Naslov
Humility and Conversion in the Cistercian Observance: Positioning Personal Spirituality Within Institutional Functionality

Autori
Jerković, Marko

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Poglavlja u knjigama, znanstveni

Knjiga
Institutional Aspects of Church and Social History

Urednik/ci
Jerković, Marko

Izdavač
Hrvatski studiji Sveučilišta u Zagrebu

Grad
Zagreb

Godina
2021

Raspon stranica
35-60

ISBN
978-953-8349-04-1

Ključne riječi
radical humility, total conversion programme, Bernard of Clairvaux, Christ-centricity, the concept of Cistercian order, neighbourly love, obedience

Sažetak
With the emergence of the Cistercian order, there appeared new and specific monastic observance, resting on the idea of literal following of St Benedict’s Rule. Within this context, the leading Cistercian authors have faced the challenge of creating viable conceptual and legislative system which would support the radical approach to the issue of personal spiritual growth. By analysing exhortation treatises written by the pivotal figure in early Cistercian community, Bernard of Clairvaux, the paper firstly focuses on the place of humility in the Cistercian observance. Since monastic life implied “alienation from the world and from the self”, the analysis attempts primarily to position humility in the Cistercian concept of personal conversion, and to reconstruct the programme which would enable every individual to reach the spiritual perfection by the means of self-denial and complete submission to God’s will. Apart from that, normative sources show that Cistercians insisted on collective practise of humility as well. All the more, humility was the key virtue on which interpersonal relations of the brethren were built. Thus, in order to grasp the Cistercian understanding of the community, in the second part of the paper humility has been correlated to other fundamental principles of White Monks, namely with brotherly love and obedience. In this manner, an attempt has been made to indicate the role of humility and its functional implications (e. g. preservation of cohesion, promotion of the principle of unanimity, and prevention of disobedience) within the process of creating the new Cistercian “order of equals”.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Teologija, Povijest

POVEZANOST RADA