Matthieu van der Meer | Syracuse University (original) (raw)

Books by Matthieu van der Meer

Research paper thumbnail of Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula S. Benedicti abbatis, Corpus Christianorum Continuatio Mediaeualis 282

The Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula S. Benedicti abbatis is a unique source for... more The Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula S. Benedicti abbatis is a unique source for analyzing how scholars contextualized and read the text chosen to guide Carolingian monastic reforms. The Glosae consists of two parts, a catena-glossary of ca. 1100 elementary terms of the Regula Benedicti, and a florilegium of more than 500 extracts from a wide range of biblical and patristic texts. Both the glossary and the florilegium follow closely the chapters of the Regula Benedicti. Especially the glossary indicates that the Regula had a curious double function of a text to be studied and a text that was used as a tool for learning Latin. Moreover, the glossary is one of the earliest witnesses to the popularity of the Liber Glossarum in the early ninth century. Like the Liber Glossarum, the Glosae testifies to that remarkable Carolingian spirit of ordering, correcting, preserving, and renewing ancient wisdom. Both the glossary and the florilegium have been used by Smaragdus of St-Mihiel (d. c. 827), the chief monastic reformer of his generation, for the Expositio in regulam Sancti Benedicti – the oldest and best known commentary to the Rule. The florilegium of the Glosae is structured in a way that is similar to Benedict of Aniane’s Concordia Regularum, a work that juxtaposes the Regula Benedicti with other monastic rules. The Glosae provides a counter model to the Concordia’s normative understanding of the Regula Benedicti by contextualizing it with ascetical, doctrinal, exegetic and pastoral texts.

Research paper thumbnail of Albrecht Diem and Matthieu van der Meer, Columbanische Klosterregeln: Regula cuiusdam patris, Regula cuiusdam ad virgines, Regelfragment De accedendo, St. Ottilien: EOS-editions 2016.

This book is a study and German translation of three 7th-century monastic rules published after t... more This book is a study and German translation of three 7th-century monastic rules published after the time of Columbanus: the Regula cuiusdam patris, Regula cuiusdam ad virgines and the treatise De accedendo ad Deum. In the introduction I argue that all three texts assert different claims to define the heritage of the Irish monk and monastic founder Columbanus, and give different responses to the theological and practical challenges Columbanian monasticism faced after his death in 615. The Regula cuiusdam patris can be read as an angry polemic against the course Columbanian monasticism took, and might be associated with Agrestius, one of the antagonists of Columbanus’ successor Eusthasius of Luxeuil. The Regula cuiusdam ad virgines was probably written by Jonas of Bobbio as a counterpart to his Life of Columbanus. Both texts together form the program of Columbanian (or Hiberno-Frankish) monasticism as propagated by Jonas. De accedendo ad Deum may have originally been a chapter of the Regula cuiusdam ad virgines. As such it would form the theological core of the rule. The text provides a highly elaborate rationale for why and how monastic discipline enables a community to pray effectively for forgiveness of sins, to perform intercessory prayer and to attain salvation.

Papers by Matthieu van der Meer

Research paper thumbnail of Intellige Semper Spiritaliter: The Role of the Bible in the Philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa

Dicusses the relationship of faith and reason in the works of Nicholas of Cusa, arguing that the ... more Dicusses the relationship of faith and reason in the works of Nicholas of Cusa, arguing that the Scriptures have a propaedeutical function in the quest for truth.

Research paper thumbnail of The Glosae in regula S. Benedicti – a text between the Liber Glossarum and Smaragdus’ Expositio in regulam S. Benedicti

This article concerns a newly discovered Carolingian text that is arguably one of the oldest witn... more This article concerns a newly discovered Carolingian text that is arguably one of the oldest witnesses to the use of the Liber Glossarum. Preserved in two codices, the text bears the name Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula Benedicti abbatis. It systematically applies entries from the Liber Glossarum to the Rule of Benedict. The text most likely originated as a means of providing instruction to novices and aims at fostering theological, as well as lexical and grammatical, comprehension of the Rule. It is a unique source of information regarding the implementation of monastic reforms, as well as Carolingian techniques of teaching, reading, and writing. This article analyzes a number of philological problems, especially the relationship between the Glosae, the Liber Glossarum, and Smaragdus of St. Mihiel’s Expositio in regulam Benedicti.

