Two Middle English Prayer Cycles: Holkham, "Prayers and Meditations" and Simon Appulby, "Fruyte of Redempcyon" (TEAMS Middle English Texts Series) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1580446817 ISBN 13: 9781580446815

Publisher: Medieval Institute Publications, 2023

Synopsis

This volume presents the first critical editions of two fascinating but overlooked medieval prayer sequences: the Holkham “Prayers and Meditations” (c. 1400-1420), a rare example of medieval religious literature by a female author written to guide a “religious sustir” in her devotions; and Simon Appulby’s “Fruyte of Redempcyon (1514), composed by one of England’s last anchorites to serve his urban community. Patterned after the widely influential fourteenth-century Meditationes vitae Christi (“Meditations on the Life of Christ”) and its psychological model of prayer, both cycles direct their readers to imagine themselves in Jesus’s presence during key events of Christian history, mystically envisioning and experiencing Christ’s life and passion in the here and now through a state of spiritual intimacy. Despite their differences in century, contexts, and intended audiences, these prayer sequences together introduce readers to one of the most vital and idiosyncratic traditions of medieval Christian devotion.

About this title

About the Author

Ben Parsons is associate professor at the University of Leicester and has published widely on various aspects of medieval and early modern culture, including popular devotion, comedy, folklore, violence, and education.

Edition details

• Publisher: Medieval Institute Publications
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1580446817
• ISBN 13: 9781580446815
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 218
• Editor: Parsons Ben