WK II SECTIONS:   MONASTICISM, SANCTITY AND CONVERSION

BRING GEARY READER TO SECTION MEETINGS FOR DISCUSSION.

READINGS:
MONASTICISM:  Monasticism: St. Benedict's Rule, Geary, 168-198
Benedict's Life, Dialogues of Pope Gregory the Great, Geary 198-220

CONVERSION OF ANGLO-SAXON ENGLAND:
   Bede, History of English Church & People, pp. 224-228

Rule of St. Benedict:
      What is life like in the monastery? 
              Food, work, schedule of prayers, liturgy.
      Look at organization of life, activities of monks (vs priests)
      What are monastic values, and how do they differ from “world”?
           Note especially the “12 degrees of humility”
      Age and social background of people entering monastery?
      What would attract people to this way of life?

Life of St. Benedict:
      Hagiography = writing about saints (hagios = holy in Greek)
      What makes Benedict a saint?  What evidence is given?
      What can we learn about life in 6th C. Italy from this document?
            Note political events in background (especially Totila the Ostrogoth).
      What kind of relationships are there between monks and ordinary people?     
      Note the genre (saint’s life), dialogue format, style of text,
            level of education of the author and his audience.

Bede: History of the English Church and People    

      Genre of church history: what kinds of sources does Bede use?
            (cf Life of Benedict)
      What picture of the English and their King does Bede present?
      What is the approach to conversion recommended by Pope Gregory?
            Optional pp. 229-235: Debate over the correct date of Easter,
            Note the presence of older Christian community in England.

General question drawing on above readings:
What kind of picture do you get of early medieval Christianity from these sources? 
What aspects do you find  surprising or unexpected?
Do you get any sense of what gives Christianity the momentum to succeed in
converting the north?

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NOTE ON OTHER READINGS FOR WEEK II:

Optional reading: On life and conversion of Clovis, King of Franks.
             Gregory of Tours, History of the Franks,
                  in Geary  pp. 138, par. 12; pp. 144-153, par. 27-43