RT Book
T1 War and the making of medieval monastic culture
T2 Studies in the history of medieval religion
JF Studies in the history of medieval religion
A1 Smith, Katherine Allen
LA English
PP Woodbridge, Suffolk
PB Boydell Press
YR 2011
ED 1. publ.
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/650655303
AB "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
NO Includes bibliographical references
CN BX2470
SN 9781843836162
SN 1843836165
K1 Monasticism and religious orders : History : Middle Ages, 600-1500
K1 War and society : Europe : History : To 1500