Suzan Folkerts | University of Groningen (original) (raw)

Uploads

Books by Suzan Folkerts

Hanze art – oude boeken nieuwe kunst, 2024

The boundaries between sacred and secular in the late Middle Ages, traditionally perceived as sep... more The boundaries between sacred and secular in the late Middle Ages, traditionally perceived as separate domains, are nowadays perceived as porous or non-existent. This collection on religious connectivity explores a new approach to religious culture in the late Middle Ages. Religious connectivity describes religious connections between people in networks. This concept emphasises dynamics and processes rather than stability, and focuses on all persons involved in cultural transfer and appropriation, not just the producers. Therefore it is a fruitful concept to explore medieval society and the continuum of sacred and secular.
In assessing the porosity of the domains of sacred and secular, and religious and lay, the contributors to this collection investigate processes of transfer of religious knowledge, literature, and artefacts, and the people involved. By using the lens of religious connectivity, they shed new light on religious activities and religious culture in late medieval urban communities.

Catalogue of manuscripts of the library of the former university of Harderwijk, the 'Gelderse Aca... more Catalogue of manuscripts of the library of the former university of Harderwijk, the 'Gelderse Academie'. The collection was transferred in 1819/20 to the Athenaeumbibliotheek in Deventer.

This book is a collection of chapters on the history of book production and authorship in Devente... more This book is a collection of chapters on the history of book production and authorship in Deventer, a town in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It accompanied the exhibition with the same title in Museum De Waag and the Library in Deventer (November 2018 - March 2019). In 2020 it was awarded the prize 'best book of the province of Overijssel'.

This study is entitled: ‘Written Example. The Transmission and Appropriation of the Vita of Chris... more This study is entitled: ‘Written Example. The Transmission and Appropriation of the Vita of Christina Mirabilis in the Later Middle Ages’. It focuses on the reception of the Vita of Christina Mirabilis (‘The Astonishing’) in the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries.

Christina was a laywoman who acted as a prophetess and penitential preacher. She was considered a saint by her contemporaries and her hagiographer Thomas of Cantimpré. She and other thirteenth-century laywomen like Mary of Oignies belonged to a group of so-called mulieres religiosae. Their Vitae have been studied over the past decennia as examples of the new spiritual movements, lay piety, mysticism, and the history of the beguines. The focus has been on gender aspects, especially the interaction between the male hagiographers and the female saints, although some attention has been given to holy lay brothers like Arnulf of Villers as well. This study approaches the Vitae of Christina and other mulieres religiosae as not so much those of female saints but as those of lay saints in order to include the Vitae of their male counterparts. The central question is: who transmitted and read the Vitae of Christina and other lay saints and how does the reception and appropriation of the Vita of Christina manifest itself in manuscripts?

To answer these questions, the manuscripts are taken as the main source material (no early prints of the Vita of Christina are known). According to the authors of the collection Imagining the Book (Stephen Kelly and John Thompson eds.), hand-written books can be considered as platforms which were used by scribes, readers and others to act and interact with the text and one another. Each copy of the text is unique, not only because of their various wordings, but also because each manuscript is composed differently and contains a different compilation of texts. The meaning of a text changed when its context of surrounding texts changed. The Vita of Christina was transmitted in eighteen Latin manuscripts and seven vernacular manuscripts. The Latin Vita was translated into Middle English, Middle French, and – on three occasions – Middle Dutch.

To begin with, the Vita of Christina is introduced. Since this study concentrates not so much on the context of origin as on the context of transmission and reception, more attention is given to the type(s) of saintliness and the hagiographical themes in the Vita than to its historical context and author. The themes treated are penitence, mediation for the souls in purgatory, and the authority of lay saints as prophets. In addition to the Vita of Christina, the Vitae of Arnulf of Villers, Mary of Oignies, and Ida of Nivelles receive special attention. Also, a comparison is made between these Vitae and the Vita of Lidwina of Schiedam, a fifteenth-century counterpart of the thirteenth-century lay saints, in order to explain the popularity of the themes in the later Middle Ages. Lay saints served as examples of the vita apostolica and as mirrors of humility for priests.