Research paper thumbnail of De beweging van de geest : een studie naar het begrip motus intellectualis in de filosofie van Nicolaus Cusanus (1401-1464)

Nicolaus Cusanus, also known as Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), is one of the most fascinating pers... more Nicolaus Cusanus, also known as Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), is one of the most fascinating personalities of the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance period. He played an important role in church polictics, was involved in councils and had to deal with reform movements and schisms; but more important were his achievements as one of the most original and far-reaching theological and philosophical thinkers of this time. For Cusanus, philopsophy is by no means remote from everyday experience. Its exercise included every use of one's intellectual capacities, be it for acquiring knowledge and understanding of the material world, creating a work of art, or aiming to be successful in commerce. Hidden behind all these activities lies, according to Cusanus, the same quest for unity that leads to his own abstract philosophical and theological speculations. ... Zie: Summary

Research paper thumbnail of Regula cuiusdam ad uirgines - audio files

The seventh-century 'Regula cuiusdam ad uirgines' (Someone’s Rule for Virgins), which was... more The seventh-century 'Regula cuiusdam ad uirgines' (Someone’s Rule for Virgins), which was most likely written by Jonas of Bobbio, the hagiographer of the Irish monk Columbanus, forms an ideal point of departure for writing a new history of the emergence of Western monasticism understood as a history of the individual and collective attempt to pursue eternal salvation.The book provides a critical edition and translation of the 'Regula cuiusdam ad uirgines' and a roadmap for such a new history revolving around various aspects of monastic discipline, such as the agency of the community, the role of enclosure, authority and obedience, space and boundaries, confession and penance, sleep and silence, excommunication and expulsion.Various monastic rules contain provisions on being read aloud to the community or to monks and nuns who were in the process of entering the monastery. In order to give an impression how the 'Regula cuiusdam ad uirgines' may have sounded, A...

Research paper thumbnail of Renie S. Choy, Intercessory Prayer and the Monastic Ideal in the Time of the Carolingian Reform. (Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs.) Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. Pp. x, 234. $95. ISBN: 978-0-19-879051-8

Research paper thumbnail of World Without End Nicholas Of Cusa'S View Of Time And Eternity

Essays in Honour of Arjo Vanderjagt, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of Divus Dionysius : Jean Gerson, Nicholas of Cusa, and the Interpretation of Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology

Viator, 2013

Jean Gerson and Nicholas of Cusa equally venerate Pseudo-Dionysius, the presumed disciple of St. ... more Jean Gerson and Nicholas of Cusa equally venerate Pseudo-Dionysius, the presumed disciple of St. Paul, but differ greatly with regard to the intellectual context in which they situate him. For Gerson Pseudo-Dionysius is the exemplary proponent of the (Augustinian) tradition that emphasizes man’s inability to work for his salvation. Gerson presents Dionysian theology as a model that stands diametrically opposed to Platonism, which he condemns as a theory that supposes that it is in man’s own power to rise up to God. Nicholas of Cusa on the other hand, being aware of the affinities of Dionysian mysticism with Platonic philosophy, praises Pseudo-Dionysius as both the greatest of the Christian theologians and of the Platonic philosophers. He arrives at a theology in which mystical union is situated beyond the dichotomy of nature and grace. Keywords: Jean Gerson, Nicholas of Cusa, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, mystical theology, nature and grace, Platonism, fifteenth-century Europe.

