Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- The New Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 General Introduction
- Part I The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
- 2 The Monastic Laboratory: Perspectives of Research in Late Antique and Early Medieval Monasticism
- 3 Re-Reading Monastic Traditions: Monks and Nuns, East and West, from the Origins to c. 750
- 4 The Archaeology of the Earliest Monasteries
- 5 Egyptian Nuns in Late Antiquity as Exemplars
- 6 Psalmody and Prayer in Early Monasticism
- 7 Heterodoxy and Monasticism around the Mediterranean Sea
- 8 The Invention of Western Monastic Literature: Texts and Communities
- 9 Monastic Rules (Fourth to Ninth Century)
- 10 Social Plurality and Monastic Diversity in Late Antique Hispania (Sixth to Eighth Century)
- 11 Female House Ascetics from the Fourth to the Twelfth Century
- 12 The Archaeology of the Earliest Monasteries in Italy and France (Second Half of the Fourth Century to the Eighth Century)
- 13 Nuns and Monks at Work: Equality or Distinction between the Sexes? A Study of Frankish Monasteries from the Sixth to the Tenth Century
- 14 Ascetic Prayer for the Dead in the Early Medieval West
- 15 Monastic Identity in Early Medieval Ireland
- 16 Constructing Monastic Space in the Early and Central Medieval West (Fifth to Twelfth Century)
- 17 The Economy of Byzantine Monasteries
- Part II The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- Index
- References
15 - Monastic Identity in Early Medieval Ireland
from Part I - The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 16 January 2020
Book contents
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- The New Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West
- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin WEST
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- 1 General Introduction
- Part I The Origins of Christian Monasticism to the Eighth Century
- 2 The Monastic Laboratory: Perspectives of Research in Late Antique and Early Medieval Monasticism
- 3 Re-Reading Monastic Traditions: Monks and Nuns, East and West, from the Origins to c. 750
- 4 The Archaeology of the Earliest Monasteries
- 5 Egyptian Nuns in Late Antiquity as Exemplars
- 6 Psalmody and Prayer in Early Monasticism
- 7 Heterodoxy and Monasticism around the Mediterranean Sea
- 8 The Invention of Western Monastic Literature: Texts and Communities
- 9 Monastic Rules (Fourth to Ninth Century)
- 10 Social Plurality and Monastic Diversity in Late Antique Hispania (Sixth to Eighth Century)
- 11 Female House Ascetics from the Fourth to the Twelfth Century
- 12 The Archaeology of the Earliest Monasteries in Italy and France (Second Half of the Fourth Century to the Eighth Century)
- 13 Nuns and Monks at Work: Equality or Distinction between the Sexes? A Study of Frankish Monasteries from the Sixth to the Tenth Century
- 14 Ascetic Prayer for the Dead in the Early Medieval West
- 15 Monastic Identity in Early Medieval Ireland
- 16 Constructing Monastic Space in the Early and Central Medieval West (Fifth to Twelfth Century)
- 17 The Economy of Byzantine Monasteries
- Part II The Carolingians to the Eleventh Century
- Part III The Long Twelfth Century
- Part IV Forms of Monasticism in the Late Middle Ages
- Index
- References
Summary
For more than a century, one question pestered historians of medieval Irish monasticism: not “was it different?” but “how different was it” from Continental monasticism? Nationalist scholars of the early twentieth century tended to emphasize the distinctive features of Irish Christianity, such as seventh-century squabbles with the Anglo-Saxons over the date of Easter, singular tonsures, and the Irish fondness for pilgrimage. Above all, scholars pointed to the absence of the Rule of St. Benedict (RB) in Ireland before the introduction of Continental monastic orders in the twelfth century. No single monastic model, rule, or set of customs prevailed during the early Middle Ages. According to John Ryan, author of the foundational Irish Monasticism (1931), Benedict was too easy, too legalistic, and too Roman for Ireland. Ryan noted proudly, if not accurately, that Continental monastic reforms “connected with the names of St. Benedict of Aniane and the monks of Cluny” were “largely a return to the Irish system,” which he regarded as sterner and simpler.
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- The Cambridge History of Medieval Monasticism in the Latin West , pp. 297 - 316Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
References
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