Secondly, the manuscript transmission of the Vitae of lay saints from the Southern Low Countries is examined. Of 112 manuscripts, 33 stem from the period prior to 1375 and 72 from the period 1375-1525. The first group is dominated by manuscripts of Cistercian provenance, while the second primarily features manuscripts from reformed religious orders or reform movements like the Devotio Moderna. The Vitae of Mary of Oignies and Christina Mirabilis, women who were not bound to a religious order, were the most successfully transmitted. Another remarkable finding is that nearly all Latin manuscripts have a male religious provenance. We can state that Vitae of lay saints, mostly females, were read by clergymen, not by female religious (vernacular versions had a more diverse public). The figures regarding the spread of Christina’s Vita exhibit the same pattern. A collation of copies of her Vita confirms a division into two groups according to period and context. The fifteenth-century copies originating from the reform movements differ in several aspects from the older copies from Cistercian circles.

Thirdly, five manuscripts are analysed in detail in order to formulate conclusions about the transmission and appropriation of the Vita of Christina. The Cistercian interest in Christina’s Vita is studied by means of a manuscript dating from 1320 from the monastery of Villers. This manuscript contains texts on Cistercian spirituality and the history of their own community. It can be defined as a memoria manuscript. Other manuscripts analysed all date from the fifteenth century. A legendary from Rooklooster in Brabant, a convent of canons regular of the Devotio Moderna, serves as an example of historiographical and hagiographical works in which saints were used to attest to the holiness of the land and inhabitants of the duchy of Brabant. In this and another legendary from the same monastery, namely Johannes Gielemans’ Hagiologium Brabantinorum, Christina was adopted as a Brabant saint. Another group of manuscripts consists of legendaries and miscellanies, which primarily contain Vitae of ‘new’ saints. These saints are seen as representatives of the new spirituality and the religious reform movements of the later Middle Ages. A manuscript from the Carthusian monastery of Beatusberg near Koblenz is treated in detail, as it not only placed the Vita of Christina in the context of other new saints but also in the context of two other lay saints, namely Mary of Oignies and Arnulf of Villers. In this manuscript, the Vita of Mary was transformed into an example collection, which shows that hagiography was used as example literature.

Another manuscript in which the Vita of Christina was appropriated by a new public is a collection from the monastery of Clairlieu near Hoei of the Order of the Holy Cross. This manuscript had a share in the formation and confirmation of the spiritual identity of the Brothers of the Holy Cross. It contains texts on the origin of the order as well as all kinds of theological works. The Vita of Christina, copied no less than two times in this codex, became a part of the identity of the Brothers of the Holy Cross. The last manuscript analysed is a Middle Dutch codex from Neerbosch, a convent of canonesses regular of the Chapter of Windesheim. It contains a translation of the Vita of Christina that was unknown until now. Research has revealed that its author made use of the Vita of Mary of Oignies and Henricus Bate’s Speculum naturale, which contains a shortened version of the Vita by Thomas of Cantimpré. The manuscript as a whole was designed as an example collection with a focus on purgatory. The Vitae of Christina and Mary were used as example literature, just like the aforementioned manuscript from Beatusberg.

In conclusion, the Vita of Christina Mirabilis had different functions and meanings in different socio-religious contexts. It played a part in forming regional and spiritual identities and was used as example literature, especially with respect to purgatory. For clerics, the Vita of Christina was a mirror with which they could reflect on their office. One of the most important conclusions is that Christina was not so much an example for other religious women as she was for religious men.

Articles by Suzan Folkerts

De Genootschapsbode, 2023

Overijssel Toen en Nu. Historisch tijdschrift, 2023

Analecta Bollandiana, 2022

The medieval Northern Dutch New Testament translation, which originated in the context of the Dev... more The medieval Northern Dutch New Testament translation, which originated in the context of the Devotio Moderna movement, was used by printers and readers well into the sixteenth century. This contribution demonstrates that studying copies of this translation is of vital importance for understanding Bible production in print in the Low Countries in the transitional period between the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. From the publication of the first Dutch Bible editions in 1477 on, printers let themselves guide by readers' preferences, which meant reading the Bible according to the liturgical calendar. These long existing reading habits continued to guide printers' choices after the introduction of new humanist and reform-minded complete Bible translations from 1522 on. In competing to publish these new and complete Dutch Bibles, printers were taking over textual and paratextual elements from existing medieval translations.