Research paper thumbnail of "The Glosae in regula S. Benedicti - a text between the Liber Glossarum and Smaragdus' Expositio in regulam S. Benedicti" in Dossiers d'HEL 10, 2016

This article concerns a newly discovered Carolingian text that is arguably one of the oldest witn... more This article concerns a newly discovered Carolingian text that is arguably one of the oldest witnesses to the use of the Liber Glossarum. Preserved in two codices, the text bears the name Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula Benedicti abbatis. It systematically applies entries from the Liber Glossarum to the Rule of Benedict. The text most likely originated as a means of providing instruction to novices and aims at fostering theological, as well as lexical and grammatical, comprehension of the Rule. It is a unique source of information regarding the implementation of monastic reforms, as well as Carolingian techniques of teaching, reading, and writing. This article analyzes a number of philological problems, especially the relationship between the Glosae, the Liber Glossarum, and Smaragdus of St. Mihiel’s Expositio in regulam Benedicti.

Keywords:
Liber Glossarum, Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula S. Benedicti abbatis, Smaragdus of St. Mihiel, Expositio in regulam Benedicti, Rule of Benedict, Latin Glossaries, Carolingian monasticism

Research paper thumbnail of Divus Dionysius: Jean Gerson, Nicholas of Cusa, and the Interpretation of Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology

Viator 44:2, 323-342, 2013

Jean Gerson and Nicholas of Cusa equally venerate Pseudo-Dionysius, the presumed disciple of St. ... more Jean Gerson and Nicholas of Cusa equally venerate Pseudo-Dionysius, the presumed disciple of
St. Paul, but differ greatly with regard to the intellectual context in which they situate him. For Gerson
Pseudo-Dionysius is the exemplary proponent of the (Augustinian) tradition that emphasizes man’s inability
to work for his salvation. Gerson presents Dionysian theology as a model that stands diametrically opposed
to Platonism, which he condemns as a theory that supposes that it is in man’s own power to rise up to God.
Nicholas of Cusa on the other hand, being aware of the affinities of Dionysian mysticism with Platonic
philosophy, praises Pseudo-Dionysius as both the greatest of the Christian theologians and of the Platonic
philosophers. He arrives at a theology in which mystical union is situated beyond the dichotomy of nature
and grace.
Keywords: Jean Gerson, Nicholas of Cusa, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, mystical theology, nature and
grace, Platonism, fifteenth-century Europe.

Research paper thumbnail of World without end. Nicholas of Cusa’s view on time and eternity

Published in: Zweder von Martels, Alasdair A. Macdonald and Jan Veenstra (eds.), Christian Humanism. Essays in Honor of Arjo Vanderjagt, Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions, vol.142, Leiden: Brill Publishers, pp. 317-337., 2009

Discusses the relationship between Nicholas of Cusa's Neoplatonic concepts of time/eternity and h... more Discusses the relationship between Nicholas of Cusa's Neoplatonic concepts of time/eternity and his speculations on the Last Day.

Research paper thumbnail of Intellige semper spiritaliter. The role of the Bible in the philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa.

Mediaevalia. An Interdisciplinary Journal of Mediaeval Studies Worldwide, vol. 31, 2010

Dicusses the relationship of faith and reason in the works of Nicholas of Cusa, arguing that the ... more Dicusses the relationship of faith and reason in the works of Nicholas of Cusa, arguing that the Scriptures have a propaedeutical function in the quest for truth.

Research paper thumbnail of Imago und participatio   Das Verhältnis zwischen dem Bildsein und der Teilhabe des Geistes in De coniecturis, De filiatione Dei und Idiota de mente

Klaus Reinhardt and Harald Schwaetzer (eds.), Nicolaus Cusanus. Perspektiven seiner Geistphilosophie, Regensburg: S. Roederer Verlag, 2003, pp. 65-78. , 2003

