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The Social and Religious Meanings of Charity in Medieval Europe
Ist Teil von
History compass, 2014-12, Vol.12 (12), p.935-950
Ort / Verlag
Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd
Erscheinungsjahr
2014
Link zum Volltext
Quelle
Wiley Online Library Journals【キャンパス外アクセス可】
Beschreibungen/Notizen
There is considerable evidence that during the 12th and 13th centuries, Latin Christendom experienced a charitable revolution. This period witnessed the foundation of large numbers of leprosaria and hospitals for the sick and poor, as well as the creation of confraternities and religious orders engaged in intensive charitable work. Some historians have argued that this charitable outpouring was principally spurred by economic and material forces, as well as a burgeoning urban culture. However, others have suggested that developments in spirituality and devotional culture are central to understanding what medieval charity meant to its practitioners. For still other scholars, medieval charity was primarily a way to elevate one's social status and affirm existing hierarchies of power. This essay surveys different historical interpretations of the social and religious meaning of charity during the Middle Ages, including how historians of medieval and early modern Europe have periodized charitable practices and how they have used charity as a window into the interactions between the rich and poor, powerful and powerless.