Hanze art – oude boeken nieuwe kunst, 2024

The boundaries between sacred and secular in the late Middle Ages, traditionally perceived as sep... more The boundaries between sacred and secular in the late Middle Ages, traditionally perceived as separate domains, are nowadays perceived as porous or non-existent. This collection on religious connectivity explores a new approach to religious culture in the late Middle Ages. Religious connectivity describes religious connections between people in networks. This concept emphasises dynamics and processes rather than stability, and focuses on all persons involved in cultural transfer and appropriation, not just the producers. Therefore it is a fruitful concept to explore medieval society and the continuum of sacred and secular.
In assessing the porosity of the domains of sacred and secular, and religious and lay, the contributors to this collection investigate processes of transfer of religious knowledge, literature, and artefacts, and the people involved. By using the lens of religious connectivity, they shed new light on religious activities and religious culture in late medieval urban communities.

Catalogue of manuscripts of the library of the former university of Harderwijk, the 'Gelderse Aca... more Catalogue of manuscripts of the library of the former university of Harderwijk, the 'Gelderse Academie'. The collection was transferred in 1819/20 to the Athenaeumbibliotheek in Deventer.

This book is a collection of chapters on the history of book production and authorship in Devente... more This book is a collection of chapters on the history of book production and authorship in Deventer, a town in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It accompanied the exhibition with the same title in Museum De Waag and the Library in Deventer (November 2018 - March 2019). In 2020 it was awarded the prize 'best book of the province of Overijssel'.

This study is entitled: ‘Written Example. The Transmission and Appropriation of the Vita of Chris... more This study is entitled: ‘Written Example. The Transmission and Appropriation of the Vita of Christina Mirabilis in the Later Middle Ages’. It focuses on the reception of the Vita of Christina Mirabilis (‘The Astonishing’) in the thirteenth to fifteenth centuries.

Christina was a laywoman who acted as a prophetess and penitential preacher. She was considered a saint by her contemporaries and her hagiographer Thomas of Cantimpré. She and other thirteenth-century laywomen like Mary of Oignies belonged to a group of so-called mulieres religiosae. Their Vitae have been studied over the past decennia as examples of the new spiritual movements, lay piety, mysticism, and the history of the beguines. The focus has been on gender aspects, especially the interaction between the male hagiographers and the female saints, although some attention has been given to holy lay brothers like Arnulf of Villers as well. This study approaches the Vitae of Christina and other mulieres religiosae as not so much those of female saints but as those of lay saints in order to include the Vitae of their male counterparts. The central question is: who transmitted and read the Vitae of Christina and other lay saints and how does the reception and appropriation of the Vita of Christina manifest itself in manuscripts?

To answer these questions, the manuscripts are taken as the main source material (no early prints of the Vita of Christina are known). According to the authors of the collection Imagining the Book (Stephen Kelly and John Thompson eds.), hand-written books can be considered as platforms which were used by scribes, readers and others to act and interact with the text and one another. Each copy of the text is unique, not only because of their various wordings, but also because each manuscript is composed differently and contains a different compilation of texts. The meaning of a text changed when its context of surrounding texts changed. The Vita of Christina was transmitted in eighteen Latin manuscripts and seven vernacular manuscripts. The Latin Vita was translated into Middle English, Middle French, and – on three occasions – Middle Dutch.