Digital Projects by Matthieu van der Meer

Research paper thumbnail of The Hildemar Project - a collaborative translation of Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary to the Rule of Benedict

by Albrecht Diem, Matthieu van der Meer, Matthew Gillis, Abigail Firey, Irene van Renswoude, Clare Woods, Zachary Yuzwa, Marijana Vukovic, Columba Stewart, Eric Shuler, Manu Radhakrishnan, Matthew Ponesse, Abraham Plunkett-Latimer, Alexander O'Hara, Rob Meens, Sven Meeder, James LePree, Kathryn Jasper, Andrew Irving, Julie Hofmann, Zachary M Guiliano, Brendan Cook, Isabelle Cochelin, Susan Boynton, Courtney Booker, Daniel Abosso, Bruce Venarde, Corinna Prior, and Mariel Urbanus

http://hildemar.org/

http://hildemar.org Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary on the Rule of Benedict (ca. 845CE) is a m... more http://hildemar.org

Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary on the Rule of Benedict (ca. 845CE) is a major source for the history of monasticism, but it has long been accessible only in two obscure nineteenth-century editions of its Latin text. The goal of the Hildemar Project is to make the entire commentary more accessible for research and teaching purposes. The first step is to provide a fully searchable version of the Latin text along with an English translation. This translation is a collaborative effort of more than fifty scholars, including specialists in monasticism, Latin, manuscripts studies, and Carolingian history.

Currently a slightly revised version of the Latin text from Rupert Mittermüller’s edition [Regensburg, 1880] is available on the site. The translation of all seventy-three chapters – one for each chapter of Benedict’s Rule – is now complete.

The website also provides a complete list of the manuscripts of Hildemar’s Commentary (with links to manuscript catalogues and manuscripts available online) and a complete bibliography of scholarship on Hildemar and his work.

The next step in the project will be to improve the Latin text presented on the website by providing links to the different versions of Hildemar’s work. Users will be able to compare the (problematic) nineteenth-century edition with the original manuscripts. A long-term goal of the Hildemar Project is to provide a new edition of Hildemar’s Commentary that meets the standards of a critical edition but also capitalizes on the greater flexibility and customization available in a digital environment.

The Hildemar Project is a collaborative project that profits from the expertise of as many scholars as possible and is tailored to the needs and interests of its users. Any form of feedback, suggestions for improvement, identification of sources, or commentary on the Latin text are welcome. Please either use the Forum or contact us directly.

Research paper thumbnail of A list of digital medieval manuscript projects (arranged by cities) - update April 28

http://www.earlymedievalmonasticism.org/listoflinks.html#Digital

http://www.earlymedievalmonasticism.org/listoflinks.html#Digital On this web-page you find a l... more http://www.earlymedievalmonasticism.org/listoflinks.html#Digital

On this web-page you find a list of digital manuscript projects with hyperlinks, listed by city and library. I try to keep this list as complete as possible. Please help me out by sending me links to projects I may have missed (adiem@maxwell.syr.edu).

Reviews by Matthieu van der Meer

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Renie Choy, Intercessory Prayer and the Monastic Ideal in the Time of the Carolingian Reform. (Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs.) Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2016, in Speculum 93/3 (July 2018), p. 816-817

Whereas late antique desert hermits only occasionally engaged with the outer world and prayed for... more Whereas late antique desert hermits only occasionally engaged with the outer world and
prayed for the benefit of other people at special request, this type of prayer stood at the heart
of Carolingian monastic life, whose agents were no longer disengaged loners, but liturgical experts
singing in choirs. Previous scholarship has investigated monastic intercessory prayer
in the time of the Carolingian reforms in terms of its genesis and its “economy” (who asked
for it and why and how). Renie Choy....

