Aelred of Rievaulx on Love and Order in the World and the Church"The universe is a product of God's infinite love, according to the expansive thinking of Aelred of Rievaulx, a Cistercian abbot of the Middle Ages. Aelred sees human existence, order, and action as reflections of God's love. But Aelred knows that, although they have been created for happiness, humans are neither perfect nor happy. At the same time, however, he is sure that the flood of God's love can overwhelm people who do not reject this divine gift. Because Aelred knows that humans exist only in relationship, he searches out the social order necessary for happiness. So he explores the nature of the church as a community and the support that each social group or calling gives to the whole of existence." "This study examines how Aelred sees God informing the cosmos, and the humans who inhabit it, according to the divine order and principle of love. It follows Aelred's analysis of the disordering sources of human unhappiness, which happens when humans reject God's love, and then investigates Aelred's understanding of God's re-ordering of the human condition through the gifts and graces flowing from his greatest gift: his son, Jesus."--BOOK JACKET. |
Contents
The Ordering of the World and Its Inhabitants | 1 |
B AELREDS ANTHROPOLOGY | 3 |
Disorder and Reorder | 8 |
B THE REORDERING GIFT OF GRACE | 11 |
The Recovery of Human happiness | 18 |
THE PERFECTION OF THE WILL | 22 |
C FRIENDSHIP AND THE PERFECTION OF ATTACHMENT | 23 |
The Fellowship of the Saints | 28 |
The Secular Clergy | 82 |
B THE UNIFYING MINISTRY OF THE POPE | 89 |
C THE ORDERING OF CHURCH AND STATE | 92 |
D CLERICAL VIRTUES | 94 |
2 Clerical Selfdiscipline | 96 |
3 Pastoral Prudence and Justice | 97 |
4 The Cleric as a Man of Prayer | 98 |
5 The Cleric as a Man of Learning | 99 |
A IMAGES OF THE CHURCH | 29 |
B THE PILGRIM CHURCH | 30 |
C THE ORDERS WITHIN THE CHURCH | 31 |
D GODS ORDERING OF THE CHURCH | 34 |
Monks and Their Monasteries | 37 |
B FOLLOWING THE PATH OF BENEDICT | 39 |
C THE PARADISE OF THE CLOISTER | 40 |
D AELREDS RIEVAULX | 43 |
Monastic Life and Practice | 46 |
B THE CITIES OF REFUGE | 49 |
THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICES | 51 |
2 Prayer | 52 |
3 Meditation | 53 |
THE PHYSICAL PRACTICES | 55 |
1 Simplicity | 56 |
2 Fasting | 59 |
3 Toil and Labor | 60 |
4 Obedience | 62 |
5 Silence and Solitude | 64 |
The Solitary Life | 69 |
A THE SPIRITUAL PRACTICES OF THE SOLITARY | 70 |
B THE PHYSICAL PRACTICES OF THE SOLITARY | 74 |
C THE SOLITARYS LIFE OF LOVE | 78 |
The Order of Lay Folk | 102 |
B NOBLE WOMEN | 107 |
C WORTHY WORKINGFOLK | 113 |
Lay Leadership | 123 |
B THE COMPASSIONATE CARETAKER | 127 |
C THE PATRON OF THE CHURCH | 129 |
D THE PEACELOVING WARRIOR | 132 |
E THE VIRTUES OF THE SUCCESSFUL LEADER | 134 |
The Relationship Between the Orders | 140 |
B HIERARCHIES OF OFFICE AND OF HOLINESS | 147 |
C MARTHA AND MARY | 152 |
D VARIOUS OFFICES AND INDIVIDUAL NEEDS | 154 |
E AN AFTERWORD | 158 |
Aelred on Jews and heretics | 161 |
B JEWS OF THREE AGES | 164 |
C THE SALVATION OF ISRAEL | 168 |
D HERESY AND HERETICS | 173 |
Notes | 179 |
215 | |
225 | |
229 | |
Common terms and phrases
Aelred asks Aelred believes Aelred describes Aelred is sure Aelred of Rievaulx Aelred offers Aelred says Aelred tells Aelred thinks Aelred writes Aelred's Aelred's teaching Anima apostle Asspt Basil Pennington Bernard of Clairvaux Bertram bishops blessed body brothers CCCM chastity Christ Christians Church Cistercian Publications Inc Cistercian Studies Quarterly Cīteaux Cler clergy clerics delightful Edward the Confessor example faith Fathers friends Gen Angl gift grace happiness heretics human humility Iesu Inst incl 3.31 Jesus Jews justice Kalamazoo king live Lord loving kindness marriage Marsha L Martha Mary Medieval Cistercian History Michigan Mirror of Love monastery monastic monks Nat JB obedience one's Oner 15 perfection prayer prevenient grace priests recluse rulers Saint Saint Ninian Scripture sermon silence simplicity solitary Sommerfeldt sort soul Spec car Spir amic Spiritual Friendship SS Hag Studies in Medieval Syn pres things tion true love virginity virtue Walter Daniel