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| GLOSSARY: THE BOOK OF
MARGERY KEMPE © Stanbury/Raguin MMK
III. Lazarus to Repyndon, Philip See also over 150 images
in MMK Devotional Images Database, arranged alphabetically
Lazarus
Lazarus was the brother of Mary and Martha, residents of Bethany
(Jn 11:1-44). Lazarus had fallen gravely ill when his sisters
sent for Jesus. When he arrived, Lazarus was already 4 days
in the tomb. Mary went out to meet Jesus and fell to his feet.
The text, undoubtedly one of the key issues for Margery Kempe's
reference, states: "When, therefore Jesus saw her weeping, and the
Jews who had come with her weeping, he groaned in spirit and was
troubled and then he said, "Where have you laid him?" And
they said to him Lord come and see. And Jesus wept" (Jn 11:33-35).
Christ then called Lazarus back to life and Lazarus "came forth,
bound feet and hands with bandages." Medieval tradition believed
that Mary, Martha, and Lazarus went to France after Christ's death
and that their tombs could be visited at the abbey of Vézelay
in Burgundy. The cathedral of Autun, close by, is named St. Lazarus.
Leicester
Leicester is located in central England on the Soar river, 35 miles
northeast of Birmingham. It is an ancient Roman trading center
and was also a major medieval city. Leicester Abbey Leicester abbey, called St. Mary's Abbey, a short ways outside the wall of the city, was founded in 1143. Built for Augustinian Canons, it became one of the largest houses of the order. Its buildings now are completely gone and an excavation plus reconstruction ground plan now is visible in Abbey park. Philip Repyngdon, later Bishop of Lincoln from 1404-1419, had served as abbot from 1394 through 1403. Leicester All Saints Church The architecture of All Saints in Leicester dates primarily from the later 13th century. Even today the church displays the harmonious proportion that formed the backdrop for the intense interrogation of Margery Kempe. An array of examiners that included the mayor, the Abbot of Leicester, canons of the abbey, and the Dean of Leicester (probably from the collegiate churches of St. Mary the Less or St. Mary the Greater) confronted Kempe. They sat at the high altar and asked questions about her belief in the Eucharist and her white clothes. The interior has been stripped of its former textures, so that the masonry construction is now clearly visible. The chancel has been walled off so that the nave now constitutes the visible space of the building. It is now classified as a redundant church. One of its great treasures is its 13th-century baptismal font, presumably in its original placement at the west end of the nave. A circular basin is supported by a central shafted surrounded by four columns. At the base of the bowl appear trefoil motifs that complement the continuous border of leafy forms that encircles the rim. Leicester Guildhall Leicester's Guildhall is one of the best preserved of its type. Constructed to the east of the church of St. Martin, the central portions date about 1350. Th structure is spacious with wood and plaster construction with wooden roof. A fire was arranged in the center and an opening in the roof allowed smoke to escape. In the 1490's the main hall was enlarged by two bays and an additional single-story wing was added to the north. The northern extension still contains the remains of a series of stained glass roundels in a row of windows showing the Labors of the Month and symbols of the guild and city of Leicester . See Town Life MMK Lent
Lent is the period in the liturgical year directly preceding Easter.
It is a time of fast and penance by which the Christian community
participates in the Passion
of Christ and prepares for the triumph of his rising from the
dead, commemorated on Easter Sunday. The period extends over 40
days, reminiscent of Christ's 40 days spent fasting in the desert.
Lent begins with Ash Wednesday when Christians publicly wear "ashes"
derived from the medieval tradition of sackcloth and ashes for public
penance. This custom was already noted in the Old Testament.
Kempe spent Lent during 1414 in Rome where there was a practice
of saying solemn pontifical masses in parish churches – the Stations
- for each day of Lent. See MMK Pilgrimages: Rome
. Lincoln
A city in east-central England, Lincoln
was one of the chief towns of Roman Britain and grew as a fortified
river port. The diocese of Lincoln was founded by St. Theodore,
Archbishop of Canterbury, in 678. The first Norman bishop, Remigius
of Fecamp, decided to build his cathedral in Lincoln in 1072 because
the city was already thriving and populous. In 1185, the cathedral
was badly damaged in the great earthquake of that same year. The
following year, St. Hugh, the Bishop of Lincoln, restored the cathedral,
from the foundations up. This was an important determination, for
it resulted in the first English Gothic building. During the
14th century, the three towers of the cathedral were raised to their
present height. Today this Anglican diocese is one of the largest
in England. See Catholic
Encyclopedia Online Lollard
Lollards were followers of John Wycliffe (1330-1384), an Oxford
University theologian. They were active predominantly from
the late 14th century to the mid-15th century in England.
