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==Biography==
==Biography==
Beatrice was born in [[Tienen]], Belgium, the youngest of six children in a wealthy family.<ref>[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-94-009-2551-9_5#citeas Wolfskeel C., "Beatrice of Nazareth", ''A History of Women Philosophers'' vol 2. (M.E. Waithe, ed.) Springer, Dordrecht. (1989)]</ref><ref name="schaus" /> When Beatrice was seven, her mother died, and she was sent to live with the [[Beguines and Beghards|Béguines]] in nearby [[Zoutleeuw]], where she attended the local school. A little over a year later, her father arranged for her to return home;<ref name=lindemann>[https://archive.today/20140303205345/http://www.women-philosophers.com/Beatrice-of-Nazareth.html Lindemann, Kate. "Beatrice of Nazareth 1200 - 1268 CE", Women-Philosophers]</ref> soon after, he sent her to continue her education as an [[oblate]] at a [[Cistercians|Cistercian]] convent he had founded at [[Bloemendaal]].<ref name=lindemann/><ref name="bynum">{{cite book |last1=Bynum |first1=Caroline Walker |title=Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=0520063295 |pages=161-165}}</ref> There she received an education in the [[liberal arts]], as well as Latin and [[calligraphy]].<ref name="allen">{{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=Prudence |title=The Concept of Woman |date=1997 |publisher=William B. Eerdmans |pages=35-41}}</ref>
Beatrice was born in [[Tienen]], Belgium, the youngest of six children in a wealthy family.<ref>[https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-94-009-2551-9_5#citeas Wolfskeel C., "Beatrice of Nazareth", ''A History of Women Philosophers'' vol 2. (M.E. Waithe, ed.) Springer, Dordrecht. (1989)]</ref><ref name="schaus" /> When Beatrice was seven, her mother, Gertrudis, died; her father, Barthelomeus, sent her to the [[Beguines and Beghards|Béguines]] in nearby [[Zoutleeuw]], where she attended the local school.<ref name="waithe" /> Beatrice there remained there for a little over a year before her father brought her home.<ref name=lindemann>[https://archive.today/20140303205345/http://www.women-philosophers.com/Beatrice-of-Nazareth.html Lindemann, Kate. "Beatrice of Nazareth 1200 - 1268 CE", Women-Philosophers]</ref> Not long after, he sent her to become an [[oblate]] at a [[Cistercians|Cistercian]] convent he had founded at [[Bloemendaal]],<ref name=lindemann/><ref name="bynum">{{cite book |last1=Bynum |first1=Caroline Walker |title=Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=0520063295 |pages=161-165}}</ref> where she received an education in the [[liberal arts]], as well as Latin and [[calligraphy]].<ref name="allen">{{cite book |last1=Allen |first1=Prudence |title=The Concept of Woman |date=1997 |publisher=William B. Eerdmans |pages=35-41}}</ref>


At the age of fifteen, Beatrice asked to be allowed to enter the [[novitiate]]; after being put off for a year due to her young age and delicate health, she was admitted as a novice in 1216.<ref name=lindemann/> From 1216 to 1218, Beatrice studied manuscript production at {{ill|La Ramée Abbey|fr|Abbaye de la Ramée}}.<ref name="schaus" /> In 1218 she became one of the founding members of {{ill|Maagdendaal Abbey|nl|Klooster_van_Maagdendaal}}, where she remained for three years before returning to Bloemendaal in 1221.<ref name="schaus" /> There she took her permanent vows in 1225, before leaving in 1235 to become the first [[prioress]] of the [[Abbey of Our Lady of Nazareth]], also founded by her father.<ref name="schaus" /><ref name="bynum" /> She remained there until her death in 1268.<ref name="bynum" />
At the age of fifteen, Beatrice asked to be allowed to enter the [[novitiate]]; after being put off for a year due to her young age and delicate health, she was admitted as a novice in 1216.<ref name=lindemann/> From 1216 to 1218, Beatrice studied manuscript production at {{ill|La Ramée Abbey|fr|Abbaye de la Ramée}}.<ref name="schaus" /> There she met [[Ida of Nivelles]], who became her spiritual advisor.<ref name="waithe" />
In 1218, Beatrice became one of the founding members of {{ill|Maagdendaal Abbey|nl|Klooster_van_Maagdendaal}}, where she remained for three years. She returned to Bloemendaal in 1221, and took her permanent vows in 1225.<ref name="schaus" /> In 1235, she left to join the [[Abbey of Our Lady of Nazareth]], also founded by her father.<ref name="schaus" /><ref name="bynum" /> A number of other nuns accompanied her, including her sisters Christina and Sybilla.<ref name="waithe" /> Beatrice was elected the first [[prioress]] of Nazareth the following year, and held the post until her death in 1268.<ref name="bynum" /><ref name="waithe" />


