Content

This unit explores the development of the monastic movement in the Medieval Church from 500 - 1500, with an emphasis on the examination of primary sources. The unit will present both an historical study and insights into the spirituality emanating from both male and female monastics during these centuries of Christian monasticism. It offers a method for the study of these texts in the light of present day formation for ministry and mission.

Unit code: CH9300P

Unit status: Archived (New unit)

Points: 24.0

Unit level: Postgraduate Elective

Unit discipline: Church History

Delivery Mode: Face to Face

Proposing College: Pilgrim Theological College

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Learning outcomes

1.

Outline the significant movements and personalities within the development of Medieval monasticism

2.

Articulate key principles of historical interpretation of Medieval Christian sources of monasticism

3.

Identify key features of the spirituality within the Medieval monastic movement

4.

Demonstrate the ability to interpret a range of monastic texts

5.

Discuss the implications of the understanding of these texts for ministry in the contemporary Christian church.

6.

Critique medieval monastic texts in relation to the modern context while grounding the text in its own time.

Pedagogy

6 days intensive, lecture/seminar style (covering writings of major figures and developments in Medieval monasticism) plus 2 online mode of delivery sessions, one before the intensive (introducing the era and genre of writings to be studied in this unit) and one after the intensive (summarising the material covered in the unit and conclusions reached).

Indicative Bibliography

  • Aelred of Rievaulx: Spiritual Friendship. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1997.
  • Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1995.
  • Brooke, C. The Age of the Cloister: The Story of Monastic Life in the Middle Ages. Nahwah, NJ: Hidden Springs, 2003.
  • Clark, James G. The Benedictines in the Middle Ages. Woodbridge, Suffolk: Boydell Press, 2011.
  • Gertrud of Helfta, The Herald of Divine Love. New York: Paulist Press, 1993.
  • Harris, K. (ed.) Illumined by God: Essays on Medieval Monastic Women. Croydon, Vic: Peter Arnold Printing Consultants, 2000.
  • Hildegard of Bingen, Scivias. Trans. Columba Hart, and Bishop, Jane. The Classics of Western Spirituality. New York: Paulist Press, 1990.
  • Idung of Purfung, Cistercians and Cluniacs. The Case for Citeaux. A Dialogue between Two Monks. Trans. J. O’Sullivan. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1977.
  • King, Peter. Western Monasticism: A History of the Monastic Movement in the Latin Church. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1999.
  • Lawrence C.H. Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in The Middle Ages. Third edition. London: Longman, 2001. (recommended for purchase)
  • Leclercq, J. The Love of Learning and the Desire for God. Trans. Catharine Misrahi. New York: Fordam University Press, 1993.
  • Rumsey, Patricia M. Women of the Church: The Religious Experience of Monastic Women (Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Columba Press, 2011.

Assessment

Type Description Word count Weight (%)
Essay

Topic Essay (3000 words)

0 40.0
Essay

Research Essay (3000 words)

0 60.0
Approvals

Unit approved for the University of Divinity by John Capper on 19 Oct, 2014

Unit record last updated: 2020-10-28 14:50:32 +1100