John of Ruusbroec: Mystic and Theologian in the Quiet of Groenendaal
Many scholars hold the view that John of Ruusbroec and his companions, upon moving from Brussels to Groenendaal in 1343, lived there initially as hermits. Such a viewpoint however, fails to take adequate account of the two extant testimonies from the fourthteenth and fifteenth centuries relating to...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Peeters
[2017]
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| In: |
Ons geestelijk erf
Year: 2017, Volume: 88, Issue: 1, Pages: 3-34 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality KAF Church history 1300-1500; late Middle Ages KBD Benelux countries KCA Monasticism; religious orders KDB Roman Catholic Church |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Many scholars hold the view that John of Ruusbroec and his companions, upon moving from Brussels to Groenendaal in 1343, lived there initially as hermits. Such a viewpoint however, fails to take adequate account of the two extant testimonies from the fourthteenth and fifteenth centuries relating to Ruusbroec’s life, i.e. Gerard of Saintes’ Prologue (c. 1360) and Henricus Pomerius’ De origine monasterii Viridisvallis (c. 1414-1420). This article addresses the issue of Ruusbroec’s early years in Groenendaal by attending closely to these two sources. Specifically it relates them to the works of later authors in order to reveal previously misunderstood references to ‘hermitage’ and ‘hermit’s hut’ and misunderstood connections between the move to Groenendaal and the priestly life being lived in Brussels. I argue that in the early period in Groenendaal, Ruusbroec and companions remained secular priests and furthermore, for Ruusbroec the solitude of the Sonian Forest facilitated not an eremitical life but a life of contemplation, the fruits of which he shared with others through his rich and profound writings. In conclusion, this article, by attending closely to the extant sources, moves away from the hypothesis of the ‘hermit’ Ruusbroec, and sheds a light on Ruusbroec as mystic and theologian. |
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| ISSN: | 1783-1652 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Ons geestelijk erf
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2143/OGE.88.1.3248512 |