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Thomas Frank and Norbert Winkler , eds. Renovatio et unitas: Nikolaus von Kues als Reformer: Theorie und Praxis der reformatio im 15. Jahrhundert . Berliner Mittelalter- und Frühneuzeitforschung 13. Göttingen: V&R Unipress, 2012. 253 pp. €39.90. ISBN: 978–389971–962–8

Forthcoming by Matthieu van der Meer

Research paper thumbnail of Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula S. Benedicti abbatis, Corpus Christianorum Continuatio Mediaeualis 282

The Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula S. Benedicti abbatis is a unique source for... more The Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula S. Benedicti abbatis is a unique source for analyzing how scholars contextualized and read the text chosen to guide Carolingian monastic reforms. The Glosae consists of two parts, a catena-glossary of ca. 1100 elementary terms of the Regula Benedicti, and a florilegium of more than 500 extracts from a wide range of biblical and patristic texts. Both the glossary and the florilegium follow closely the chapters of the Regula Benedicti. Especially the glossary indicates that the Regula had a curious double function of a text to be studied and a text that was used as a tool for learning Latin. Moreover, the glossary is one of the earliest witnesses to the popularity of the Liber Glossarum in the early ninth century. Like the Liber Glossarum, the Glosae testifies to that remarkable Carolingian spirit of ordering, correcting, preserving, and renewing ancient wisdom. Both the glossary and the florilegium have been used by Smaragdus of St-Mihiel (d. c. 827), the chief monastic reformer of his generation, for the Expositio in regulam Sancti Benedicti – the oldest and best known commentary to the Rule. The florilegium of the Glosae is structured in a way that is similar to Benedict of Aniane’s Concordia Regularum, a work that juxtaposes the Regula Benedicti with other monastic rules. The Glosae provides a counter model to the Concordia’s normative understanding of the Regula Benedicti by contextualizing it with ascetical, doctrinal, exegetic and pastoral texts.

Research paper thumbnail of Albrecht Diem and Matthieu van der Meer, Columbanische Klosterregeln: Regula cuiusdam patris, Regula cuiusdam ad virgines, Regelfragment De accedendo, St. Ottilien: EOS-editions 2016.

This book is a study and German translation of three 7th-century monastic rules published after t... more This book is a study and German translation of three 7th-century monastic rules published after the time of Columbanus: the Regula cuiusdam patris, Regula cuiusdam ad virgines and the treatise De accedendo ad Deum. In the introduction I argue that all three texts assert different claims to define the heritage of the Irish monk and monastic founder Columbanus, and give different responses to the theological and practical challenges Columbanian monasticism faced after his death in 615. The Regula cuiusdam patris can be read as an angry polemic against the course Columbanian monasticism took, and might be associated with Agrestius, one of the antagonists of Columbanus’ successor Eusthasius of Luxeuil. The Regula cuiusdam ad virgines was probably written by Jonas of Bobbio as a counterpart to his Life of Columbanus. Both texts together form the program of Columbanian (or Hiberno-Frankish) monasticism as propagated by Jonas. De accedendo ad Deum may have originally been a chapter of the Regula cuiusdam ad virgines. As such it would form the theological core of the rule. The text provides a highly elaborate rationale for why and how monastic discipline enables a community to pray effectively for forgiveness of sins, to perform intercessory prayer and to attain salvation.

Research paper thumbnail of Intellige Semper Spiritaliter: The Role of the Bible in the Philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa

Dicusses the relationship of faith and reason in the works of Nicholas of Cusa, arguing that the ... more Dicusses the relationship of faith and reason in the works of Nicholas of Cusa, arguing that the Scriptures have a propaedeutical function in the quest for truth.

Research paper thumbnail of The Glosae in regula S. Benedicti – a text between the Liber Glossarum and Smaragdus’ Expositio in regulam S. Benedicti

This article concerns a newly discovered Carolingian text that is arguably one of the oldest witn... more This article concerns a newly discovered Carolingian text that is arguably one of the oldest witnesses to the use of the Liber Glossarum. Preserved in two codices, the text bears the name Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula Benedicti abbatis. It systematically applies entries from the Liber Glossarum to the Rule of Benedict. The text most likely originated as a means of providing instruction to novices and aims at fostering theological, as well as lexical and grammatical, comprehension of the Rule. It is a unique source of information regarding the implementation of monastic reforms, as well as Carolingian techniques of teaching, reading, and writing. This article analyzes a number of philological problems, especially the relationship between the Glosae, the Liber Glossarum, and Smaragdus of St. Mihiel’s Expositio in regulam Benedicti.

