Non Mundi Sapiencibus, sed Rudibus et Indoctis: hierarchies of knowledge and access in Richard Rolle’s Incendium Amoris
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2011
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Abstract
In late medieval England, unmediated access to God was concentrated primarily in the
hands of priests and clerics. Churchmen provided the lay public with mediated access to
holy rituals, objects, and texts, but the clerically educated retained the skills and
qualifications necessary to achieve institutionally sanctioned access to the divine. Thus,
the hierarchy of doctus : indoctus (taught/learned : untaught/unlearned) was closely tied
to the clerici : laici (clergy : lay) binary. Although these hierarchies were deeply
imbedded in social structures, from the twelfth century onward trends in business,
education, and lay piety allowed for greater flexibility in access to both texts and
holiness.
This thesis examines how the theological frameworks espoused by one fourteenth
century English mystic, Richard Rolle (c. 1300-1349), provided a broader audience of
pious Christians with opportunities for direct access to both the divine and privileged
knowledge. In the first half of this paper, I examine relevant aspects of the historical
context, highlighting trends in education and piety that relate to hierarchies of knowledge
and holiness. In the second half, I read select passages from Rolle’s Incendium Amoris (c.
1330-1340) closely and with reference to the historical background. These readings show
that Rolle promoted hierarchies of holiness and knowledge that depended on skills not
governed by institutionally regulated structures of sanctity or education, and thus allowed
a broader range of individuals to aspire to sanctity and learnedness.