Scott G. Bruce
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452994
- eISBN:
- 9781501700927
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452994.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter presents a new interpretation of the polemical career of Peter the Venerable. Some scholars have attributed coherence to Peter’s writings against heretics, Jews, and Muslims, and have ...
More
This chapter presents a new interpretation of the polemical career of Peter the Venerable. Some scholars have attributed coherence to Peter’s writings against heretics, Jews, and Muslims, and have portrayed him as a sympathetic figure whose “tolerant” views toward Islam signalled modern sensibilities. In contrast, the chapter contends that Peter’s work regarding the Muslims differed significantly from his other treatises for two reasons. First, unlike his writings against heretics and Jews, Peter’s pastoral approach toward Islam had no precedent in the Latin language. Second, his application of reason to his arguments was not of a tolerant man. Peter only turned to words in his confrontation against Muslims when the weapons of the crusaders had proven to be ineffective against them.Less
This chapter presents a new interpretation of the polemical career of Peter the Venerable. Some scholars have attributed coherence to Peter’s writings against heretics, Jews, and Muslims, and have portrayed him as a sympathetic figure whose “tolerant” views toward Islam signalled modern sensibilities. In contrast, the chapter contends that Peter’s work regarding the Muslims differed significantly from his other treatises for two reasons. First, unlike his writings against heretics and Jews, Peter’s pastoral approach toward Islam had no precedent in the Latin language. Second, his application of reason to his arguments was not of a tolerant man. Peter only turned to words in his confrontation against Muslims when the weapons of the crusaders had proven to be ineffective against them.
Scott G. Bruce
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452994
- eISBN:
- 9781501700927
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452994.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This chapter analyzes the impact of the stories about Maiolus’ kidnapping on the formation of Peter the Venerable’s enterprise to convert Muslims to Christianity by means of rational argument. The ...
More
This chapter analyzes the impact of the stories about Maiolus’ kidnapping on the formation of Peter the Venerable’s enterprise to convert Muslims to Christianity by means of rational argument. The earliest account of Maiolus’ life sparked a late tenth-century debate on religious truth between the abbot of Cluny and his Muslim captors, which had a powerful influence on Peter’s thinking about how to refute Islamic beliefs in the aftermath of the Second Crusade. The chapter studies the use of reason in polemical writings against Jews and heretics to evaluate the influence of contemporary intellectual currents in the shaping of Peter’s thoughts. It concludes by making a case for the circulation of stories about Maiolus among twelfth-century Cluniacs, particularly of the Life of Maiolus during Peter’s abbacy.Less
This chapter analyzes the impact of the stories about Maiolus’ kidnapping on the formation of Peter the Venerable’s enterprise to convert Muslims to Christianity by means of rational argument. The earliest account of Maiolus’ life sparked a late tenth-century debate on religious truth between the abbot of Cluny and his Muslim captors, which had a powerful influence on Peter’s thinking about how to refute Islamic beliefs in the aftermath of the Second Crusade. The chapter studies the use of reason in polemical writings against Jews and heretics to evaluate the influence of contemporary intellectual currents in the shaping of Peter’s thoughts. It concludes by making a case for the circulation of stories about Maiolus among twelfth-century Cluniacs, particularly of the Life of Maiolus during Peter’s abbacy.
Scott G. Bruce
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452994
- eISBN:
- 9781501700927
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452994.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This introductory chapter states the book’s aim, which is to study the role of hagiographical literature in the formulation of Peter the Venerable’s approach to Islam. In the twelfth century, the ...
More
This introductory chapter states the book’s aim, which is to study the role of hagiographical literature in the formulation of Peter the Venerable’s approach to Islam. In the twelfth century, the lives of the saints and the homilies of the church fathers imbued the imagination of the monks of Cluny, including their venerable abbot. Works of hagiography and other devotional genres played a vital role in the formation of monastic thought in the abbeys of Western Europe. The chapter explains that evidence for the circulation of stories about Abbot Maiolus in the twelfth century is equally evocative. Such was his renown that Peter boldly stated that, with the exception of the Virgin Mary, more legends were told about the virtues of Maiolus throughout Europe than about any other saint in Christendom.Less
This introductory chapter states the book’s aim, which is to study the role of hagiographical literature in the formulation of Peter the Venerable’s approach to Islam. In the twelfth century, the lives of the saints and the homilies of the church fathers imbued the imagination of the monks of Cluny, including their venerable abbot. Works of hagiography and other devotional genres played a vital role in the formation of monastic thought in the abbeys of Western Europe. The chapter explains that evidence for the circulation of stories about Abbot Maiolus in the twelfth century is equally evocative. Such was his renown that Peter boldly stated that, with the exception of the Virgin Mary, more legends were told about the virtues of Maiolus throughout Europe than about any other saint in Christendom.