Research paper thumbnail of De beweging van de geest : een studie naar het begrip motus intellectualis in de filosofie van Nicolaus Cusanus (1401-1464)

Nicolaus Cusanus, also known as Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), is one of the most fascinating pers... more Nicolaus Cusanus, also known as Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464), is one of the most fascinating personalities of the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance period. He played an important role in church polictics, was involved in councils and had to deal with reform movements and schisms; but more important were his achievements as one of the most original and far-reaching theological and philosophical thinkers of this time. For Cusanus, philopsophy is by no means remote from everyday experience. Its exercise included every use of one's intellectual capacities, be it for acquiring knowledge and understanding of the material world, creating a work of art, or aiming to be successful in commerce. Hidden behind all these activities lies, according to Cusanus, the same quest for unity that leads to his own abstract philosophical and theological speculations. ... Zie: Summary

Research paper thumbnail of Regula cuiusdam ad uirgines - audio files

The seventh-century 'Regula cuiusdam ad uirgines' (Someone’s Rule for Virgins), which was... more The seventh-century 'Regula cuiusdam ad uirgines' (Someone’s Rule for Virgins), which was most likely written by Jonas of Bobbio, the hagiographer of the Irish monk Columbanus, forms an ideal point of departure for writing a new history of the emergence of Western monasticism understood as a history of the individual and collective attempt to pursue eternal salvation.The book provides a critical edition and translation of the 'Regula cuiusdam ad uirgines' and a roadmap for such a new history revolving around various aspects of monastic discipline, such as the agency of the community, the role of enclosure, authority and obedience, space and boundaries, confession and penance, sleep and silence, excommunication and expulsion.Various monastic rules contain provisions on being read aloud to the community or to monks and nuns who were in the process of entering the monastery. In order to give an impression how the 'Regula cuiusdam ad uirgines' may have sounded, A...

Research paper thumbnail of Renie S. Choy, Intercessory Prayer and the Monastic Ideal in the Time of the Carolingian Reform. (Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs.) Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2016. Pp. x, 234. $95. ISBN: 978-0-19-879051-8

Research paper thumbnail of World Without End Nicholas Of Cusa'S View Of Time And Eternity

Essays in Honour of Arjo Vanderjagt, 2009

Research paper thumbnail of Divus Dionysius : Jean Gerson, Nicholas of Cusa, and the Interpretation of Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology

Viator, 2013

Jean Gerson and Nicholas of Cusa equally venerate Pseudo-Dionysius, the presumed disciple of St. ... more Jean Gerson and Nicholas of Cusa equally venerate Pseudo-Dionysius, the presumed disciple of St. Paul, but differ greatly with regard to the intellectual context in which they situate him. For Gerson Pseudo-Dionysius is the exemplary proponent of the (Augustinian) tradition that emphasizes man’s inability to work for his salvation. Gerson presents Dionysian theology as a model that stands diametrically opposed to Platonism, which he condemns as a theory that supposes that it is in man’s own power to rise up to God. Nicholas of Cusa on the other hand, being aware of the affinities of Dionysian mysticism with Platonic philosophy, praises Pseudo-Dionysius as both the greatest of the Christian theologians and of the Platonic philosophers. He arrives at a theology in which mystical union is situated beyond the dichotomy of nature and grace. Keywords: Jean Gerson, Nicholas of Cusa, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, mystical theology, nature and grace, Platonism, fifteenth-century Europe.

