Miraculosa gratia: Discerning the Spirit, Discerning the Body in the Liber of Angela of Foligno and in the Vita of Clare of Montefalco
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Carlo Alessandro Bonifacio
Abstract
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, mystical and ecstatic experiences, especially those of women, often caused heated debates: the line between divine inspiration, demonic deception, and illness was indeed rather thin. This paper aims to analyze the relationship between these categories, taking into consideration especially Angela of Foligno’s (ca. 1248–1309) spiritual journey, as reported in her Liber, mainly in its first section, called Memoriale, as well as the visionary experiences described in the Vita of Clare of Montefalco (ca. 1268–1308). The initial focus will be on an examination of the occurrence of miracles and other elements that could be considered miraculous within the narrative of the Liber and the Vita. Both works were impacted by the spread of the spiritus libertatis movement in Umbria in the 1300s. This particular context will therefore be examined in closer detail. Subsequently, the mystical experiences of Angela and Clare, particularly those elements that transcend the boundaries of ordinary life and could therefore be deemed miraculous, will be considered in the broader framework of medical and theological literature of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. This study will also examine recent scholarly interpretations, which tend to pathologize mystical phenomena and “exorcize” the miracles. The Liber and the Vita – as well as mystical literature in general – should be read not only through the lens of today’s medical and psychological sciences, but also in light of contemporary writings and interpretative categories.
Abstract
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, mystical and ecstatic experiences, especially those of women, often caused heated debates: the line between divine inspiration, demonic deception, and illness was indeed rather thin. This paper aims to analyze the relationship between these categories, taking into consideration especially Angela of Foligno’s (ca. 1248–1309) spiritual journey, as reported in her Liber, mainly in its first section, called Memoriale, as well as the visionary experiences described in the Vita of Clare of Montefalco (ca. 1268–1308). The initial focus will be on an examination of the occurrence of miracles and other elements that could be considered miraculous within the narrative of the Liber and the Vita. Both works were impacted by the spread of the spiritus libertatis movement in Umbria in the 1300s. This particular context will therefore be examined in closer detail. Subsequently, the mystical experiences of Angela and Clare, particularly those elements that transcend the boundaries of ordinary life and could therefore be deemed miraculous, will be considered in the broader framework of medical and theological literature of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. This study will also examine recent scholarly interpretations, which tend to pathologize mystical phenomena and “exorcize” the miracles. The Liber and the Vita – as well as mystical literature in general – should be read not only through the lens of today’s medical and psychological sciences, but also in light of contemporary writings and interpretative categories.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Miracles, Wonders, and Human Existence Globally and in the Pre-Modern Age: Also an Introduction 1
- (False) Miracles, Doctors and the potentia of Saints in the Gaul of Gregory of Tours 107
- Apostle’s Miracles and Kings’ Authority in West Francia (ca. 850–ca. 1050) 127
- Fecundity, Motherhood and Healing Karāmāt (Miracles): A Comparative Study of Sayyidah Nafīsah and Christian Women Saints 161
- Intertextuality and the Transcendental Miracle of Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī’s Risālat al-Ghufrān (The Epistle of Forgiveness) (1033 C.E.) 189
- The Miracles of Solomon: A Comparative Study of Al-Thaʿlabī’s Qiṣaṣ Al-Anbiyāʾ and “The City of Brass,” a Tale in the Arabian Nights Collection 215
- Miracle Accounts as Teaching Aids and Learning Tools: Caesarius of Heisterbach’s Dialogus Miraculorum as a Mirror of Everyday Life and the History of Mentality 241
- The Ultimate Miracle: Revival of the Dead in Alfonso X’s Cantigas de Santa Maria 275
- Miracle of Miracles: Improbable Choices and Impossible Outcomes in Dante’s Paradiso 299
- Miraculosa gratia: Discerning the Spirit, Discerning the Body in the Liber of Angela of Foligno and in the Vita of Clare of Montefalco 337
- Miraculous Revelation in the Middle English Pearl 375
- The Miracles of the Immaculate Conceptions in the St. Anne’s Legend and the Middle English Joseph of Aramathie 405
- “Many ferlis han fallen in a fewe ȝeris”: Debt, Obligation, Godly Presence, and Grasping the Miraculous in Piers Plowman 427
- Margery Kempe and Miracles: Guarding Understanding and Interpretation of Experience 459
- Where Has God Gone in the Vernacular Renderings of Lanfranc’s Chirurgia magna? 477
- Non vidit, sed firmiter credit – The Many Roles of Jews in Christian Miracle Narratives 505
- “Never of Myselff”: Failure and Interiority in Malory’s “The Healing of Sir Urry” 555
- Between Wonders and Miracles. The Use and Abuse of Natural Substances in the Healing Rituals of Late Medieval and Early Modern Popular Culture 581
- Between Wonder and Science: Alchemy in Augurello’s Mini-Epic Chryrsopoeia (1515) 619
- “Miraculous Light” – Natural Phenomena and Divine Salvation in the Medieval and Early Modern World 647
- Biographies of the Contributors
- Index
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Miracles, Wonders, and Human Existence Globally and in the Pre-Modern Age: Also an Introduction 1
- (False) Miracles, Doctors and the potentia of Saints in the Gaul of Gregory of Tours 107
- Apostle’s Miracles and Kings’ Authority in West Francia (ca. 850–ca. 1050) 127
- Fecundity, Motherhood and Healing Karāmāt (Miracles): A Comparative Study of Sayyidah Nafīsah and Christian Women Saints 161
- Intertextuality and the Transcendental Miracle of Abū al-ʿAlāʾ al-Maʿarrī’s Risālat al-Ghufrān (The Epistle of Forgiveness) (1033 C.E.) 189
- The Miracles of Solomon: A Comparative Study of Al-Thaʿlabī’s Qiṣaṣ Al-Anbiyāʾ and “The City of Brass,” a Tale in the Arabian Nights Collection 215
- Miracle Accounts as Teaching Aids and Learning Tools: Caesarius of Heisterbach’s Dialogus Miraculorum as a Mirror of Everyday Life and the History of Mentality 241
- The Ultimate Miracle: Revival of the Dead in Alfonso X’s Cantigas de Santa Maria 275
- Miracle of Miracles: Improbable Choices and Impossible Outcomes in Dante’s Paradiso 299
- Miraculosa gratia: Discerning the Spirit, Discerning the Body in the Liber of Angela of Foligno and in the Vita of Clare of Montefalco 337
- Miraculous Revelation in the Middle English Pearl 375
- The Miracles of the Immaculate Conceptions in the St. Anne’s Legend and the Middle English Joseph of Aramathie 405
- “Many ferlis han fallen in a fewe ȝeris”: Debt, Obligation, Godly Presence, and Grasping the Miraculous in Piers Plowman 427
- Margery Kempe and Miracles: Guarding Understanding and Interpretation of Experience 459
- Where Has God Gone in the Vernacular Renderings of Lanfranc’s Chirurgia magna? 477
- Non vidit, sed firmiter credit – The Many Roles of Jews in Christian Miracle Narratives 505
- “Never of Myselff”: Failure and Interiority in Malory’s “The Healing of Sir Urry” 555
- Between Wonders and Miracles. The Use and Abuse of Natural Substances in the Healing Rituals of Late Medieval and Early Modern Popular Culture 581
- Between Wonder and Science: Alchemy in Augurello’s Mini-Epic Chryrsopoeia (1515) 619
- “Miraculous Light” – Natural Phenomena and Divine Salvation in the Medieval and Early Modern World 647
- Biographies of the Contributors
- Index
