Description
Book SynopsisDocuments recording the interrogation of sixteen women and the nature of their unusual spiritual practices, now available in a full edition and, for the first time, a full English translation. In September 1332, in the town of Świdnica, an important economic and communication centre of what was then Silesia, a group of sixteen women stood before the Dominican inquisitor, John of Schwenkenfeld, to testify about the local community of beguines, who called themselves the Hooded Sisters or the Daughters of Odelindis. We are fortunate that the original records of this heresy interrogation have survived, preserved as a notarial instrument drawn up shortly afterwards, eventually transferred to the Papal Curia, and now kept in the Vatican Library. The documents provide unique insights into the everyday life and spirituality of this group of lay women, as they attempted to adopt the ideals of vita apostolica. They lived in the strict poverty they thought necessary for spiritual perfection, and took part in austere ascetic practices, including regular flagellation and a strict diet regime, aiming to mortify sinful flesh and help them achieve mystical union with God. Using this evidence, the authors of this book piece together a sense of who these interrogated beguines were and the nature of their spiritual practices. Were they pious illiterates, or self-trained theologians, keenly interested in debates around the doctrine of such intellectuals as Master Eckhart, John Duns Scotus and Thomas Aquinas? The book also addresses the nature of their interrogation and the conduct of Friar John of Schwenkenfeld. And it contains a full edition and, for the first time, a full English translation of the documents themselves.
Table of ContentsForeword by Robert E. Lerner Part One: Historical Studies Preface 1. The Rise of the Beguines 2. The Council of Vienne and the Persecution of Beguines 3. John of Schwenkenfeld O.P. and the Interrogations of Świdnica Beguines 4. The Daughters of Odelindis: Identity and Religious Practice 5. A Dominican Inquisitor and Theological Controversies of His Times 6. Conclusions Part Two: Latin Edition and English Translation of the 1332 Protocol Description of the Manuscripts Criticial Study Editorial Principles Examinatio testium in causa Capuciatarum monialium in Swydnicz Examination of Witnesses in the Case of the Hooded Sisters at Świdnica The Swesteren of Odelind of Piritz and Cologne and their European Context Letha Böhringer Bibliography Index
