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| GLOSSARY: THE BOOK OF MARGERY KEMPE ©
Stanbury/Raguin MMK
II. Duke of Bedford to Lammas Day See also over 150 images in MMK Devotional
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Duke
of Bedford The Duke of Bedford was John, the third son of Henry
IV, born in 1389. He was created Duke of Bedford in 1414 and died
in 1435. He was the Lieutenant of the kingdom, the chief agent of
the crown charged with the identification and eradication of Lollard beliefs.
John Capgrave's contemporary description of the execution of Sir John Oldcastle,
the Lollard leader, in 1417 notes Bedford's presence: " The Duke of Bedford
and those who were present at his death urged him to make faithful and
lowly confession of his sins, offering him time and his choice among many
priests."
Easter
Kempe spent Easter in Rome probably in 1415. That she would mention
that she waited "until Eastertime had come and gone" to begin her return
to England reflects the enormous solemnity of the celebrations connected
to Easter. Holy Week had its great moments, but Easter was the quintessential
great feast of Christian practice. Whether for monastic establishment
or parish church, Easter was the moment when the finest mass vestments
and service for the altar (chalices, crosses, etc) were taken from church
treasuries for the most elaborate ceremonies of the year. The folded
altarpieces were open to reveal the most significant paintings. Specific
songs were rehearsed by choirs and sung. In some churches, a boy's
choir would sing from the towers of the church at dawn, imitating the angel
of the Resurrection.
Easter
Sepulchre The ceremony involved "burying" the host on Good Friday
by putting it in a special place and bringing it out for the "Resurrection"
on Easter Sunday. Nightly vigils continued for the faithful from
the time of the host's disappearance to its retrieval. The Rites
of Durham give an account of the ceremony: "After the Passion
was sung, two of the eldest monks took a goodly large crucifix all of gold
. . lying upon a velvet cushion. The held it up and the monks came barefoot
one by one and kissed it. Then the monks carried it to the sepulchre with
great reverence, which sepulchre was set up in the morning on the north
side of the choir close to the high altar . . . and there they did lay
it in the sepulchre with great devotion with another picture of our Savior
Christ, in whose breast they enclosed with great reverence the most holy
and blessed sacrament of the altar, incensing it and praying to it upon
their knees a great space. Sometimes this involved using an image of Christ
with a hollowed chest, where a container with the host would be places.
St Peter Mancroft in Norwich is recorded as having a silver-gilt image
of Christ showing his bleeding wounds that had a space for a little pyx
(sacrament container) in its chest; see Hope, W. H. St John. "Inventories
of the Parish Church of St Peter Mancroft, Norwich." Norfolk Archeology
14 (1898-1900), 153-20, p. 209, for image of Christ. By designing a personal
tomb that would also function as the Easter Sepulcher, the donor drew attention
to his or her gift, insuring that the most poignant and intense prayers
connected with the belief in the Resurrection would "wash over" the tomb
itself. On the underside of the arch over the Clopton tomb, in Long
Melford, as if the deceased could "see," is an image of the resurrected
Christ. Margery Kempe mentions the ceremony of the Easter Sepulchre
at St. Margaret's, Lynn (Ch. 57).
Elevation The elevation of the consecrated host was an essential element of the celebration of the Mass in the later Middle Ages. The chalice was also elevated. See Miri Rubin. Corpus Christi: The Eucharist in Late Medieval Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991: 49-60. During the time of Margery Kempe the two elevations were standard, as attested to by the chronicle of the abbey of St Albans of 1429: it has been decided in this solemn chapter, that the chalices should be raised at the mass by all [monks], except those weighed down by age or infirmity, who cannot elevate the chalice as it is the custom of priests. (Rubin, 56). The faithful were encouraged to say specific prayers at the elevation. A poem of John Lydgate is typical in describing a short, intense moment of contemplation: At the lyftying up of the holy sacrament/ Seythe "Iesu mercy!" with holly affeccion/ Or seythe some other parfyte oryson/ Lyke as ye have in custom devoutly ( The Minor Poems of John Lydgate. Vol. 1, ed. H. N. MacCracken (EETS ES 107) London. 1909. lines 315-18, p. 101). The ringing of bells at the elevation is documented from the 13th century. In 1287 Bishop Quivril of Exeter differentiated between a large and small “sacring bell.” In 1287 he ordained that a small bell announce the moment, and three peals of a great bell be heard during the elevation: They will be initially excited by the sound of the small bell, and then in the elevation the [large] bell should ring thrice (Rubin, 59). Coventry Statutes in force for Coventry from 1224 to 1237 state: "And we therefore ordain that at the elevation, when it is finally raised up high, the bell will first sound, to be like a gentle trumpet announcing the arrival of a judge, indeed of a savior." (Rubin, 58). Ely
The district was know as the Isle of Ely, since before the draining of
the marshlands (called the Fens) the area around Ely was water. Ely
is directly south of Lynn, on the way through Cambridge to London.
