War and the making of medieval monastic culture
By: Katherine Allen Smith
Series: Studies in the history of medieval religion -- 37; Studies in the history of medieval religion -- v. 37.
Publisher: Boydell Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK; Rochester, NY
Language: eng
Number of pages: 236
ISBN-13: 9781843836162
Subjects: Monasticism and religious orders; War and society; History
Description: "Monastic culture has generally been seen as set apart from the medieval battlefield, as 'those who prayed' were set apart from 'those who fought'. However, in this first study of the place of war within medieval monastic culture, the author shows the limitations of this division. Through a wide reading of Latin sermons, letters, and hagiography, she identifies a monastic language of war that presented the monk as the archetypal 'soldier of Christ' and his life of prayer as a continuous combat with the devil: indeed, monks' claims to supremacy on the spiritual battlefield grew even louder as Church leaders extended the title of 'soldier of Christ' to lay knights and crusaders. So, while medieval monasteries have traditionally been portrayed as peaceful sanctuaries in a violent world, here the author demonstrates that monastic identity was negotiated through real and imaginary encounters with war, and that the concept of spiritual warfare informed virtually every aspect of life in the cloister."--P. [4] of cover.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [200]-236) and index.
Table of contents: title: Encountering war in the scriptures and liturgy; title: Monks and warriors: negotiating boundaries; title: Spiritual warfare: the history of an idea to c. 1200; title: Martial imagery in monastic texts; title: Warriors as spiritual exemplars; title: Appendix: The Loricati, c. 1050-1240.