Thousands and Thousands of Lovers

Download or read book Thousands and Thousands of Lovers written by Anna Harrison and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2022-08-15 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thousands and Thousands of Lovers examines the spiritual significance of community to the Cistercian nuns of Helfta—a concern that lies at the heart of the monastery’s literature. Focusing on a woefully understudied resource and the largest body of female-authored writings in the thirteenth century, this book offers insight into the religious preoccupations of a theologically expert and intellectually vibrant cloister to reveal a subtle interplay between communal practice and private piety, other-directed attention, and inward-religious impulse. It considers the nuns’ attitudes toward community among themselves and with their household members as well as with souls in purgatory and the saints.