During the Saxon era, the Isle of Ely was assigned to the virgin queen
St. Etheldreda as a dowry. She established a monastic house in 673;
the monastery early recorded the presence of her relics, miraculously free
from corruption. The abbey and the Isle of Ely made a significant
stand against the forces of William the conqueror in 1066. Thus for
the Norman conquerors, the site had considerable historic and material
importance, and after a time of sanctions against the monks, important
rebuilding commenced. The church now shows three significant stages
of building: Norman of 1081-1150 in nave and transepts; Early English in
six bays of a retrochoir of 1252; and Decorated, a Lady Chapel, crossing
with tower, and closest bays of the choir between 1321 and 1342.
See MMK Ely
evensong
Evensong is one of canonical hours marked by communal, sung, prayers.
Also referred to as vespers, this service of the church is composed of
hymns, scripture readings, and reflection. The service occurs in
the early evening as daylight ends.
executor
to you and fulfill all of your will Kempe uses this kind
of exchange describing her conversations with Christ, a trait that distinguishes
her book from those of more traditional authors. A strong sense of
the marketplace pervades Kempe’s association and her analogies, especially
in chapters 8 and 63. She also bargains with her husband; she pays
his debts and he grants that they live chastely in Book 11. Her context
is that of a merchant family in a market town, not that of theological
discourse. Thus her “conversations” with Christ often appear in the
language of her experience as business contracts.
fast
Fast is a spiritual discipline by which food is voluntarily given up for
a defined period of time. The practice, although common to almost
all religions, was strengthened for Christians by the reference to Christ
fasting for 40 days and 40 nights in the desert (Matt. 4).
Fire
of Love Incendium Amoris or The Fire of Love was
written in Latin by Richard Rolle, also known as Richard of Hampole (1300-1349)
during the early portion of the 14th century. This devotional guidebook
was widely read during the Middle Ages. The book details the purgative
steps that one must go through in order to attain intimacy with God.
Meditation is essential to this process of removing sin and selfishness.
The four stages in this process are described as the open door, heat, song,
and sweetness. The book is titled Incendium Amoris because
the fire of love burns more and more strongly in the soul as one approaches
God. Rolle described the anticipated union with God as a feast that
appeals to all the senses. See also Rolle.
Friars
Minor The Friars Minor, also known as the Franciscans or the
Grey Friars, are a religious order founded by St. Francis of Assisi (1181/2-1226)
on April 16, 1209 in Italy. The order was intended to minister to
all classes. They tended the sick (especially lepers), built hospitals,
assisted the poor, and were missionaries to the Holy Land. They traveled
throughout Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and Egypt spreading their message
via preaching.
Friday
before Christmas Day This Friday is still within the season
of Advent, the four week period for penance and reflection ending on December
25, Christmas Day. Margery Kempe invariably mentions Fridays as days when
she experiences intense moments of devotion. Her behavior parallels
the clergy's observance of the life of Christ in a calendar sequence.
Christ's death is commemorated on Good Friday of Holy Week; thus Kempe
keeps Fridays as moments of particular pious intensity.
Gesine
The chapel of the Gesine, dedicated to the Nativity, or the birth of Jesus,
was contained within the confines of St. Margaret’s Church. This title
was common enough at the time and other later medieval church in England
are known to have had chapels with such a dedication. Scholars speculate
about its location. It was presumably in a publicly accessible area
of the church, thus either located in the nave or the transept. In
Kempe's time the transepts were larger than those at present, and extended
to the north and south, where additional chapels could have been accommodated.
Kempe speaks of entering the chapel from the market place, to the north
of the church.
gold
pipes Gold pipes are included in a type of elaborate head-dress
more commonly called a crespine, which was constructed of gold wires and
mesh sometimes shaped into “horns” or “pipes.” An expensive fashion accessory,
a crespine would identify a wearer as wealthy or at least as aspiring to
wealth.
