Enlightened Monks

The German Benedictines, 1740-1803
1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-0-19-959512-9
Verlag: OUP Oxford

Buch, Englisch, 288 Seiten, Format (B × H): 161 mm x 240 mm, Gewicht: 581 g

Offers fresh insights gained from archival studies and synthesises previously unknown material
Provides a revisionist account of 18th century religious history

Enlightened Monks investigates the social, cultural, philosophical, and theological challenges the German Benedictines had to face between 1740 and 1803, and how the Enlightenment process influenced the self-understanding and lifestyle of these religious communities. It had an impact on their forms of communication, their transfer of knowledge, their relationships to worldly authorities and to the academic world, and also their theology and philosophy. The multifaceted achievements of enlightened monks, which included a strong belief in individual freedom, tolerance, human rights, and non-violence, show that monasticism was on the way to becoming fully integrated into the Enlightenment. Ulrich L. Lehner refutes the widespread assumption that monks were reactionary enemies of Enlightenment ideas. On the contrary, he demonstrates that many Benedictines implemented the new ideas of the time into their own systems of thought. This revisionist account contributes to a better understanding not only of monastic culture in Central Europe, but also of Catholic religious culture in general.

Zielgruppe

Scholars of European history; religious scholars; monastic communities

Autoren/Hrsg.

Lehner, Ulrich L.

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Europäische Geschichte
• Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Weltgeschichte & Geschichte einzelner Länder und Gebietsräume Geschichte einzelner Länder Europäische Länder
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Christliche Orden und Vereinigungen, Ordensgeschichte, Mönchstum
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Katholizismus, Römisch-Katholische Kirche

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1: Introduction
2: The Challenge of Historiography
3: The Challenge of a New Life Style
4: The Challenge of a New Liberty
5: The Challenge of New Modes of Communication
6: Monastery Prisons and the Enlightenment
7: Runaway Monks
8: The Challenge of New Theories of Law
9: The Challenge of New Philosophies
10: The Challenge of a New Theology
11: Conclusion
Bibliography

Über Autor(innen)

Lehner, Ulrich L.
Ulrich L. Lehner is author of Kant's Concept of Providence (2007), and editor/co-editor of ten books, including Brill's Companion to the Catholic Enlightenment in Europe (2010). He held fellowships at the Notre Dame Institute of Advanced Study (2010), the Princeton Institute of Advanced Study (2009), and the Institute for Comparative History of Religious Orders at the University of Eichstatt/Germany (2008).