Priests and Their Books in Late Medieval Eichstätt

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Reference, History, Medieval
Cover of the book Priests and Their Books in Late Medieval Eichstätt by Matthew Wranovix, Lexington Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Matthew Wranovix ISBN: 9781498548878
Publisher: Lexington Books Publication: October 23, 2017
Imprint: Lexington Books Language: English
Author: Matthew Wranovix
ISBN: 9781498548878
Publisher: Lexington Books
Publication: October 23, 2017
Imprint: Lexington Books
Language: English

This book analyzes the acquisition and use of texts by the parish clergy in the diocese of Eichstätt between 1400 and 1520 to refute the amusing, but misleading, image of the lustful and ignorant cleric so popular in the satirical literature of the period. By the fifteenth-century, more widely available local schooling and increasing university attendance had improved the educational level of the clergy; priests were bureaucrats as well as pastors and both roles required extensive use of the written word.

What priests read is a question of fundamental importance to our understanding of the late medieval parish and the role of the clergy as communicators and cultural mediators. Priests were entrusted with saying the Mass, preaching doctrine and repentance, honoring the saints, plumbing the conscience, and protecting the legal rights of the Church. They baptized children, blessed the fields, and prayed for the souls of the dead. What priests read would have informed how they understood and how they performed their social and religious roles.

By locating and contextualizing the manuscripts, printed books, and parish records that were once in the hands of priests in the diocese, the author has found evidence for the unexpected: the avid acquisition of books; a theological awareness; and an emerging professional identity. This marks an important revision to the conventional view of a dramatic era marked by both the transition from manuscripts to printed books and the outbreak of the Reformation.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

This book analyzes the acquisition and use of texts by the parish clergy in the diocese of Eichstätt between 1400 and 1520 to refute the amusing, but misleading, image of the lustful and ignorant cleric so popular in the satirical literature of the period. By the fifteenth-century, more widely available local schooling and increasing university attendance had improved the educational level of the clergy; priests were bureaucrats as well as pastors and both roles required extensive use of the written word.

What priests read is a question of fundamental importance to our understanding of the late medieval parish and the role of the clergy as communicators and cultural mediators. Priests were entrusted with saying the Mass, preaching doctrine and repentance, honoring the saints, plumbing the conscience, and protecting the legal rights of the Church. They baptized children, blessed the fields, and prayed for the souls of the dead. What priests read would have informed how they understood and how they performed their social and religious roles.

By locating and contextualizing the manuscripts, printed books, and parish records that were once in the hands of priests in the diocese, the author has found evidence for the unexpected: the avid acquisition of books; a theological awareness; and an emerging professional identity. This marks an important revision to the conventional view of a dramatic era marked by both the transition from manuscripts to printed books and the outbreak of the Reformation.

More books from Lexington Books

Cover of the book The Syrian Refugee Crisis in Lebanon by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Hegel's Actuality Chapter of the Science of Logic by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Making Cairo Medieval by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Self-Deception's Puzzles and Processes by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Unraveling and Reweaving Sacred Canon in Africana Womanhood by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Solidarity by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Philosophy of Childhood Today by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Exploring the Life of the Soul by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Collectivities by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Aesthetic Transcendentalism in Emerson, Peirce, and Nineteenth-Century American Landscape Painting by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Voices of Native American Educators by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Communicating Global to Local Resiliency by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Engineering the Climate by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book Human, All Too (Post)Human by Matthew Wranovix
Cover of the book The Concept of Neutrality in Stalin's Foreign Policy, 1945–1953 by Matthew Wranovix
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy