According to Jerome Kroll, Bernard Bachrach, and Kathleen Carey in their article, A Reappraisal of Medieval Mysticism and Hysteria, affective mysticism is, “ the overwhelming expression of love in its carnal as well as spiritual form as the soul approaches union with God” (Kroll, Bachrach and Carey 84 and 85). Such piety, where the body underwent physical and emotional suffering in order to reenact the Passion of Christ, became a well known type of worship during the middle ages. The mystics who experienced such suffering, each adhered to a set of daily tasks, which made them suitable to enter the reign of God. These daily tasks, especially of Saint Perpetua and Marie d’Oignes, could be considered performances in their respective time periods
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Paterfamilias, according to David Rankin in his article Class Distinction as a Way of Doing Church: The Early Fathers and the Christian Plebs, “The paterfamilias, the oldest surviving male descendant in a family, was responsible for the efficient functioning of the household” (Rankin 312). The paterfamilias had complete control of all family members, in most aspects of life including worship. As soon as Perpetua announces her Christianity, therefore asserting power over the paterfamilias, there is a breach between them. Perpetua states to her father, “I cannot call myself anything else than what I am, a Christian” (Petroff 70). This breach, as well as the breach with Roman theology, cause an immediate crisis for …show more content…
The breach in the social drama of Marie d’Oignies takes place when God bestows upon her the gift of tears. Whenever she thinks about the Passion and suffering of Christ, Marie bursts into tears, no matter where she is. The text states, “ Once, just before Holy Thursday when the Passion of Christ was approaching, she began to offer herself up as a sacrifice to the Lord with an even greater flood of tears, sighs, and sobs. This gift of holy tears was not an unusual concept during the middle ages, and Marie is not the first or last mystic to experience such an extreme form of piety. According to Jesse Gutsgell in his article The Gift of Tears: Weeping in the Religious imagination of Western Medieval Christianity, “ With the Gregorian reforms (1050-1250) the sacraments solidified into acceptable avenues through which people could communicate with the divine. Religious weeping, influenced by the changed attitude toward sacraments, became more valued in the period as a rare, traditionally accepted way of witnessing an inner communication with God” ( Gutgsell 241). Although the gift of tears was not a foreign concept to those in the medieval Christian church, Marie’s extreme piety was not seen by her priest as being an acceptable way to worship during mass, causing a crisis between
Paterfamilias, according to David Rankin in his article Class Distinction as a Way of Doing Church: The Early Fathers and the Christian Plebs, “The paterfamilias, the oldest surviving male descendant in a family, was responsible for the efficient functioning of the household” (Rankin 312). The paterfamilias had complete control of all family members, in most aspects of life including worship. As soon as Perpetua announces her Christianity, therefore asserting power over the paterfamilias, there is a breach between them. Perpetua states to her father, “I cannot call myself anything else than what I am, a Christian” (Petroff 70). This breach, as well as the breach with Roman theology, cause an immediate crisis for …show more content…
The breach in the social drama of Marie d’Oignies takes place when God bestows upon her the gift of tears. Whenever she thinks about the Passion and suffering of Christ, Marie bursts into tears, no matter where she is. The text states, “ Once, just before Holy Thursday when the Passion of Christ was approaching, she began to offer herself up as a sacrifice to the Lord with an even greater flood of tears, sighs, and sobs. This gift of holy tears was not an unusual concept during the middle ages, and Marie is not the first or last mystic to experience such an extreme form of piety. According to Jesse Gutsgell in his article The Gift of Tears: Weeping in the Religious imagination of Western Medieval Christianity, “ With the Gregorian reforms (1050-1250) the sacraments solidified into acceptable avenues through which people could communicate with the divine. Religious weeping, influenced by the changed attitude toward sacraments, became more valued in the period as a rare, traditionally accepted way of witnessing an inner communication with God” ( Gutgsell 241). Although the gift of tears was not a foreign concept to those in the medieval Christian church, Marie’s extreme piety was not seen by her priest as being an acceptable way to worship during mass, causing a crisis between