To begin with, the Vita of Christina is introduced. Since this study concentrates not so much on the context of origin as on the context of transmission and reception, more attention is given to the type(s) of saintliness and the hagiographical themes in the Vita than to its historical context and author. The themes treated are penitence, mediation for the souls in purgatory, and the authority of lay saints as prophets. In addition to the Vita of Christina, the Vitae of Arnulf of Villers, Mary of Oignies, and Ida of Nivelles receive special attention. Also, a comparison is made between these Vitae and the Vita of Lidwina of Schiedam, a fifteenth-century counterpart of the thirteenth-century lay saints, in order to explain the popularity of the themes in the later Middle Ages. Lay saints served as examples of the vita apostolica and as mirrors of humility for priests.

Secondly, the manuscript transmission of the Vitae of lay saints from the Southern Low Countries is examined. Of 112 manuscripts, 33 stem from the period prior to 1375 and 72 from the period 1375-1525. The first group is dominated by manuscripts of Cistercian provenance, while the second primarily features manuscripts from reformed religious orders or reform movements like the Devotio Moderna. The Vitae of Mary of Oignies and Christina Mirabilis, women who were not bound to a religious order, were the most successfully transmitted. Another remarkable finding is that nearly all Latin manuscripts have a male religious provenance. We can state that Vitae of lay saints, mostly females, were read by clergymen, not by female religious (vernacular versions had a more diverse public). The figures regarding the spread of Christina’s Vita exhibit the same pattern. A collation of copies of her Vita confirms a division into two groups according to period and context. The fifteenth-century copies originating from the reform movements differ in several aspects from the older copies from Cistercian circles.

Thirdly, five manuscripts are analysed in detail in order to formulate conclusions about the transmission and appropriation of the Vita of Christina. The Cistercian interest in Christina’s Vita is studied by means of a manuscript dating from 1320 from the monastery of Villers. This manuscript contains texts on Cistercian spirituality and the history of their own community. It can be defined as a memoria manuscript. Other manuscripts analysed all date from the fifteenth century. A legendary from Rooklooster in Brabant, a convent of canons regular of the Devotio Moderna, serves as an example of historiographical and hagiographical works in which saints were used to attest to the holiness of the land and inhabitants of the duchy of Brabant. In this and another legendary from the same monastery, namely Johannes Gielemans’ Hagiologium Brabantinorum, Christina was adopted as a Brabant saint. Another group of manuscripts consists of legendaries and miscellanies, which primarily contain Vitae of ‘new’ saints. These saints are seen as representatives of the new spirituality and the religious reform movements of the later Middle Ages. A manuscript from the Carthusian monastery of Beatusberg near Koblenz is treated in detail, as it not only placed the Vita of Christina in the context of other new saints but also in the context of two other lay saints, namely Mary of Oignies and Arnulf of Villers. In this manuscript, the Vita of Mary was transformed into an example collection, which shows that hagiography was used as example literature.

Another manuscript in which the Vita of Christina was appropriated by a new public is a collection from the monastery of Clairlieu near Hoei of the Order of the Holy Cross. This manuscript had a share in the formation and confirmation of the spiritual identity of the Brothers of the Holy Cross. It contains texts on the origin of the order as well as all kinds of theological works. The Vita of Christina, copied no less than two times in this codex, became a part of the identity of the Brothers of the Holy Cross. The last manuscript analysed is a Middle Dutch codex from Neerbosch, a convent of canonesses regular of the Chapter of Windesheim. It contains a translation of the Vita of Christina that was unknown until now. Research has revealed that its author made use of the Vita of Mary of Oignies and Henricus Bate’s Speculum naturale, which contains a shortened version of the Vita by Thomas of Cantimpré. The manuscript as a whole was designed as an example collection with a focus on purgatory. The Vitae of Christina and Mary were used as example literature, just like the aforementioned manuscript from Beatusberg.

In conclusion, the Vita of Christina Mirabilis had different functions and meanings in different socio-religious contexts. It played a part in forming regional and spiritual identities and was used as example literature, especially with respect to purgatory. For clerics, the Vita of Christina was a mirror with which they could reflect on their office. One of the most important conclusions is that Christina was not so much an example for other religious women as she was for religious men.

