IMC 2006: Sessions

Monastic communities were highly complicated and extremely delicate forms of closed communities, constantly endangered by internal conflicts or by a decline of motivation and discipline. For keeping these communities alive, an effective 'emotional management' was an absolutely necessary condition. Organizing monastic life required much more than simply regulating behaviour by order and prohibition. For controlling negative emotions such as hate and envy, for stimulating motivation, and for fulfilling emotional desires such as warmth, security, and love one needed more advanced disciplining and organizing techniques. The three speakers of this session focus on three monastic genres that played a decisive role in this ‘emotional management’, and on three specific sets of emotions. Albrecht Diem gives a survey of techniques used to control and discipline sinful/dangerous emotions, such as hate, envy, and pride in early monastic rules. Julian Hendrix focuses on the emotion of grief and the way of controlling and expressing it in liturgical ordines. Matthew Ponesse investigates the necessity and limits of fraternal love on the basis of Smaragdus’ Commentary on the Regula Benedicti.