== Spirituality ==
== Spirituality ==
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* [[self-flagellation]]<ref name="bynum" />
* [[self-flagellation]]<ref name="bynum" />
* sleeping on stones<ref name="bynum" />
* sleeping on stones<ref name="bynum" />
* walking on ice<ref name="bynum" />
* walking barefoot in the snow<ref name="waithe" />


=== Eucharistic devotion ===
=== Eucharistic devotion ===
Line 53: Line 55:
=== Visions ===
=== Visions ===


Beatrice recounted having her first vision in 1217, seeing the [[Holy Trinity]] while meditating on a verse from her [[psalter]].<ref name="waithe" /> She had a number of subsequent visions of the Trinity, a topic which she found fascinating; she read Augustine's ''[[De Trinitate]]'', and expressed constant longing to be freed from her body and united with the Trinity.<ref name="waithe" />
In Beatrice's visions, [[Jesus]] is said to have appeared to her and to have pierced her heart with a fiery dart.

For periods in 1217 and 1228–1231, Beatrice suffered from anxiety and depression; she was brought relief by various spiritual experiences, describing incidents in which her spirit was elevated and Christ embraced her or spoke comforting words to her.<ref name="waithe" /> In 1231, Beatrice experienced a vision in which she was united with the [[Seraphim]], and heard Christ promise her that she would never suffer to the point of wishing for death.<ref name="waithe" />


== Legacy ==
== Legacy ==
Line 63: Line 67:
== Works ==
== Works ==


Beatrice is known to have produced a number of autobiographical and spiritual writings in her native Middle Dutch.<ref name="schaus" /> Most of these have been lost; Else Pedersen, a professor of theology, speculates that they may have been destroyed around 1275 to avoid suspicion from [[inquisitors]].<ref name="schaus" /> The {{lang|la|Vita Beatricis}}, composed between Beatrice's death and their destruction by an anonymous [[hagiographer]], claims to be based on a combination of these writings (some of which it includes in Latin translation) and eyewitness testimony.<ref name="schaus" />
Beatrice is known to have produced a number of autobiographical and spiritual writings in her native Middle Dutch.<ref name="schaus" /> Most of these have been lost; Else Pedersen, a professor of theology, speculates that they may have been destroyed around 1275 to avoid suspicion from [[inquisitors]].<ref name="schaus" /> The {{lang|la|Vita Beatricis}} were composed between Beatrice's death and their destruction by an anonymous [[hagiographer]], possibly {{ill|Willem of Afflighem|nl|Willem_van_Affligem}},<ref name="waithe">{{cite book |editor1-last=Waithe |editor1-first=Mary Ellen |title=A history of women philosophers. 2: Medieval, Renaissance and Enlightenment women philosophers, A.D. 500 - 1600 |date=1989 |publisher=Nijhoff |location=Dordrecht |isbn=978-90-247-3572-3 |pages=99-114 |edition=paperback}}</ref> based on a combination of these writings (some of which it includes in Latin translation) and eyewitness testimony.<ref name="schaus" />


=== ''Seven Ways of Holy Love'' ===
=== ''Seven Ways of Holy Love'' ===
Line 78: Line 82:


It has a simple and balanced prose style,<ref>Miejer (1992:16-17).</ref> and is associated with the emergence of the "[[Brautmystik|bridal mysticism]]" movement.
It has a simple and balanced prose style,<ref>Miejer (1992:16-17).</ref> and is associated with the emergence of the "[[Brautmystik|bridal mysticism]]" movement.