The Lollards emphasized authority in Scripture over clerical power
and were opposed to the authority of the pope. They concomitantly
emphasized the importance of sermons rather than the administration
of the sacraments. Supporting the authority of the state over
corrupt clergymen, they charged the clergy sexual license as well
as corruption of the sacrament of penance by selling the forgiveness
of sins. The movement accelerated in 1380, when Wycliffe encouraged
his followers to spread the Lollard teachings. These “early
Protestant” ideas were especially popular at Oxford and among educated
clergymen, artisans, merchants, and small landowners but not among
the upper classes. See contemporary description by John Capgrave of Sir John Oldcastle's execution in John Capgrave, The Life of St. Katherine of Alexandria ed. Carl Horstmann (EETS 100) (1893 repr. Millwood, NY, 1975), xvii-xviii. It was in the fifth year of the glorious king Henry [V] that Oldcastle, that satellite of the devil, was taken by the servants of Lord Powis, and adjudged to death. For their sakes and into whose hands these writing may come, I will declare some of his error to posterity, that they may not think he was put to so shameful a death except for a just cause. First, he declared that none ought to worship the Mother of Christ or the other Saints, Also that confession ought to be made to God alone, and not to man, Also that the Sacrament of the Altar, after consecration, the bread remains unchanged. He condemned civil property and hated [papal] priests and churches as abominations. He was also for destroying marriage, as far as in him lay. . . 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. But he said though Peter and Paul were present he would not confess to them; and so, as a blasphemer, and abandoned abettor of heretics, he suffered the disgrace of death as he deserved. He was first dragged to the place of execution and hung; then he was dismembered and disemboweled, and lastly his body was burned to ashes in the flame.[Chapter 13] [Chapter 46] [Chapter 52] [Chapter 53] [Chapter 55] Lynn
The site of Lynn, (formerly Bishop's Lynn) now King's Lynn, stands
at the southeastern tip of the great estuary known as the Wash.
The area to the east, known as East Anglia, was particularly suitable
for raising sheep, an occupation that also provided the fertilizer
for farming and the production of grains. Lynn's location allowed
it to exploit road, river, and sea routes; most important were the
Great Ouse river that led south and an east-west route across the
northern fens. This situation, coupled with sea access to
the ports of northern Europe, made Lynn an important trading center
in the later Middle Ages. Politically, the city was deeply connected
to the see of Norwich, and was actually founded by Norwich's bishop.
The parish church, St. Margaret's, was serviced by clergy connected
to the Benedictine priory of Norwich's cathedral. Since the
early 13th century the city had gained privileges from King John,
its incorporation dating from this time. Martyr
Martyr is a term given to believers who stood firm for their beliefs
even when faced with suffering and death. The term is traditionally
reserved for someone who dies for his/her faith. The deacon
Stephen is considered to be the first martyr of the church when
he was executed by stoning outside the walls of Jerusalem.
Mary
of Oignies Mary of Oignies (d. 1213) was born in Belgium
(Nivelles in the diocese of Liege) to a wealthy family. She
was married at age 14, but convinced her husband to take a vow of
chastity (see chaste marriage). Together, they nursed
lepers. Mary became very famous for her good works and her
mystical tendencies. In fact, so many people came to visit
her that she was forced to retire to a cell in a monastery at Oignies,
living as a hermit. Matins
The word matin is derived from the Latin matutinum, meaning
“the morning hours.” The term was used within religious orders
to refer to the morning prayer, which would occur near dawn. It
is a combination of singing, reading, and prayer. The exercise
can also be described as a vigil. Mealtime
In traditional societies, social rituals, like the dress of individuals,
determine status. No rituals are more pervasive that those
of food. Margery Kempe is meticulous in describing the moment
of social interaction of the meal, either as demonstration of her
outcast state or of the honor accorded her: she agrees to eat and
drink with her husband on Fridays in a bargain to live chastely
(Ch. 11); her companions in Constance make her sit at the end of
the table but after she breaks her silence she is forced to eat
alone for six weeks (Ch. 27); the Franciscans in Bethlehem seather
with them at meals (Ch. 29); she eats with the Bishop of Lincoln
(Ch.45) or the Abbot of Leicester (Ch. 49); and while under interrogation
in York, "many good men and women asked her to meals," “preyd
hir to mete,” (Ch. 50). She also mentions meal courtesies
when distinguished individuals place her next to them or send things
to her from their own table, as does the Bishop of Lincoln (Ch.