Research paper thumbnail of "The Glosae in regula S. Benedicti - a text between the Liber Glossarum and Smaragdus' Expositio in regulam S. Benedicti" in Dossiers d'HEL 10, 2016

This article concerns a newly discovered Carolingian text that is arguably one of the oldest witn... more This article concerns a newly discovered Carolingian text that is arguably one of the oldest witnesses to the use of the Liber Glossarum. Preserved in two codices, the text bears the name Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula Benedicti abbatis. It systematically applies entries from the Liber Glossarum to the Rule of Benedict. The text most likely originated as a means of providing instruction to novices and aims at fostering theological, as well as lexical and grammatical, comprehension of the Rule. It is a unique source of information regarding the implementation of monastic reforms, as well as Carolingian techniques of teaching, reading, and writing. This article analyzes a number of philological problems, especially the relationship between the Glosae, the Liber Glossarum, and Smaragdus of St. Mihiel’s Expositio in regulam Benedicti.

Keywords:
Liber Glossarum, Glosae de diuersis doctoribus collectae in regula S. Benedicti abbatis, Smaragdus of St. Mihiel, Expositio in regulam Benedicti, Rule of Benedict, Latin Glossaries, Carolingian monasticism

Research paper thumbnail of Divus Dionysius: Jean Gerson, Nicholas of Cusa, and the Interpretation of Pseudo-Dionysius’s Mystical Theology

Viator 44:2, 323-342, 2013

Jean Gerson and Nicholas of Cusa equally venerate Pseudo-Dionysius, the presumed disciple of St. ... more Jean Gerson and Nicholas of Cusa equally venerate Pseudo-Dionysius, the presumed disciple of
St. Paul, but differ greatly with regard to the intellectual context in which they situate him. For Gerson
Pseudo-Dionysius is the exemplary proponent of the (Augustinian) tradition that emphasizes man’s inability
to work for his salvation. Gerson presents Dionysian theology as a model that stands diametrically opposed
to Platonism, which he condemns as a theory that supposes that it is in man’s own power to rise up to God.
Nicholas of Cusa on the other hand, being aware of the affinities of Dionysian mysticism with Platonic
philosophy, praises Pseudo-Dionysius as both the greatest of the Christian theologians and of the Platonic
philosophers. He arrives at a theology in which mystical union is situated beyond the dichotomy of nature
and grace.
Keywords: Jean Gerson, Nicholas of Cusa, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, mystical theology, nature and
grace, Platonism, fifteenth-century Europe.

Research paper thumbnail of World without end. Nicholas of Cusa’s view on time and eternity

Published in: Zweder von Martels, Alasdair A. Macdonald and Jan Veenstra (eds.), Christian Humanism. Essays in Honor of Arjo Vanderjagt, Studies in Medieval and Reformation Traditions, vol.142, Leiden: Brill Publishers, pp. 317-337., 2009

Discusses the relationship between Nicholas of Cusa's Neoplatonic concepts of time/eternity and h... more Discusses the relationship between Nicholas of Cusa's Neoplatonic concepts of time/eternity and his speculations on the Last Day.

Research paper thumbnail of Intellige semper spiritaliter. The role of the Bible in the philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa.

Mediaevalia. An Interdisciplinary Journal of Mediaeval Studies Worldwide, vol. 31, 2010

Dicusses the relationship of faith and reason in the works of Nicholas of Cusa, arguing that the ... more Dicusses the relationship of faith and reason in the works of Nicholas of Cusa, arguing that the Scriptures have a propaedeutical function in the quest for truth.

