As perennial Christian ideals, virginity and chastity were frequent themes in medieval religious discourse. Male religious were frequently virgins and were expected to cultivate chastity; however, women not men were usually the focus of such discussions. But some monastic writers did draw on those models when considering their own spirituality, and it is worth knowing how they were understood and enlisted in those instances. To this end, I investigate five eleventh- and twelfth-century monks who wrote about monastic virginity or chastity: Anselm of Canterbury, Guibert of Nogent, Rupert of Deutz, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Ælred of Rievaulx. In my analysis, I uncover each author’s perception of virginity/chastity. Thus, I reveal that Anselm’s Deploratio is not about lost physical virginity or even sexual sin per se; it is a spiritual meditation driven by his immense fear that sinners would be forever damned. Guibert’s work exposes what a treatise on virginity could become in the hands of an adolescent struggling with sexual desire and steeped in lessons taught by his monastery. Rupert’s tract on virginity and masturbation portrays male virginity as tangible and potent. In so doing, it erects a barrier defending Rupert’s work as an exegete against detractors. For his part, Bernard teaches that what matters most is chaste humility. He also consistently links virginity with pride and false holiness, a strategy possibly linked with a battle between white and black monks. Finally, Ælred produces a model of monastic perfection that is terrifically masculine, distinctively different from virginity, and perfectly suited for his audience. In addition to uncovering each monk’s unique perception of virginity and chastity, I call attention to similarities and differences in their thought and make conclusions based on those observations. Overall, I have found not only that virginity and chastity did matter to some medieval religious men but also that the way they handle those ideals can be tremendously revealing.

Du XIe au XIIIe siècle, l'abbaye de Marmoutier a constitué un important réseau de dépendances monastiques – ou prieurés – dans l'Ouest de la France et notamment en Anjou. Dans cette région, le processus de fondation s'étend des années 1040 à 1150 et les moines font preuve d'un réel savoir-faire en ce domaine, sachant s'adapter aux contraintes et aux acteurs locaux. Chaque prieuré est à la tête d'un patrimoine à la structure complexe, accumulé, organisé et défendu par les moines dans les dépendances, avec le soutien et la surveillance de l'abbaye-mère. Les liens entre abbaye et prieurés sont constants, ce que l'étude de la production écrite des moines permet de mettre en valeur. La fin du XIIe siècle et le début du XIIIe siècle sont marqués par des remaniements du réseau monastique. En Anjou, certains prieurés disparaissent, d'autres se renforcent, ce qui est le signe de la capacité d'adaptation de l'abbaye aux difficultés rencontrées, afin de maintenir durablement ses possessions. / From the 11th century to the 13th century the abbey of Marmoutier established a significant network of monastic dependencies – or priories – in Western France and especially in the area of Anjou. In this region the foundation movement flourished between the years 1040 and 1150, the monks of Anjou being well-skilled in navigating the often intricate local constraints and power relationships. Each priory managed its own complex set of lands, the acquisition, organization and legal defense of which were undertaken by the monks, with the support and supervision of the mother-abbey. A study of the monastic writings attests to these strong ties between the Abbey and its priories. Finally, major modifications of this prioral system characterized the end of the Twelfth century through the beginning of the Thirteenth : in Anjou some houses disappeared while others continued to grow, yet another sign of the Abbey's ability to adapt to difficult circumstances in order to persevere.

This thesis focuses on the Celestine monks of France, a largely neglected and distinctive reformed Benedictine congregation, at their apex of growth (c.1350-1450). Based largely within the kingdom of France, but also including key houses in the contiguous territories of Lorraine and the Comtat, they expanded significantly in this period, from four monasteries to seventeen within a hundred years. They also gained independence from the mother congregation in Italy with the coming of the Great Western Schism (1376-1418). The study aims view the French Celestines against the backdrop of a vibrant culture of 'reform' within both the monastic estate (the Observants) and the Church as a whole, as well as the political instability and war in France. It will reveal a congregation alive with the passions of their times and relevant within them. Following an introductory section, chapter 1 will discuss the previously unstudied Vita of the leading French Celestine Jean Bassand (d.1445) in depth and introduce the key themes of the subsequent chapters. Chapter 2 will examine their Constitutions, in the process providing perspective on their hyper-scrupulous understanding of sin and the relation of their statutes to the Christian idea of 'reform'. Chapter 3 will look to anecdotal evidence concerning the quality of their observance in practice, as well the spiritual and moral writings of Pierre Pocquet (d.1408), another important Celestine leader. Chapter 4 will begin to establish how and why the order grew, examining records of benefaction (contemporary martyrologies and charters) as well as taking view of the financial (and in the end, moral) difficulties brought by war through the documents concerning the reductions of founded masses at the Paris and Sens houses. Chapter 5 will look at monumental and anecdotal/literary evidence, as well as the works of Jean Gerson, a friend of the order, to further define the cultural impact of the monks.