Good
Friday Good Friday is acknowledged in Christianity as the Friday
during Holy Week, the day that the Church designates as the anniversary
of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The service that is celebrated
on this day includes the climactic adoration of the Cross. The sacrament
is removed from its tabernacle; in Kempe's time it was placed in a type
of tomb called the Easter Sepulchre. (See Easter Sepulchre) The
day is an intensely emotional and highly significant holiday in the Christian
faith.
Guild
of the Trinity (Lynn) The Guild of the Holy Trinity was the
most prestigious of Lynn's merchant guilds. In the intersection of
religious, social, and economic life in the Middle Ages, organizations
such as merchants' guilds functioned as trade organizations, insurance
agencies for their members, and religious fraternities. The Guild
of the Holy Trinity, where Margery Kempe eventually became a member, has
its meeting hall facing the town center and the Saturday marketplace. It
is directly across from St. Margaret's church, which by the late Middle
Ages had a chapel dedicated to the use of guild members. When mercantile
activity gradually shifted northward to the Tuesday Market adjacent to
the public quay, other guildhalls, such as St. George's, were also built
further north. Guildhalls, as extant in Norwich, Leicester, as well
as King's Lynn, were designed for large meetings. After the great churches,
they were the most lavishly constructed public edifices in the city. In
the later Middle Ages they were provided with an impressive timbered room
(meeting hall), over a solidly constructed basement level, which often
functioned as the town jail.
hair-cloth
Hair-cloth is the term for a shirt made from the hair of a mountain goat
or a camel. An uncomfortable garment, the coarse hair was worn inside next
to the skin as a means of penance or self-discipline. The hair-cloth
could also serve as a symbol of a person undergoing public penance. In
Canterbury the hair shirt reputedly worn by the martyred Thomas Becket
was displayed to pilgrims.
heretic
The term heretic describes individuals who dissented from the beliefs or
practices of the controlling Christian religious authorities. This
is different from the non-believer such as the Jew or Muslim who operated
outside the Christian faith. In the Middle Ages, heretical beliefs,
for example the Lollard's rejection of the Trinity or the Albigensian's
belief in both a good and an evil god, were invariably tied to political
dissent, challenging not only the issues of faith but also the secular
powers of church authorities. Fierce persecutions, and in the extreme,
public executions, were therefore supported since the dissenters were seen
as both heretical and treasonous.
Hilton,
Walter Little is known about the life of Walter
Hilton (d. 1396), except that he was a member of an Augustinian religious
order located in Nottinghamshire, England. He is believed to have
been the head of this order. Hilton is best known for The Ladder
of Perfection, a spiritual guidebook that was widely read during the
15th century. The Ladder, (often called the Scale of Perfection),
focuses on the idea that the soul must be purified of sin and vices before
it can achieve union with God. Hilton also rejects the idea of living
the secluded life of hermit in favor of an active life mixed with contemplation.
He stresses the idea that anyone can become closer to God if they are only
willing to try. His inclusive book made Hilton an extremely popular
figure during the Middle Ages.
Excerpts from The Ladder of Perfection taken from The Scale of Perfection and the English Mystical Tradition , ed. Joseph E. Milosh (1966, pp. 29, 143) Contemplative life lieth in perfect love and charity felt inwardly by ghostly virtues, and by soothfast knowing and sight of God and ghostly things. This life belongeth specially to them which forsake for the love of God all worldly riches, worships and outward businesses and wholly give themselves body and soul up, their mights and their cunning, to service of God by ghostly occupation. Now then, since it is so that thy state asketh for to be contemplative, for that is the end and the intent of thine enclosing, that though mightest more freely and entirely give thee to ghostly occupation: then behoveth thee for to be right busy night and day… (I, iii, p.5)Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was an association of North German cities that in the 14th and 15th centuries held a near monopoly over Baltic commerce. The association was known from at least 1169 when the city of Lübeck entered into a bond with several trading partners. During the time of Margery Kempe the Hansa had established trading stations in four major cities: Novgorod in Russia, Bergen in Norway, Bruges in Belgium, and London in England. From other cities, the League extracted trading privileges, including the East Anglian ports of Ipswich, Yarmouth, Norwich, and Lynn, as well as York, Hull, and Boston. Warehouses in Lynn are identified with the Hansa. Bibliography: Postan, M. "The Trade of Medieval Europe: The North." Cambridge Economic History. Ed. J. H. Clapham, v. 2, Cambridge, 1951: 119-256. Hessle
Hessle is a town on the north side of the Humber approximately 4 miles
west of Hull. There the Humber is easier to cross.
