Title: Opera Omnia II, 2
Description: "Gerardus Magnus or Geert Grote (1340-1384), the founder of the Dutch religious reform movement Deuotio moderna, is the author of a rich and varied written legacy. Shortly after his death already, his biographers singled out his attempts to improve the moral standards of contemporary clergymen among his most noteworthy pursuits. His efforts in this field basically came down to opposition against two forms of abuse in the world of the clergy, incompetence and corruption. In the present volume his essays against corruption in the medieval Church are edited. These essays address corrupt practices in connection with the acquisition of, and functioning in, ecclesiastical offices, as well as the widespread custom to require an admission fee from prospective residents in religious institutions. Grote defined his views on such entrance fees shortly after his conversion to a devout lifestyle in 1374, in the Statutes composed for religious women living together in part of his own house. Because of its relevance for the essays against entrance fees, a new edition of these Statutes is included in the present edition. Related to these abuses is a tolerant attitude towards personal possessions belonging to individual residents in religious communities, a custom known as proprietarism. Grote’s essays against this evil are also included in the edition."--
Subjects: Simony, Early works to 1800, Poverty, Catholic Church, Manuscripts, Religious aspects