A Povst vremennyh lt ou, nesta versão em português, Narrativa dos anos passados é uma crônica monástica, de autoria indefinida, compilada na segunda década do século XII, no Monastério das Cavernas, em Kiev. A obra relata os feitos dos príncipes guerreiros de origem escandinava que reinaram sobre populações eslavas e fino-úgricas a partir da segunda metade do século IX, ao mesmo tempo em que busca inserir a Rus numa narrativa universal de caráter cristão. Para tanto, o texto segue de perto modelos cronográficos bizantinos e emprega constantemente episódios bíblicos, tanto canônicos, como apócrifos, além de escritos patrísticos. Por sua extensão, conteúdo, linguagem e estilo, considera-se a Povst vremennyh lt uma das principais obras da literatura eslava oriental antiga. Ademais, é a principal fonte para o estudo da história do principado de Kiev, tendo grande relevância para medievalistas, linguistas e estudiosos da cultura eslava em geral. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar uma tradução completa da crônica, direta do eslavo oriental, acompanhada de aparato crítico selecionado, comentários e apêndices. O texto da tradução é antecedido por uma breve contextualização histórica, uma apresentação do documento e dos manuscritos que o atestam, e uma reflexão a respeito das dificuldades práticas e teóricas do traduzir. / The Povst vremennyh lt, known in English as the Russian Primary Chronicle or The Tale of Bygone Years, is a monastic chronicle, compiled by an unknown author, during the second decade of the 12th century in the Monastery of the Caves in Kiev. It tells the deeds of the Scandinavian warrior princes that reigned over Slavic and Finno- Ugric populations from the second half of the 9th century. At the same time, it tries to fit the land of Rus into a Christian universal narrative. For this purpose, the chronicler emulates Byzantine models, and makes constant use of Biblical episodes, not only from the canon, but also apocryphal and patristic writings. Due to its length, its content and style, the Povst vremennyh lt is considered one of the most important works in Old East Slavic Literature, and one of the main sources for the study of Kievan Rus history. It is also valuable in the fields of medieval studies and linguistics. The present work aims to present a complete version of the chronicle in portuguese, translated directly from the Old East Slavic, with a selection of textual variants, notes and appendices. As a guide to the PVL, the reader will find a brief historical overview, a short analysis of the extant manuscripts and some comments on practical and theoretical translation topics.

This thesis will argue that the Beowulf Manuscript, which includes the poem Judith, Saxo Grammaticus’s Gesta Danorum, and the Old-Norse-Icelandic Laxdæla saga highlight and examine the tension between the female pagan characters and their Christian authors. These texts also demonstrate that Queenship grew fragile after the spread of Christianity, and women’s power waned in the shift between pre-Christian and Christian Europe.

The musical culture of the female monastic institution called La Concezione, or il monastero nuovo, reflected the political, social and devotional objectives of the Medici court. In 1562, at the close of the Council of Trent, the convent was founded through the last testament of Grand Duchess Eleonora de Toledo de'Medici with the support of Grand Duke Cosimo I's personal knighthood-- the Cavalieri di Santo Stefano. Glorified as a "reformed" institution reflecting the piety of Florence and the rectitude of the Medici family, the public image of the convent required strict adherence to Catholic Reformation ideals of female virtue. Musically, the women of the convent restricted their public performance to monophonic chant. The only universally approved music for monastics, chant was thought to be the most appropriate form of public musical devotion for the virginal daughters of the court. In private, the patrician women perhaps enjoyed the popular polyphonic music that the vast resources of their families, the Florentine court, and their superiors, afforded them. The public image of perfection was of the utmost importance to the Medici; polyphonic performance was only allowed in the most private spaces of the cloister--away from the public eyes and ears. A counter-example to recent scholarship, this view of female monastic music is in contrast to studies that have highlighted examples of wealthy convents that actively sought opportunities for polyphonic performance as part of their public character. This dissertation relies on various extant archival documents of the convent, the Order of Santo Stefano and the Medici family in an examination of the role that music played in both the public and private spheres of the most elite convent of early modern Florence. / text