15) or "served her food with her own hands," “leyd hir mete wyth
hir owyn handys,” as does Dame Margaret Florentyne in Rome (Ch.
38). The Braunche brass, which Kempe doubtless would have seen in
St. Margaret’s Church, depicts a feast in its lower border. Unlike
many other texts of the Middle Ages, the Book of Margery Kempe
, gives us an unusually direct view into the experience of medieval
life and the unwritten drama of day to day living.
Middelburg
Middelburg is a port located in the southwestern Netherlands (Holland).
During the time of Margery Kempe, Middelburg was a Hanse town.
The trade organization called the Hanseatic League or Hanse was
represented in her city of Lynn and was the dominant merchant league
in the North Sea and the Baltic coast. mill
Mills constituted an important medieval industry, utilizing horse-driven
machinery for the grinding of corn. Few peasants possessed
the machinery or horse-power to grind their own corn, and thus had
to buy the ground corn necessary for food from the local mill.
Mystical
Marriage The concept “mystical marriage” was a term used
in the church to signify the highest union with God. The Old
Testament makes references to God taking Israel as his “bride.”
Later, in the Gospels Jesus describes himself as the “bridegroom.”
This idea of marital bonds as seen between men and women came to
represent both God’s union with Israel, but also Christ’s Union
with the Church and the individual. In the Middle Ages mystical
women and the saints were said to have had mystical marriages with
Christ that is often symbolized through art with a ring or a veil.
St. Catherine was very often depicted in art as receiving a ring
from the infant Christ as a seal of their mystic marriage.
Newcastle
Newcastle under Lyme is a city in western-central England.
Newcastle received its first charter of incorporation in 1173. It
is named for the new castle erected in 1145 by Ranulf de Gernons,
earl of Chester, near the Lyme forest. nine orders of angels, see angel Norwich
Norwich (Norfolk) lies at the heart of rural East Anglia about 100
miles northwest of London. It began as an Anglo-Saxon settlement
beside the River Wensum. At the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066,
Norwich was one of the most important cities in the kingdom, and
even had its own mint. Work began on the Cathedral in 1096, using
stone imported from Caen in Normandy. A cathedral monastery
was built to house 60 Benedictine monks. Margery Kempe's parish
church, St. Margaret's, was serviced by monks dependent on the cathedral.
By medieval times there were 56 churches within the walls.
In one, Julian of Norwich lived as an anchoress. Richard I
had made Norwich a city in 1194, and in 1404 a charter allowed it
to have its own mayor, two sheriffs and 24 aldermen, who were elected
for life. The wealthy merchants who ran the city became increasingly
powerful, and the Guildhall and almost all the city's churches were
rebuilt between 1350 and 1530. The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 brought
an army of rebels who were ultimately crushed by a coalition of
wealthy citizens and the clergy. (taken from Norwich website) See
MMK database Palm
Sunday Palm Sunday is the Sunday immediately preceding
Easter and commemorates Christ's Entrance into Jerusalem. (Matthew
21:1-11) Christ told his disciples to procure an ass with her colt
so that his entrance would accord with the prophesy of Isaiah "Behold
thy king shall some to thee meek and seated upon an ass and upon
a colt, the foal of a beast of burden." A large crowd is described,
some of whom lay their cloaks on the ground and others who cut branches
from the trees and strew them on the road. The populace cry out
"Hosanna to the Son of David Blessed is he who comes in the name
of the Lord." These words were later incorporated into the ritual
of the mass. Palm Sunday was one of the most lavishly celebrated
feasts of the year and especially marked by processions that recalled
the one described in the Gospels. On the Continent, at least
since the 13th century, full-scale models of Christ riding on a
donkey were pulled through the streets. pardon with plenary remission Indulgences (pardons) are grants from church authorities for the partial or full (plenary) remission of sin. Indulgences can be granted only after the sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation). In order to obtain an indulgence one must complete certain requirements and then perform a devotional act, either saying specific prayers or in the Middle Ages donating money to support building and restoration projects and the crusades. Abuses of the sale of indulgences was a topic of intense controversy in the late Middle Ages, and the subject of the Pardoner’s Tale in The Canterbury Tales. Indulgences or pardons
are authoritative grants from church authorities for the partial
or plenary remission of the temporal punishment of sin, which can
be granted only after forgiveness of that sin has been obtained
through the sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation). This "remission"
is more exactly termed a "payment" made by the Church, drawn from
its treasury of merits and good works stored up by Christ, the Virgin
Mary, and the saints (both living and dead). St. Paul names
the Church (all Christians on earth, in purgatory, and in heaven)
a single body, the mystical Body of Christ, with Christ as its Head.