=== Lost works ===
In addition to the ''Seven Ways of Holy Love'', Beatrice wrote a number of other spiritual treatises. These are now lost; some references to them survive in her biography. They included:<ref name="waithe" />

* {{lang|la|De frequentatione et exercitio temporis}} ("On the intensive use of time")
* {{lang|la|De triplici exercitio spiritualium affectuum}} ("On the threefold exercise of spiritual affections")
* {{lang|la|De duabus cellis quas in corde suo constituit}} ("On the two cells which she constructed in her heart")
* {{lang|la|De quinque speculis cordis sui}} ("On the five mirrors of her own heart")
* {{lang|la|De monasterio spirituali}} ("On the spiritual convent")
* {{lang|la|De orto fructifero cordis suo}} ("On the fruitful garden of her own heart")
* {{lang|la|De eo quod ad cognitionem sui ipsius omnimodam aspiravit}} ("On her aspiration to achieve self-knowledge")
* {{lang|la|De quadam ordinatione vitae spiritualis quam aliquanto tempore exercuit}} ("On a certain rule of spiritual life which she kept for some time")

Beatrice additionally composed two prayers: "{{lang|la|O Domine juste}}" and "{{lang|la|O justissime, O potentissime Deus}}".<ref name="waithe" />


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 19:37, 2 October 2023

Beatrice of Nazareth
Blessed Beatrix
Bornc. 1200
Tienen, Belgium
DiedJuly 29, 1268
Venerated inCatholic Church
FeastJuly 29

Blessed Beatrice of Nazareth (Dutch: Beatrijs van Nazareth; also known as Beatrice of Tienen; c. 1200 – 1268)[1] was a Flemish Cistercian nun. Her mystical treatise Seven Ways of Holy Love is the earliest surviving prose work in Middle Dutch.

Biography

Beatrice was born in Tienen, Belgium, the youngest of six children in a wealthy family.[2][1] When Beatrice was seven, her mother, Gertrudis, died; her father, Barthelomeus, sent her to the Béguines in nearby Zoutleeuw, where she attended the local school.[3] Beatrice there remained there for a little over a year before her father brought her home.[4] Not long after, he sent her to become an oblate at a Cistercian convent he had founded at Bloemendaal,[4][5] where she received an education in the liberal arts, as well as Latin and calligraphy.[6]

At the age of fifteen, Beatrice asked to be allowed to enter the novitiate; after being put off for a year due to her young age and delicate health, she was admitted as a novice in 1216.[4] From 1216 to 1218, Beatrice studied manuscript production at La Ramée Abbey [fr].[1] There she met Ida of Nivelles, who became her spiritual advisor.[3]

In 1218, Beatrice became one of the founding members of Maagdendaal Abbey [nl], where she remained for three years. She returned to Bloemendaal in 1221, and took her permanent vows in 1225.[1] In 1235, she left to join the Abbey of Our Lady of Nazareth, also founded by her father.[1][5] A number of other nuns accompanied her, including her sisters Christina and Sybilla.[3] Beatrice was elected the first prioress of Nazareth the following year, and held the post until her death in 1268.[5][3]

Spirituality

Beatrice is classed among the mulieres religiosae, an emerging thirteenth-century group of women with their own distinctive set of devotional and mystical practices.[1][6]

Asceticism

Like many medieval mystics, Beatrice practiced intense mortification of the flesh.[5] Her ascetic practices included:

Eucharistic devotion

Eucharistic devotion was central to Beatrice's spiritual practices.[5] Her medieval biographer describes the intensity of her devotion as resulting in bleeding and physical collapse.[7]

Visions

Beatrice recounted having her first vision in 1217, seeing the Holy Trinity while meditating on a verse from her psalter.[3] She had a number of subsequent visions of the Trinity, a topic which she found fascinating; she read Augustine's De Trinitate, and expressed constant longing to be freed from her body and united with the Trinity.[3]

For periods in 1217 and 1228–1231, Beatrice suffered from anxiety and depression; she was brought relief by various spiritual experiences, describing incidents in which her spirit was elevated and Christ embraced her or spoke comforting words to her.[3] In 1231, Beatrice experienced a vision in which she was united with the Seraphim, and heard Christ promise her that she would never suffer to the point of wishing for death.[3]

Legacy

Beatrice died in 1268 and was buried at the convent of Nazareth. Legend says that after Nazareth was abandoned during a time of disturbance, the body of Beatrice was translated by angels to the city of Lier.[8]

She is known as Blessed within the Catholic church.[8] Her feast day is 29 July.

