Other- and Inner-Worldly Asceticism in Medieval Waldensianism: A Weberian Analysis
Building on work by Weber and Troeltsch, this article examines other-and inner-worldly asceticism in Waldensianism, one of the largest heterodox religious movements in the Middle Ages. To explain variation in the types and directions of religious conduct, the historical comparative analysis focuses...
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
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| Published: |
Oxford Univ. Press
1995
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| In: |
Sociology of religion
Year: 1995, Volume: 56, Issue: 2, Pages: 91-119 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | Building on work by Weber and Troeltsch, this article examines other-and inner-worldly asceticism in Waldensianism, one of the largest heterodox religious movements in the Middle Ages. To explain variation in the types and directions of religious conduct, the historical comparative analysis focuses on the interplay of ethics and organization in early, later, and Austrian Waldensianism. Based on the exploration of largely primary sources, the article argues that asceticism in early and later Waldensianism was other-worldly and confined to Waldensian itinerant preachers. In the unique case of the Austrian Waldensians, asceticism not only extended to lay congregations, but was also oriented toward the secular sphere. For the Austrian Waldendians the world was a task and had to be mastered through diligent, methodical behavior. The Austrian Waldensians' rationalized conduct in the secular sphere was a form of inner-worldly asceticism that preceded ascetic Protestantism's by more than three centuries. |
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| ISSN: | 1759-8818 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Sociology of religion
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/3711758 |