Those introductory elements are followed by the edition, and the whole work is completed by some index containing mostly references to theological and philosophical vocabulary in the edition.