Holy
Apostles at Rome Church of the Holy Apostles at Rome
Holy
Ghost The Holy Ghost, according to Christian theology,
is a member of the Holy Trinity, God, composed of the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, three persons possessing a single, divine nature. The
Holy Ghost serves as the unifying connection between God and humanity.
In art, the Holy Ghost or (Spirit) in Latin Sanctus Spiritus, was most
commonly represented as a dove. See Trinity.
Holy Kinship According to popular legend, five of the twelve apostles were actually related to Christ. The Virgin Mary had two half-sisters, Mary Cleopas and Mary Salome, who bore St. James the Less, St. Simon, St. Jude, St. James the Greater, and St. John the Evangelist. Therefore these apostles were Jesus's cousins. The holy women often referred to in the Gospels were identified as his aunts. Their familial relationship was celebrated as the Holy Kinship and emphasized the political/familial ties that were essential to late medieval life. The Holy Kinship refers to the extended family of Jesus descended from His grandmother St. Anne. St. Anne, married to St. Joachim, was without child for several years. At this time, the Jews construed barrenness to be a punishment from God, and therefore when Joachim went to the Temple to sacrifice with the men of his tribe, he was rebuked by the high priest who saw Joachim as cursed by God's law and therefore unfit to offer a sacrifice. Seeking the desert in his despair, Joachim was visited by an angel who told him he would give birth to a daughter, Mary, who would bear the Son of God. At the same time, an angel appeared to Anne and gave her a similar message. When Joachim returned home, Anne conceived and eventually gave birth. Catholic tradition believes that Mary alone out of all humankind was conceived without original sin. Soon after Mary was dedicated at the Temple,
Joachim died. According to Jewish custom, his brother, Cleopas then
took Anne to be his wife. Again a daughter was born and again she
was named Mary Cleopas. When afterwards he died, his brother Salome
took Anne as a wife. Another daughter, Mary Salome, was born to them.
Mary was betrothed to Joseph when she conceived Christ by the power of
the Holy Spirit, and she is believed to have perpetually retained her virginity.
Her half-sisters were respectively wed to Alpheus and Zebedee. Mary
Cleopas gave birth to four sons, three of which numbered among Christ's
Apostles: St. James the Less, St. Simon, and St. Jude. Likewise Mary
Salome bore two future Apostles: St. James the Greater and St. John the
Evangelist. Not only were five of the twelve apostles related to
Christ by blood, the three Marys appear in the Gospel accounts of the resurrection.
Included among the cousins of Christ is St. John the Baptist, who was born
of St. Elizabeth, the daughter of St. Anne's sister, Hismeria.
Bibliography:
Holy
Sepulchre, Church of the After Christ was crucified on the cross,
his body was laid in a tomb, now known as the Holy Sepulchre. According
to the Gospels, the tomb consisted of a rock depression, which was originally
intended for Joseph of Arimethea. The monument was closed off by
a large stone that was rolled in front of the tomb. At the time of
Christ’s death, this tomb was located in a garden on Mount Calvary, which
is outside of Jerusalem. In 326, Emperor Constantine I erected a basilica
over the tomb, which is now part of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (See
MMK Pilgrimage). A tenet of Christian belief is that Christ rose
from this tomb, giving his followers eternal life.
Holy
Thursday Holy Thursday, the day before Good Friday, begins the
holiest days of Passion Week and commemorates the institution of the Eucharist
by Christ at the Last Supper. Holy Thursday is often referred to as "Maunday
Thursday" which originates with the foot washing ritual where the clergy
wash the feet of 13 designated individuals to commemorate Christ washing
the feet of his disciples (John 13:2-15). The ceremonies include
the public reconciliation of penitents and blessing of the holy oils used
throughout the year. The altars are then stripped as a sign of mourning
and in reference to Christ being stripped for his death.
hoods with the tippets A loose head-covering, with a cape attached, was worn by both men and women in the late Middle Ages. A tippet, a long streamer of white material, was attached to the hood of noble or wealthy women. Hospital
of St. Thomas of Canterbury in Rome There is evidence for the
existence of this hospital, which ministered to English pilgrims, as early
as the end of the 7th century. In the later half of the 14th century
(c. 1362) St. Thomas of Canterbury was joined with the neighboring church,
the Most Holy Trinity of the Scots, listed among the twenty principal churches
of Rome. In 1575, under the papacy of Gregory the XIII, the hospital was
converted into an ecclesiastical college entrusted to the Jesuit Order.
