Brides in the Desert: The Spirituality of the Beguines (Traditions of Christian Spirituality) - Softcover

Murk-Jansen, Saskia

Softcover

ISBN 10: 157075201X ISBN 13: 9781570752018

Publisher: Orbis Books, 1998

Synopsis

The Beguine movement arose in Europe during the thirteenth century and consisted of women living together in chastity and poverty, doing works of Christian charity. Although many of their number were wealthy, this urban phenomenon had no founder, no single rule, and no agreed way of life. The Beguine movement was part of a yearning to democratize religion, and it produced four great writers. Saskia Murk-Jansen, a specialist in medieval women's mysticism, looks at the lives and works of Beatrijs of Nazareth, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Hadewijch, and Marguerite Porete. These mystics used images, metaphor, and paradox to express the numinous aspect of God. They pioneered vernacular literature and forged theological visions out of their own experience. Their writings provide an invaluable supplement to the work of their male contemporaries. Saskia Murk-Jansen probes the key images in Beguine spirituality including the soul as the bride of God, suffering as an integral part of a relationship with the Holy One, and the desert as a place to focus on the transcendent. In this excellent, balanced treatment, Murk-Jansen clearly outlines the development of the movement, pointing to its influence as well as its repression by church authorities.

About this title

From Library Journal:

With no single founder, rule, or way of life attributed to them, the Beguines, members of a lay women's movement that flourished in Germany during the 12th and 13th centuries, generally lived in small, self-supporting communities, studying and teaching the Bible and working to alleviate poverty. In this excellent, balanced treatment, Murk-Jansen, a specialist at Cambridge in medieval women's mysticism, clearly outlines the development of the movement, pointing to its influence as well as its repression by church authorities, and carefully examines the lives and works of four key figures in the movement.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orbis Books
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 157075201X
• ISBN 13: 9781570752018
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 136