As community, each Christian is to actively look out for the welfare
of others, especially any members who are suffering from a particular
ailment. Early Christian authors such as Tertullian called
Christians to work together as a community to find a cure.
Later, in the 5th century, St. Caesarius of Arles stated that an
individual is unable to make satisfaction for his own sins, therefore
he is anxious to seek out the assistance of the whole people.
Passion
The Passion is traditionally referred to in Christianity as the
final events in Christ’s life. These events are recounted
in each of the four Gospels of the Bible, beginning with the Last
Supper, Christ's meditation on his upcoming death in the garden
of Gesthsemane, his arrest, trial, scourging, and humiliation.
His being forced to drag the cross on which he will be crucified
through the street preceded his execution. His followers, including
his mother Mary, witnessed these events and then laid his body in
a rock-cut tomb. The Passion holds devotional importance among
many Christians, because remembrance of the events evokes emotion
and compassion for their savior, whose death freed them from sin.
A central tenet of Christianity is that if one follows the example
of Christ’s Passion by sacrificing themselves as Christ did, he
or she will be saved during the Last Judgment. The Passion
holds a privileged place in the Christian faith and is remembered
particularly in the annual celebration of Holy Week that attempts
to parallel the final days of Christ’s life. See 1460s series of
Images of the Passion in stained glass. Paternoster
Paternoster, also called The Lord’s Prayer or Our Father, was taught
to the disciples by Jesus (Luke 11:2-4, Matthew 6:9-13). The heart
of the prayer is a petition for daily sustenance and release from
temptation. This prayer is an important part of the mass and
Christian devotions. In Latin it begins Pater noster, qui es
in caelis: “Our Father, who are in heaven.” Often prayers
and psalms, like poems, were referred to by their first words.
penance
Penance is one of the seven sacraments of the medieval church; the
forgiveness of sins committed after baptism. During the sacrament,
one is sorrowful for the sins and confesses those sins to a priest.
The priest then gives absolution in Christ’s name. Often a
specific penance, such as fasting, the saying of prayers, giving
of alms, or travel to a specific site (at its extreme to one of
the great pilgrimage churches) is commanded. Pentecost
Pentecost is also known as Whit Sunday or Whitsun, is the feast
commemorating the descent of the Holy Ghost on the Apostles and
the Virgin, after Christ's ascension into heaven. After Christ's
death the Apostles and Holy Women were gathered together (Acts 2:1-41)
in an "upper room" They heard a sound as if a violent wind were
blowing and then there appeared parting tongues of fire that settled
over each one of them. They were "filled with the Holy Spirit,"
who manifested his presence by miraculously giving the apostles
the power of speaking in many tongues. The apostles began
to preach to a crowd from many different nations, but each person
thought they were hearing the discourse in his or her own language.
Since Pentecost marked the moment when the Apostles received their
mission to teach, Pentecost was viewed in the Middle Ages as the
foundation of the Church's authority. The feast was celebrated
with great solemnity in the liturgical calendar on the 7th week
after Easter. An octave of augmented masses followed with
the celebrant in red vestments, celebrating the Seven Gifts of the
Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge,
Piety, and Fear of the Lord. Pietà The image called a pietà depicts Mary holding the dead body of her son, Christ, in her lap. Most often replicated in sculpture, the image of the pietà originated in Germany in the 13th century. Sometimes Mary was depicted accompanied by St. John the Evangelist and Mary Magdalene. One of the most famous examples is Michelangelo’s Pietà (1499), located in the basilica of St. Peter’s, Rome. See also the pieta in stained glass at Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford, Suffolk, c. 1480-1490 (See MMK Long Melford). prayer It is noted several times throughout the text that Kempe lays down during her moments of intense prayer. She is prone, sprawling on the pavement of the building, rapt in her ecstasy of feeling. She describes entering churches at night to prostrate herself on the floor. At St. Stephen’s in Norwich, she went to the high altar and fell down on the tomb of the vicar who had been her confessor many times (Ch. 60 - line 3475). This position was common in private prayer, and she describes herself “as she lay stille” (Ch. 85 - line 4939) in the choir, and as she “lay in the qwer in her prayers” (Ch. 23 - line 1220). Preaching see Sermon Preaching
Friars The preaching friars, also known as the Order
of the Friar Preachers, the Order of St. Dominic, and the Dominican
Order, was established in the 13th century by St. Dominic (1170-1221).
