| Paper 1217-a | The Biblical Conceptual Metaphor of 'Governing as Shepherding' and the Catholic Biopolitics in Medieval Icelandic Contexts
(Language: English)
Grzegorz Bartusik, Centre for Nordic & Old English Studies, University of Silesia, Katowice
Index terms: Ecclesiastical History, Language and Literature - Latin, Language and Literature - Scandinavian, Learning (The Classical Inheritance) |
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| Paper 1217-c | Nicholas Love's Subversive Pauline Exegesis: Lay-Affirming Epistemology in The Myrrour of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ
(Language: English)
Derek Witten, Trinity College of Arts & Science, Duke University, North Carolina
Index terms: Biblical Studies, Language and Literature - Middle English, Monasticism, Theology |
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| Abstract | Paper -a:
This paper focuses on the Old Icelandic use of the Biblical conceptual metaphor of 'governing as shepherding', based on projecting patterns of the practices of shepherding on the notion of governing. The dissemination of the pastoral metaphor in the Old Icelandic literature formed a discourse of pastoral power over human life. Following Michel Foucault's governmentality theory, I correlate the discourse in literature with the development of specific biopolitical practices of governance by the Catholic Church in medieval Iceland, thus linking the discourse of pastoral power over human life with the biopolitical mode of governing regarding the protection of life.
Paper -b:
The reading of religious authoritative texts lies at the heart of the medieval intellectual life and particularly the 12th century is known for its intense preoccupation with the notion of authority. However, the recourse to textual authority was not straightforward matter and a number of debates involving accusations of straying from Christian normativity developed around the improper use of textual authorities. This paper seeks to understand how was authority to be used in order not to cross the thin line between orthodoxy and heterodoxy, or, in the words of numerous 12th-century authors, in order to preserve the 'boundaries set by the fathers' (Prov. 22:28). The focus of this paper will be on the prominent figures of Bernard of Clairvaux and William of St Thierry, who often invoked the proper use of textual authorities when objecting to what they considered to be the problematic teachings of figures such as Rupert of Deutz, Peter Abelard, and Gilbert of Poitiers. As they criticized equally monastic and school-trained authors for their reading of past authorities, we hope to reach a more nuanced understanding of what was deemed as an acceptable approach to the so-called patres, that goes beyond the traditional 'monastic' versus 'scholastic' dichotomy used to explain their different handling of the patristic heritage.
Paper -c:
Much of the scholarship on Love's influential 1410 Bonaventure translation has characterized it as a domineering (not to mention Archbishop-sponsored) attempt at re-establishing ecclesial authority over lay knowledge by confining readers to Christ's humanity, leaving spiritual contemplation for professionals. While a much-needed historicist retrieval of the text's more generous core is well underway, none have noted the role played by Love's subversive eucharistic interpretation of 1 Corinthians 2. While Love's translation does discourage lay participation in traditional mystical contemplation, he replaces it with a uniquely lay-affirming epistemology, which innovatively links Pauline union with Christ's "speciale mynde" to ordinary eucharistic participation, thus leveling the spiritual playing field between monk and layperson.
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