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Rating: 
Summary: A curious, charming little book
Review: I stumbled upon this little volume in a used book store and, as I've an amateurish interest in mediaeval culture, decided to buy it. Written by a monk of the Abbey of Bury St Edmunds (in Suffolk, England) in the 12th century, it narrates various happenings in that monastery over a period of about 30 years.There is no overriding narrative here. The author - Jocelin of Brakelond by name - seems to have simply jotted things down when the fancy took him. Most of what he records pertains to the politics - internal and external - of the monastery, and with financial matters : there is one amusing section where he records the fees paid to the monastery by knights of the district. Those looking for spiritual exhortation or insight into monastic religion should look elsewhere. Though the events of the monastery are not exactly of earth-shattering importance, the book does give one a fascinating view into mediaeval life at the time. Jocelin himself is a wise old character whose observations of his fellow monks are carefully weighed and perceptive. He does not shrink from relating the drama and discord surrounding elections within the monastery. And in the background of the community's life we see the Kings of England (who on a few occasions come to visit), the life of the surrounding town, and in the distance the waging of the Third Crusade. The most interesting part of the book to me was the account of the fire at the shrine of St. Edmund, and of the subsequent translation of the body and examination of the corpse (by then about 300 years old and still, apparently, incorrupt). I found it a real delight.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful look into 12th century monastic life .
Review: I too have an amateurish interest in mediaeval culture. So, Jocelin's chronicle of events at the abbe of Bury St.Edmunds is like experiencing time travel without all the electronic gizmos. I do agree that you must not expect any great insights, or even much text, dedicated to the Christian faith; however, much insight will be gleaned via this chronicle into the abby's dedication to profit via taxes and an unbelievable >scourge< of strange, esoteric taxes-of-the-time. And above all this, and administrating it, was Abbot Samson, well recorded for history by Jocelin. His account reaffirms the overwhelming materalism of the abbe. It is difficult for me to read that a century before there had been major reforms in Benedictine Rule. One concludes that before reform, ecclesiatical conduct must have been somewhat to the left of whoopee.
Rating:
Summary: A unique glimpse into the life of a medieval abbey
Review: Jocelin of Brakelond, one of the monks of the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, allows us a glimpse into the life of a religious community between 1173 and 1202. He chronicles such events as the death of one abbot to the election of a new one, the fiscal affairs of the abbey, a fire that threatens the shrine to St. Edmund, and the politics and tensions of life as a monk dealing not only with other monks, but with townsfolk, the Jewish quarter, knights, the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the King. I was impressed with just how enmeshed the religious community was in the affairs of the surrounding towns and in the politics of the country as a whole: controlling the markets, collecting monthly fees from every town, serving as the courts for disputes, sending knights to fight with the King. Looking at churches and abbeys now, we think of them only as places of worship, but back in medieval times, they were a large part of the community, affecting the prosperity of towns and cities. Jocelin's chronicle does a fine job of relating how everything co-existed during medieval times. For anyone interested in medieval or religious history, this is a fascinating chronicle.
Rating:
Summary: A unique glimpse into the life of a medieval abbey
Review: Jocelin of Brakelond, one of the monks of the abbey of Bury St. Edmunds, allows us a glimpse into the life of a religious community between 1173 and 1202. He chronicles such events as the death of one abbot to the election of a new one, the fiscal affairs of the abbey, a fire that threatens the shrine to St. Edmund, and the politics and tensions of life as a monk dealing not only with other monks, but with townsfolk, the Jewish quarter, knights, the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the King. I was impressed with just how enmeshed the religious community was in the affairs of the surrounding towns and in the politics of the country as a whole: controlling the markets, collecting monthly fees from every town, serving as the courts for disputes, sending knights to fight with the King. Looking at churches and abbeys now, we think of them only as places of worship, but back in medieval times, they were a large part of the community, affecting the prosperity of towns and cities. Jocelin's chronicle does a fine job of relating how everything co-existed during medieval times. For anyone interested in medieval or religious history, this is a fascinating chronicle.
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