Scott G. Bruce
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452994
- eISBN:
- 9781501700927
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452994.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
In the summer of 972 a group of Muslim brigands based in the south of France abducted the abbot of Cluny as he and his entourage crossed the Alps. Ultimately, the abbot was set free and returned home ...
More
In the summer of 972 a group of Muslim brigands based in the south of France abducted the abbot of Cluny as he and his entourage crossed the Alps. Ultimately, the abbot was set free and returned home safely, but the abduction outraged Christian leaders and galvanized the will of local lords. Shortly thereafter, Count William of Arles marshaled an army and succeeded in wiping out the Muslim stronghold. This book uses this incident to examine Christian perceptions of Islam in the Middle Ages. The monks of Cluny kept the tale of their abbot’s abduction alive over the next century in hagiographical works and chronicles written to promote his sanctity. The book explores the telling and retelling of this story, focusing particularly on the representation of Islam in each account, and how that representation changed over time. The culminating figure in this study is Peter the Venerable, one of Europe’s leading intellectuals and abbot of Cluny from 1122 to 1156. Remembered today largely for his views of Islam, Peter commissioned Latin translations of Muslim historical and devotional texts including the Qur’an. As the book shows, Peter’s thinking on Islam had its roots in the hagiographical tradition of the abduction. In fact, Peter drew from the stories as he crafted a “Muslim policy” relevant to the mid-twelfth century, a time of great anxiety about Islam in the aftermath of the failed Second Crusade.Less
In the summer of 972 a group of Muslim brigands based in the south of France abducted the abbot of Cluny as he and his entourage crossed the Alps. Ultimately, the abbot was set free and returned home safely, but the abduction outraged Christian leaders and galvanized the will of local lords. Shortly thereafter, Count William of Arles marshaled an army and succeeded in wiping out the Muslim stronghold. This book uses this incident to examine Christian perceptions of Islam in the Middle Ages. The monks of Cluny kept the tale of their abbot’s abduction alive over the next century in hagiographical works and chronicles written to promote his sanctity. The book explores the telling and retelling of this story, focusing particularly on the representation of Islam in each account, and how that representation changed over time. The culminating figure in this study is Peter the Venerable, one of Europe’s leading intellectuals and abbot of Cluny from 1122 to 1156. Remembered today largely for his views of Islam, Peter commissioned Latin translations of Muslim historical and devotional texts including the Qur’an. As the book shows, Peter’s thinking on Islam had its roots in the hagiographical tradition of the abduction. In fact, Peter drew from the stories as he crafted a “Muslim policy” relevant to the mid-twelfth century, a time of great anxiety about Islam in the aftermath of the failed Second Crusade.
Brian FitzGerald
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198808244
- eISBN:
- 9780191845956
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198808244.003.0004
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History, History of Religion
This chapter examines the emergence of theoretical treatises devoted to understanding the nature of prophecy. Emerging out of polemical works against Islam and its prophet, such treatises eventually ...
