Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- The New Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 General Introduction
- Part I The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
- Part II The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- 34 Historiographical Approaches to Monasticism in the Long Twelfth Century
- 35 Sources for Monasticism in the Long Twelfth Century
- 36 Hermitism in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries
- 37 Monastic Theologies, c. 1050–1200
- 38 Monastic Preaching and the Sermon in Medieval Latin Christendom to the Twelfth Century
- 39 The Mass in Monastic Practice: Nuns and Ordained Monks, c. 400–1200
- 40 Reclusion in the Middle Ages
- 41 Similarities and Differences between Monks and Regular Canons in the Twelfth Century
- 42 The Institutionalization of Religious Orders (Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries)
- 43 Gender and Monastic Liturgy in the Latin West (High and Late Middle Ages)
- 44 Monastic Landscapes
- 45 Later Monastic Economies
- 46 Nobility and Monastic Patronage: The View from Outside the Monastery
- 47 The Medical Role of Monasteries in the Latin West, c. 1050–1300
- 48 East-Central European Monasticism: Between East and West?
- 49 Monasticism, Colonization, and Ethnic Tension in Late Medieval Ireland
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- Index
- References
37 - Monastic Theologies, c. 1050–1200
from Part III - The Long Twelfth Century
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 January 2020
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- The New Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 General Introduction
- Part I The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
- Part II The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- 34 Historiographical Approaches to Monasticism in the Long Twelfth Century
- 35 Sources for Monasticism in the Long Twelfth Century
- 36 Hermitism in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries
- 37 Monastic Theologies, c. 1050–1200
- 38 Monastic Preaching and the Sermon in Medieval Latin Christendom to the Twelfth Century
- 39 The Mass in Monastic Practice: Nuns and Ordained Monks, c. 400–1200
- 40 Reclusion in the Middle Ages
- 41 Similarities and Differences between Monks and Regular Canons in the Twelfth Century
- 42 The Institutionalization of Religious Orders (Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries)
- 43 Gender and Monastic Liturgy in the Latin West (High and Late Middle Ages)
- 44 Monastic Landscapes
- 45 Later Monastic Economies
- 46 Nobility and Monastic Patronage: The View from Outside the Monastery
- 47 The Medical Role of Monasteries in the Latin West, c. 1050–1300
- 48 East-Central European Monasticism: Between East and West?
- 49 Monasticism, Colonization, and Ethnic Tension in Late Medieval Ireland
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- Index
- References
Summary
The goal of monastic life is first of all to identify with Christ, through separating oneself from the world. In the Latin West, monks tended to avoid the abstract term theologia to describe their teaching. When Peter Abelard (d. 1142) first used Theologia as the title of a monograph explaining why God could be described as a Trinity of persons, Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153) was shocked by his use of the term, mockingly referring to it as his Stultilogia (“Stupidology”). He followed Augustine’s (d. 430) understanding of the term as pagan discourse about the gods or divinity. Only in the thirteenth century did theologia come to be more widely used (or, in the eyes of purists, misused) to embrace teaching about Christ, the Church, and ethics, as well as about God. Yet Bernard himself formulated a monastic perspective on Christian teaching that both rivalled and complemented what was being taught in non-monastic schools. Monastic teaching tended to be hermeneutic rather than systematic in character.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West , pp. 697 - 709Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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