Works

Beatrice is known to have produced a number of autobiographical and spiritual writings in her native Middle Dutch.[1] Most of these have been lost; Else Pedersen, a professor of theology, speculates that they may have been destroyed around 1275 to avoid suspicion from inquisitors.[1] The Vita Beatricis were composed between Beatrice's death and their destruction by an anonymous hagiographer, possibly Willem of Afflighem [nl],[3] based on a combination of these writings (some of which it includes in Latin translation) and eyewitness testimony.[1]

Seven Ways of Holy Love

Beatrice's most famous work is her Seven Ways of Holy Love (Dutch: Seven Manieren van Heilige Minnen), preserved by her biographer in translation as De septem modis sancti amoris. In 1926, historian Léonce Reypens [nl] identified the original Middle Flemish text of the treatise in the Limburg Sermons.[1]

This work of early mystic literature describes seven forms or manners of love:[5][1]

  1. purifying love
  2. disinterested love
  3. painful cravings for love
  4. absorbing love
  5. stormy love
  6. triumphant love
  7. eternal love

It has a simple and balanced prose style,[9] and is associated with the emergence of the "bridal mysticism" movement.

Lost works

In addition to the Seven Ways of Holy Love, Beatrice wrote a number of other spiritual treatises. These are now lost; some references to them survive in her biography. They included:[3]

  • De frequentatione et exercitio temporis ("On the intensive use of time")
  • De triplici exercitio spiritualium affectuum ("On the threefold exercise of spiritual affections")
  • De duabus cellis quas in corde suo constituit ("On the two cells which she constructed in her heart")
  • De quinque speculis cordis sui ("On the five mirrors of her own heart")
  • De monasterio spirituali ("On the spiritual convent")
  • De orto fructifero cordis suo ("On the fruitful garden of her own heart")
  • De eo quod ad cognitionem sui ipsius omnimodam aspiravit ("On her aspiration to achieve self-knowledge")
  • De quadam ordinatione vitae spiritualis quam aliquanto tempore exercuit ("On a certain rule of spiritual life which she kept for some time")

Beatrice additionally composed two prayers: "O Domine juste" and "O justissime, O potentissime Deus".[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Schaus, Margaret, ed. (2006). Women and Gender in Medieval Europe: an Encyclopedia. Routledge. pp. 62–64. ISBN 0415969441.
  2. ^ Wolfskeel C., "Beatrice of Nazareth", A History of Women Philosophers vol 2. (M.E. Waithe, ed.) Springer, Dordrecht. (1989)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Waithe, Mary Ellen, ed. (1989). A history of women philosophers. 2: Medieval, Renaissance and Enlightenment women philosophers, A.D. 500 - 1600 (paperback ed.). Dordrecht: Nijhoff. pp. 99–114. ISBN 978-90-247-3572-3.
  4. ^ a b c Lindemann, Kate. "Beatrice of Nazareth 1200 - 1268 CE", Women-Philosophers
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Bynum, Caroline Walker. Holy Feast and Holy Fast: The Religious Significance of Food to Medieval Women. University of California Press. pp. 161–165. ISBN 0520063295.
  6. ^ a b Allen, Prudence (1997). The Concept of Woman. William B. Eerdmans. pp. 35–41.
  7. ^ Knuth, Elizabeth T. (1992). "The Beguines". Archived from the original on 5 April 2006. Retrieved 2006-04-10.
  8. ^ a b Thurston, Herbert. "Beatrix." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 2. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 24 August 2021Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  9. ^ Miejer (1992:16-17).

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Beatrix". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.

Further reading

Modern editions

  • The Life of Beatrice of Nazareth, 1200-1268, trans Roger DeGanck, (Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 1991)
  • Beatrice of Nazareth, Seven Ways of Holy Love, as translated by Wim van den Dungen, (1997, 1998, 2006)

Secondary sources

  • Kloppenborg, Ria; Hanegraaff, Wouter J. (1995). Female Stereotypes in Religious Traditions. Leiden: E. J. Brill. pp. 77–78. ISBN 90-04-10290-6.
  • "Beatrice of Nazareth (1200-1268A.D.)". Archived from the original on 2006-02-06. Retrieved 2006-04-10.
  • Knuth, Elizabeth T. (1992). "The Beguines". Archived from the original on 5 April 2006. Retrieved 2006-04-10.
  • Meijer, Reinder, Literature of the Low Countries: A Short History of Dutch Literature in the Netherlands and Belgium. (New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1971), pp16–17

External links

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