More
This chapter examines the emergence of theoretical treatises devoted to understanding the nature of prophecy. Emerging out of polemical works against Islam and its prophet, such treatises eventually addressed disagreements within Christianity itself about the nature of inspiration and the boundaries of sacred authority. A significant element of theoretical reflection, particularly among the Dominican Order, came from discussions of the nature of preaching, which was often viewed as a contemporary manifestation of prophecy. Preaching as prophecy raised questions about the relationship between natural virtue or talent and supernatural gifts. The chapter concludes by focusing on the contributions of Hugh of St Cher and Albert the Great to a Dominican tradition of prophetic theory, and it shows that they did not agree on how to assess those claiming to be current-day prophets within the Church.Less
This chapter examines the emergence of theoretical treatises devoted to understanding the nature of prophecy. Emerging out of polemical works against Islam and its prophet, such treatises eventually addressed disagreements within Christianity itself about the nature of inspiration and the boundaries of sacred authority. A significant element of theoretical reflection, particularly among the Dominican Order, came from discussions of the nature of preaching, which was often viewed as a contemporary manifestation of prophecy. Preaching as prophecy raised questions about the relationship between natural virtue or talent and supernatural gifts. The chapter concludes by focusing on the contributions of Hugh of St Cher and Albert the Great to a Dominican tradition of prophetic theory, and it shows that they did not agree on how to assess those claiming to be current-day prophets within the Church.
Scott G. Bruce
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780801452994
- eISBN:
- 9781501700927
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9780801452994.003.0005
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This concluding chapter reiterates that hagiographies had a much wider influence on the formation of medieval approaches to Islam than was previously recognized. The tales told by the monks of Cluny ...
More
This concluding chapter reiterates that hagiographies had a much wider influence on the formation of medieval approaches to Islam than was previously recognized. The tales told by the monks of Cluny about the sufferings of Abbot Maiolus and his captivity in the summer of 972 are a case in point. The Muslims of La Garde-Freinet were never recognized as a polity by any Islamic government, but this small community of entrepreneurs played an important role in the political system of Provence. Stories about the abduction of Maiolus by these Muslims provided Abbot Peter the Venerable with an example of interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. Consequently, Peter’s translation of the Qur’an became his most important contribution to the missionary activities regarding Islamic principalities, where mendicants preached to Christians and Muslims alike.Less
This concluding chapter reiterates that hagiographies had a much wider influence on the formation of medieval approaches to Islam than was previously recognized. The tales told by the monks of Cluny about the sufferings of Abbot Maiolus and his captivity in the summer of 972 are a case in point. The Muslims of La Garde-Freinet were never recognized as a polity by any Islamic government, but this small community of entrepreneurs played an important role in the political system of Provence. Stories about the abduction of Maiolus by these Muslims provided Abbot Peter the Venerable with an example of interfaith dialogue between Christians and Muslims. Consequently, Peter’s translation of the Qur’an became his most important contribution to the missionary activities regarding Islamic principalities, where mendicants preached to Christians and Muslims alike.
E. M. Rose
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- August 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780190219628
- eISBN:
- 9780190219659
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190219628.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History, History of Religion
This chapter considers the aftermath of the failure of the Second Crusade. It examines the Anglo-Norman crusaders who set off for the Holy Land inspired by the preaching of Bernard of Clairvaux, ...
More
This chapter considers the aftermath of the failure of the Second Crusade. It examines the Anglo-Norman crusaders who set off for the Holy Land inspired by the preaching of Bernard of Clairvaux, especially the Norfolk vassals of William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey. They are contrasted with the successful soldiers from East Anglia who participated in the Conquest of Lisbon. These English crusaders were inflamed by the preaching of Arnulf of Lisieux and Ralph “the barker”, and the writings of Peter the Venerable. Crusading was very expensive and soldiers often borrowed money to equip themselves: many were motivated by prospects of booty and monetary rewards as well as spiritual ones. One of the Warenne vassals who may have gone on crusade, Simon de Novers, arrived in (or returned to) Norwich deeply in debt and arranged to have his Jewish banker killed.Less
This chapter considers the aftermath of the failure of the Second Crusade. It examines the Anglo-Norman crusaders who set off for the Holy Land inspired by the preaching of Bernard of Clairvaux, especially the Norfolk vassals of William de Warenne, Earl of Surrey. They are contrasted with the successful soldiers from East Anglia who participated in the Conquest of Lisbon. These English crusaders were inflamed by the preaching of Arnulf of Lisieux and Ralph “the barker”, and the writings of Peter the Venerable. Crusading was very expensive and soldiers often borrowed money to equip themselves: many were motivated by prospects of booty and monetary rewards as well as spiritual ones. One of the Warenne vassals who may have gone on crusade, Simon de Novers, arrived in (or returned to) Norwich deeply in debt and arranged to have his Jewish banker killed.