Research paper thumbnail of Imago und participatio   Das Verhältnis zwischen dem Bildsein und der Teilhabe des Geistes in De coniecturis, De filiatione Dei und Idiota de mente

Klaus Reinhardt and Harald Schwaetzer (eds.), Nicolaus Cusanus. Perspektiven seiner Geistphilosophie, Regensburg: S. Roederer Verlag, 2003, pp. 65-78. , 2003

Research paper thumbnail of The Hildemar Project - a collaborative translation of Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary to the Rule of Benedict

by Albrecht Diem, Matthieu van der Meer, Matthew Gillis, Abigail Firey, Irene van Renswoude, Clare Woods, Zachary Yuzwa, Marijana Vukovic, Columba Stewart, Eric Shuler, Manu Radhakrishnan, Matthew Ponesse, Abraham Plunkett-Latimer, Alexander O'Hara, Rob Meens, Sven Meeder, James LePree, Kathryn Jasper, Andrew Irving, Julie Hofmann, Zachary M Guiliano, Brendan Cook, Isabelle Cochelin, Susan Boynton, Courtney Booker, Daniel Abosso, Bruce Venarde, Corinna Prior, and Mariel Urbanus

http://hildemar.org/

http://hildemar.org Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary on the Rule of Benedict (ca. 845CE) is a m... more http://hildemar.org

Hildemar of Corbie's Commentary on the Rule of Benedict (ca. 845CE) is a major source for the history of monasticism, but it has long been accessible only in two obscure nineteenth-century editions of its Latin text. The goal of the Hildemar Project is to make the entire commentary more accessible for research and teaching purposes. The first step is to provide a fully searchable version of the Latin text along with an English translation. This translation is a collaborative effort of more than fifty scholars, including specialists in monasticism, Latin, manuscripts studies, and Carolingian history.

Currently a slightly revised version of the Latin text from Rupert Mittermüller’s edition [Regensburg, 1880] is available on the site. The translation of all seventy-three chapters – one for each chapter of Benedict’s Rule – is now complete.

The website also provides a complete list of the manuscripts of Hildemar’s Commentary (with links to manuscript catalogues and manuscripts available online) and a complete bibliography of scholarship on Hildemar and his work.

The next step in the project will be to improve the Latin text presented on the website by providing links to the different versions of Hildemar’s work. Users will be able to compare the (problematic) nineteenth-century edition with the original manuscripts. A long-term goal of the Hildemar Project is to provide a new edition of Hildemar’s Commentary that meets the standards of a critical edition but also capitalizes on the greater flexibility and customization available in a digital environment.

The Hildemar Project is a collaborative project that profits from the expertise of as many scholars as possible and is tailored to the needs and interests of its users. Any form of feedback, suggestions for improvement, identification of sources, or commentary on the Latin text are welcome. Please either use the Forum or contact us directly.

Research paper thumbnail of A list of digital medieval manuscript projects (arranged by cities) - update April 28

http://www.earlymedievalmonasticism.org/listoflinks.html#Digital

http://www.earlymedievalmonasticism.org/listoflinks.html#Digital On this web-page you find a l... more http://www.earlymedievalmonasticism.org/listoflinks.html#Digital

On this web-page you find a list of digital manuscript projects with hyperlinks, listed by city and library. I try to keep this list as complete as possible. Please help me out by sending me links to projects I may have missed (adiem@maxwell.syr.edu).

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Renie Choy, Intercessory Prayer and the Monastic Ideal in the Time of the Carolingian Reform. (Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs.) Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2016, in Speculum 93/3 (July 2018), p. 816-817

Whereas late antique desert hermits only occasionally engaged with the outer world and prayed for... more Whereas late antique desert hermits only occasionally engaged with the outer world and
prayed for the benefit of other people at special request, this type of prayer stood at the heart
of Carolingian monastic life, whose agents were no longer disengaged loners, but liturgical experts
singing in choirs. Previous scholarship has investigated monastic intercessory prayer
in the time of the Carolingian reforms in terms of its genesis and its “economy” (who asked
for it and why and how). Renie Choy....

Research paper thumbnail of Review of Thomas Frank and Norbert Winkler , eds. Renovatio et unitas: Nikolaus von Kues als Reformer: Theorie und Praxis der reformatio im 15. Jahrhundert . Berliner Mittelalter- und Frühneuzeitforschung 13. Göttingen: V&R Unipress, 2012. 253 pp. €39.90. ISBN: 978–389971–962–8