The order was established to combat heretical trends that were threatening
the established church. During the Middle Ages, preaching
normally occurred separately from the church service, and thus it
was more accessible to a greater range of people. The preaching
was patterned upon the behavior of Christ’s followers, the Apostles,
who were believed to have preached outside the synagogues after
the services. Prick
of Love,Stimulus Amoris or The Prick of Love,
was written in Latin probably in the latter half of the 13th century.
It was a popular devotional text during the Middle Ages, composed
of reflections on the Passion of Christ that focus on feelings of
compassion. It is a meditative poem. The book was often
wrongly attributed to Bonaventure or Walter Hilton during the time
of Margery Kempe, but scholars now believe it to have been written
by a Franciscan known only as James of Milan. procession The frequent use of processions, large and small, in medieval Christian worship, brought different groups in, through, and around each other's spaces. The clergy processed regularly within and around the church on Sunday and feast days. The reading of the Gospel invariably involved some sort of movement across spaces. For many occasions, the sacrament, images, and statues were brought out into the streets and movement occurred between churches. Margery Kempe speaks of honoring the Eucharist, especially when she "saw the precious sacrament borne about the town with lights and reverence, the people kneeling on their knees" (Ch. 72). See also Corpus Christi. In the late 13th century,
Jacobus deVoragine compiled the Golden Legend, a collection
of saints' lives ordered according to the liturgical calendar.
He also recorded the rituals of Rogations (from the Latin rogo,
to petition) or Litanies. He defines two, the Greater Litany
on the feast of St. Mark (April 25) and the lesser Litany, also
in the spring, celebrated in the three days before the feast of
the Ascension. He describes processions for both; for the Greater,
he speaks of seven ranks of participants: first the clergy, then
the monks, then religious, nuns, then children, then the laymen,
then widows and virgins, finally married women. This ranking
gives some indication of the problematic position of the married
woman that persisted even in Margery Kempe's time. De Voragine
states that for the Lesser Litany, "the cross is carried and bells
are rung, a banner is borne, and the patronage of all the saints
is individually invoked." Later scholars have perceived a
links to planting and folk traditions. See "Liturgy and Folk Culture
in the Golden Legend " in André, Vauchez, The Laity
in the Middle Ages: Religious Beliefs and Devotional Practices,
ed. Daniel E. Bornstein, trans. Margery J. Schneider. University
of Notre Dame Press: South Bend, Indiana. 1993. Prussia
Prussia is a former German state of North Germany. In Kempe's
time it is probable that by using the word Prussia she was referring
to Prussian people of Baltic stock living along the shore of the
Baltic in present day Poland. This area, which included the city
of Danzig, had been conquered by the Teutonic Knights and the official
language was German. Purgatory
After death, Christians of the Middle Ages believed that a soul
was subject to the judgment of Christ. If its corporeal life
was profoundly holy then the soul would be reunited with its body
and dwell in heaven; if profoundly evil, the soul would suffer in
Hell for eternity. If a soul lived well but struggled with
sin, then it voluntarily would choose to go to purgatory, where
temporal punishment was exacted for confessed sins along with the
guilt of any unconfessed venial sins, but ultimate salvation was
certain. Traditionally, the Roman Church has associated fire
with this purifying process. Repyngdon,
Philip Philip Repyngdon was the Bishop of Lincoln from
1404-1419. The visit of Margery and John Kempe to take formal vows
of chastity was made between 23 June, 1413 and 19 February 1414
(Meech & Allen). At this time the see of Norwich was vacant,
so the couple went to the bishop of Lincoln. Later Margery
Kempe seeks Repyngdon's permission to travel in the diocese of Leicester
in 1517. In 1419 Repyngdon resigned
his position as bishop. His Sermons on the Gospels are preserved
in museums in Oxford and Cambridge, and in the British Museum in
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