010057 SE Monks, Monasteries and Orders. Religious life in the medieval and early modern periods (2023W)

The emergence of monasticism in Christianity arose from the desire for uncompromising asceticism in following Christ and a strict realization of the Gospel understood as a rule of life. Over the centuries such vita religiosa found different forms and expressions, as individual charismatics interpreted traditional monasticism in new ways and as religious communities were confronted with specific expectations on the part of the Christian society and the church. The seminar will examine, the most important forms of monastic life in the Latin Church in the Middle Ages and the early modern period as well as their integration into the respective ecclesiologies and the life of the church. The study of basic monastic texts (regulae, constitutiones) shall introduce the students to the respective spiritual ideal of the orders as well as to the social forms and the (self-)organization of these communities. Students will learn the most important religious orders in their theological self-understanding as well as their constitutions. Finally, the participants shall understand from a historical perspective the significance of religious orders for an ever-renewing Church.
In terms of method, the seminar will primarily analyze and discuss source texts. Additionally, students will be introduced to current research on the history of religious orders and monasticism. The participants have to prepare short introductory presentations for individual topics.