Even though medieval women mystics have enjoyed increased attention in recent scholarly discussion, a topic that still has not been tackled is the possible difference between seeing a vision and hearing a voice during a mystical experience and the ramifications of this difference in the context of medieval text production and in the status of mystics as authors.
The Privileging of Visio over Vox in the Mystical Experiences of Hildegard of Bingen and Joan of Arc
January 25, 2017 by
Good versus Evil: Representations of the Monstrous in Thirteenth Century Anglo-French Apocalypse Manuscripts
January 8, 2017 by
This paper examines one of the oldest ideological conflicts of all time: that between the divine powers of good and evil in the Book of Revelation, as represented in thirteenth century Anglo-French apocalypse manuscripts.
A Vision of Baby Jesus from 1344
December 25, 2016 by
The story told by Margaretha Ebner is a fascinating one – an intimate experience with the Baby Jesus. In her own words, she describes powerful visions of being with the infant, and even breastfeeding him.
Marrying Jesus: Brides and the Bridegroom in Medieval Women’s Religious Literature
October 27, 2016 by
Phrases such as ‘bride of Christ’ and passages which describe Christ as a ‘Bridegroom,’ a ‘Spouse,’ and a ‘Lover’ appear in a wide range of Christian texts composed in both Latin and vernacular languages.
BOOK REVIEW: Pilgrim Routes of the British Isles by Emma J. Wells
October 26, 2016 by
What was pilgrimage like in the Middle Ages? Do modern day routes faithfully retrace the steps of long ago pilgrims? How has pilgrimage changed over the course of hundreds of years? Tourist? Pilgrim? Or both? What is the meaning of pilgrimage today?
Hearing medieval voices
October 23, 2016 by
Hearing voices without external stimuli: in the popular imagination, auditory hallucination is most often understood as a symptom of severe mental disorders.
Embracing Death, Celebrating Life: Reflections on the Concept of Martyrdom in the Order of the Knights Templar
October 4, 2016 by
This article aims at shedding light on this neglected aspect of Templar spirituality and discusses the implications of this concept’s manifestation throughout the order’s history.
Women and Catharism
September 17, 2016 by
Participation of women in sustaining and spreading the dualist heresy known as Catharism in Languedoc in the first half of the thirteenth century was greater than the passive role generally assigned to them in medieval society
How to Deal with the Restless Dead? Discernment of Spirits and the Response to Ghosts in Fifteenth-Century Europe
August 6, 2016 by
Discernment of spirits was embedded in late medieval theologies and ministries of death and, as such, was central to the assessment of other apparitions – like those of ghosts.
Annihilation and Authorship: Three Women Mystics of the 1290s
July 30, 2016 by
Mechthild of Hackeborn, Angela of Foligno, and Marguerite Porete were exact contemporaries who differed in language, social status, and modes of religious life; their books diverge no less in genre, modes of production, and posthumous destinies.
Negotiating the Sacred: Byzantium, Venice and the True Cross in Late Medieval Venice
July 17, 2016 by
Dr. Klein’s lecture about art, faith and politics in late medieval Venice.
Baptism in Anglo-Saxon England
June 28, 2016 by
This thesis examines the lexical field of baptism in Old English. The lexical development of the field and the semantic development of the individual lexemes were evaluated: the verbs fulwian, cristnian, depan, dyppan, and the vocabulary for baptismal water in Old English. At every stage of the project, the linguistic data was correlated to theological, liturgical and cultural backgrounds.
The sin of crime: The Mutual Influence of the Early Irish and Anglo-Saxon Penitentials and Secular Laws
June 27, 2016 by
One of the most fascinating questions concerning Medieval Irish and Anglo-Saxon society is not one about what was done when all went well, but rather, what was sought to be done when matters were not as they ought to be.
Medieval Religious Patronage: A Study of the Anglo-Welsh Marcher Lords and their Connections to Religious Houses, 1066 – 1300
May 28, 2016 by
In a world where religion played a far greater role in society than it does in the modern day, it is no surprise that those living in the medieval period desired a close association with the church. Nowhere is this association clearer than with the aristocracy of the time.
VIDEO: Female Sufis in the Medieval Period
May 20, 2016 by
Dr. Lloyd Ridgeon talks about the role of Sufi women in the medieval period. Ridgeone examines positive and negative portrayals of Sufi women in a wide range of texts.
Grief and Spiritual Crisis in the Middle Ages
May 7, 2016 by
Existential crises and questions of faith in times of hardship are not modern phenomena. Medieval people routinely questioned their faith, most poignantly when it came to death.
The Cathedral and the City
April 30, 2016 by
Another fantastic talk. Professor Caroline Bruzelius talks to us about medieval art, architecture, and the role of the cathedral in Medieval society.
Crusaders, Pilgrims, and Relics – Bearers of the Cross: Material Religion in the Crusading World 1095-1300
April 15, 2016 by
The Museum of the Order of St. John is hosting a series of events and talks to promote their project: Bearers of the Cross: Material Religion in the Crusading World 1095-1300.
The Medieval Story of Jesus’ Prison Cell
March 27, 2016 by
Today it is one of the quieter corners of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but hundreds of years ago the ‘Prison of Christ’ was one of the must-see spots for medieval Christian pilgrims.
The Global Side of Medieval at the Getty Centre: Traversing the Globe Through Illuminated Manuscripts
March 26, 2016 by
Los Angeles correspondent, Danielle Trynoski takes through the, ‘Traversing the Globe Through Illuminated Manuscripts’ exhibut at the Getty Museum.
Friendship, Betrayal, War: “Soldier of God” Movie Review
March 6, 2016 by
A Templar and a Muslim; their strange friendship is the premise of this week’s movie based in the 12th century immediately after the disastrous Battle of Hattin.
The Church as a Woman: The Gendered Rhetoric of the Feminine Divine
January 7, 2016 by
This study investigates just a small aspect of the subject, namely Hildegard’s use of gendered rhetoric in her portrayal of the personified church.
Epiphany: Three Kings Day
January 6, 2016 by
A look at the history behind Epiphany and Twelfth Night.
Care of relics in early medieval Rome
December 17, 2015 by
Hidden in a dark corner of St. Peter’s shrine, Pope Sergius I (687–701) found a silver box so blackened with age that he was at first unsure whether it was indeed made of silver.
The Story of Exodus: The Anglo-Saxon Version
December 12, 2015 by
The clever authors of these Anglo-Saxon biblical poems knew their audiences, engaging readers and listeners by retelling Old Testament stories in an epic way that was both familiar and beloved.
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