The church was rebuilt and dedicated to both the Trinity and St. Thomas
of Canterbury by the Cardinal of Norfolk. The interior walls of the
church were said to by painted by Nicolo Cerciniano of Pomarancie with
scenes of Catholic martyrs of the English persecution of the 16th and 17th
centuries. In 1616 a description of the church found in Stato temporale
states that the church had a bell tower with three bells and a clock.
There were five altars, two public sepulchers, a library, and a garden.
It also owned several homes and even a vineyard outside the gate of St.
Sebastian.
Humber
The River (actually estuary) Humber is located in the east of England on
the North Sea inlet. The river, which is known for its deep waters,
begins at the intersection of the Ouse and Trent Rivers. The Humber
lies 40 miles long and ranges from .75 to 7 miles wide stretching east-west.
Humber ports have helped to economically develop the surrounding areas.
Along its banks lie Kingstone Upon Hull (formerly Hull), Grimsby, Immingham
and Groole. After Kempe crossed the Humber she was stopped and accused
of being a heretic.
Incendium Amoris see Fire of Love Ipswich
Ipswich (Suffolk) is a major port in southern portion of East Anglia. It
was one of the four East Anglian cities where the Hanseatic League had
trading privileges.
Jerusalem
Jerusalem maintains its distinction as a holy city with Christians, Jews,
and Muslims. For Christians, it is the city in which Christ was presented
to God as an infant, where he answered the questions of the elders in the
Temple, proclaimed his own message, experienced his Passion and death and
so fulfilled his mission. The places at which these events occurred
were considered holy. Many great indulgences were attached to these
sites which in turn attracted thousands of pilgrims. Jerusalem and
the Temple of Solomon were the central places of worship and the only places
where Jews could practice certain rituals important to their religion.
According to Muslim belief, the rock within the Dome of the Rock was the
place at which Muhammad experienced his ascension into heaven through which
the afterlife was revealed to him. Its religious significance for
three very different religious groups infused it with cultural tension.
Jordan River The River Jordan is the place where the Gospels tell of John baptizing Christ (Matt. 3:13-17). The baptism was one of the most frequently depicted episodes of Christ's life in art, very possibly because of its importance in setting a precedent for the Christian sacrament of Baptism. John says, "It is I who ought to be baptizing thee." Then the heavens opened and the Holy Ghost descended as a dove and a voice came from heaven saying, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Thus, the Trinity, of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, of great theological and popular importance in Kempe's time, is made manifest. Julian
of Norwich Julian of Norwich (1342-{1416-1423}), referred to
as Dame Julian by Margery Kempe, was the author of the Sixteen Revelations
of Divine Love (also called Showings). The book detailed the
nature of her spiritual revelations. She was a member of the Benedictine
Order in Norwich, at St. Julian’s church. Julian was known as an anchoress
or hermit within this community because of her desire to separate from
society and devote herself to prayer and penance. Little else is known
about her background. When Julian was extremely sick, after contemplating
the Cross for an extended period of time she received a vision from God
of Christ’s suffering. She recovered from her illness and began twenty
years of meditation on this vision. Her book is the result of this
time. She compared God’s love for humans to that between a mother
and child. According to Julian, it is impossible to understand the
self without first seeking to understand God. Modern scholarship
has identified her as an important medieval mystic.
keys
of the buttery Access to the larder was both a privilege
and duty in the medieval household. The wife, in charge of the domestic
realm, is often depicted in art with both keys and a purse, symbol of her
control of the finances needed to manage the house. To have them
withheld was a statement of Margery Kempe’s severe incapacity.
Lambeth
Lambeth Palace in London, on the eastern bank of the Thames river, was
the residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury. Directly across the
river was Westminster Abbey, burial place of the English royalty.
Lammas
Day Until recently (1960) the Catholic Church celebrated a feast
day to commemorate the dedication of the church of St. Peter’s Chains on
August 1. Located on the Esquiline hill, this church housed the highly
venerated relics believed to be filings from the chains with which Peter
was bound while in prison. According to Acts 12:7-11, an angel
miraculously appeared to him and told Peter to rise. The chains instantly
fell from his hands and the angel led him out of prison. This feast also
memorializes the recovery of the relics of the chains through which many
miracles were accomplished. Furthermore, this feast of liberation
was also seen as a day of celebrating the apostles' authority to forgive
sins, since chains were often seen as a symbol for sin.
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