This study was designed against the background of the vital need for a comprehensive research on religious sisters in Africa and Nigeria in particular to address the problems and challenges of identity construction by them within the context of religious community life. It is an interpretative qualitative research study which used an interdisciplinary theoretical approach, drawing on theology of religious life and dialogical self theory to argue that the sisters‘ performance of identity is a context-bound activity. Interview data was drawn from 18 participants from two religious congregations (Daughters of Divine Love and Society of the Holy Child Jesus) in Nigeria in order to understand the meaning sisters give to their intersubjective exchange and the impact it makes on their development and performance of personal/religious identity. The results showed that the sisters used a multiplicity of I-positions to construct identity. This multiplicity of I-positions arises from self-positioning and self as positioned by others (including superiors/formators, senior/older sisters, priests) which are laden with conflicts and dilemmas of identity construction. The major dilemma of identity construction that the participants encountered is based on the discrepancy between the ideal and the lived reality of religious life. The participants presented the ideal as a call to do God‘s will in direct imitation of Christ, but the lived reality offers a mixed experience. On the one hand the participants indicated that relationships within the religious community, Church and wider Nigerian society are supportive, facilitating their development and performance of Christ-like identity. But on the other hand the findings reveal that the participants‘ performance of identity has been hindered by power relations and dominance (including gender related issues) which are prevalent in religious communities, the Church and wider Nigerian society, leading the participants to present their performance of identity as a struggle for survival. Thus their construction of identity is a constant negotiation process, in which they are engaged in appropriation and rejection of positions as they struggle to construct unity-in-multiplicity. To this effect the study recommends that leaders of religious life review their leadership style in order to adopt a more inclusive approach which gives every sister the opportunity to speak and be heard, thus create a more conducive environment for sisters‘ identity construction. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2012.

This thesis focuses on Secretos entre el Alma y Dios, the autobiography or vida of Catalina de Jesús María Herrera (1717-1795), a nun who belonged to the Dominican Convent of Santa Catalina in Quito, Ecuador. Catalina wrote in a direct and engaging style of her monastic life and spirituality. Her text allows us to better understand the society in which she lived and particularly her relationship with her confessor, fray Tomás del Rosario Corrales, to whom she writes her autobiography. Her numerous visions are classified here as divine, evil and death visions. They draw from traditional hagiographic accounts and provide evidence of how Saint Teresa of Ávila’s Libro de la Vida was read in a colonial context. A close-textual reading of Catalina’s vida, sheds light on her claims to have reached God as the expression of a female voice long suppressed in this patriarchal society. / Graduate

In the latter half of the 20th century interreligious dialogue has become a necessary and important feature in human co-existence. This study discusses the dialogue of religious experience. The essentials in this dialogue are mutual understandings of prayer and contemplation as practiced in differing religious and cultural contexts. The dissertation consists of four parts. The first is a survey of missiological theology on interreligious dialogue, contemplation and inculturation in the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council. The second part considers initiatives taken in dialogue in the Benedictine Order from early 1960-ties to mid 1990-ties. Attention is given to "East-West Spiritual Exchange" which has taken place regularly between European participants in "Dialogue Interreligieux Monastique" and Zen Buddhists in Japan. The third section focuses on Japan. Three Japanese Catholic theologians are discussed. In efforts to establish theological and pastoral communication with Zen tradition, moving towards an integration of details emerging from Zen practice to Catholic spirituality, the Japanese theologians theologize in a fashion similar to the Benedictines. The final section analyses initiatives in dialogue of religious experience discussed in the thesis. Key concepts draw attention to distinctive characteristics of specific expressions in dialogue, partly in monastic contexts, partly in Japanese contexts. Because the particular form of dialogue presented is an ongoing process which has only recently commenced, no final results in developments can yet be identified. Suffice it to state that initiatives described are new inputs in Catholic missiological study. Both Benedictine and Japanese theologians have in many ways paved the way for official Catholic theology on interreligious dialogue.

Thesis--Rome, Pontificia Università Gregoriana, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 363-390).