De Genootschapsbode, 2023

Overijssel Toen en Nu. Historisch tijdschrift, 2023

Analecta Bollandiana, 2022

The medieval Northern Dutch New Testament translation, which originated in the context of the Dev... more The medieval Northern Dutch New Testament translation, which originated in the context of the Devotio Moderna movement, was used by printers and readers well into the sixteenth century. This contribution demonstrates that studying copies of this translation is of vital importance for understanding Bible production in print in the Low Countries in the transitional period between the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. From the publication of the first Dutch Bible editions in 1477 on, printers let themselves guide by readers' preferences, which meant reading the Bible according to the liturgical calendar. These long existing reading habits continued to guide printers' choices after the introduction of new humanist and reform-minded complete Bible translations from 1522 on. In competing to publish these new and complete Dutch Bibles, printers were taking over textual and paratextual elements from existing medieval translations.

Anna Dlabačová, Andrea van Leerdam & John Thompson (eds), Identifying the Vernacular Reader in the Early Age of Print (1400-1600). Intersections 85 (Leiden: Brill, 2023), 2023

The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Medieval Women’s Writing in the Global Middle Ages, 2024

The Devotio moderna movement in the Low Countries gave rise to a culture of reading and writing i... more The Devotio moderna movement in the Low Countries gave rise to a culture of reading and writing in the vernacular. The sisters of the monastery of Diepenveen were among the first within the movement to produce books and texts, soon followed by sisters in other convents of the same Augustinian monastic family, united in the Congregation of Windesheim. Women’s writing in the Devotio moderna includes the production of Sisterbooks, a Rule of Life by Salome Sticken, meditation exercises, and sermon collections.

Suzan Folkerts, Marcel Herms en Martin Knaapen, Hanze art – oude boeken nieuwe kunst (Deventer: uitgeverij petrichor i.s.m. Stads- of Athenaeumbibliotheek, 2024), 2024

This chapter considers how locative apps are able to change the relationship between museum colle... more This chapter considers how locative apps are able to change the relationship between museum collections and their audiences, both through bringing the objects into direct contact with the sites for which they were originally created and by making these connections accessible to ‘armchair’ users outside the museum. Two perspectives will be considered from museum professionals dealing with different areas of collections management. Through the example of the Deventer Athenaeumbibliotheek, we will consider how fragile manuscripts can be put in motion through narratives related to their early histories of use; how were these books shaped by the sociocultural context within which they interacted with constituents of the city of Deventer, and how can users today recover an understanding of these interactions? Instead, the example of RAMM in Exeter will focus on how apps contextualise and add value to collections and the museum’s public-facing activities; what are the benefits and challenges of using mobile technologies in the museum; and how does the Hidden Exeter app mediate between the museum collection and the wider heritage environment of the city?

his chapter considers how locative apps are able to change the relationship between museum collec... more his chapter considers how locative apps are able to change the relationship between museum collections and their audiences, both through bringing the objects into direct contact with the sites for which they were originally created and by making these connections accessible to ‘armchair’ users outside the museum. Two perspectives will be considered from museum professionals dealing with different areas of collections management. Through the example of the Deventer Athenaeumbibliotheek, we will consider how fragile manuscripts can be put in motion through narratives related to their early histories of use; how were these books shaped by the sociocultural context within which they interacted with constituents of the city of Deventer, and how can users today recover an understanding of these interactions? Instead, the example of RAMM in Exeter will focus on how apps contextualise and add value to collections and the museum’s public-facing activities; what are the benefits and challenges of using mobile technologies in the museum; and how does the Hidden Exeter app mediate between the museum collection and the wider heritage environment of the city?

Full title: Renaissance und Bibelhumanismus. Bibel und Reformbewegungen des 15. und 16. Jahrhunde... more Full title: Renaissance und Bibelhumanismus. Bibel und Reformbewegungen des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts und ihre Bedeutung für das Werden der Reformation

Mulder-Bakker, Mary of Oignies

Brepols Publishers eBooks, 2023

BRILL eBooks, Aug 31, 2023

Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing... more Take-down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.

Routledge eBooks, Feb 25, 2022

QUEESTE (HILVERSUM), 2010