Curiosities of Christian History Prior to the ReformationPaterson, James
History
Curiosities of Christian History Prior to the Reformation
Paterson, James
Church history -- Middle Ages, 600-1500; Church history -- Miscellanea; Church history -- Primitive and early church, ca. 30-600
The enmity between the Franciscans and Dominicans was notorious. A friar
of each order came at the same time to the side of a brook, which it was
necessary to ford, and the Dominican requested the Franciscan to carry him
across, as he was barefooted, and must otherwise undress. The Franciscan
took him on his shoulders and carried him to the middle; then suddenly
stopped and asked if he had any money with him. "Only two reals," replied
the Dominican. "Excuse me then, father," said the Franciscan; "you know my
vow--I cannot carry money." And in he dropped him. It is stated in
Surtees' "History of Durham" (vol. i., p. 42): "The monks well knew how
impossible it was to preserve peace betwixt two bodies of ecclesiastics
having property contiguous to each other, and therefore wisely provided in
most of their grants that neither their feoffees nor tenants should lease
or alienate to Jews, nor to any religious house save their own."
MONKS DISLIKED BY CLERGY.
The chronicler Matthew Paris says that in 1207 the preachers who were
called Minors arose under the favour of Pope Innocent and filled the
earth, dwelling in towns and cities in bodies of ten or seven, possessing
nothing whatever, living on the Gospel, displaying a true and voluntary
poverty in their clothes and food, walking barefoot, girded with knotted
ropes, and showing a noble example of humility to all men. But they caused
great alarm to many of the prelates because they began to weaken their
authority--first of all by their preaching and secret confessions of
penitents, afterwards by their open receptions.
A MONK WHO WANTED TO BE AN ANGEL.
It is related among the wise sayings of Antony the hermit and others, that
a monk of Mount Sinai, finding his brethren working, said, "Why labour for
the meat which perisheth? Mary chose the good part." On hearing this the
abbot ordered the monk to be put in his cell, and when the dinner-bell
rang the monk was not called, which made the monk ask the reason why. The
abbot replied, "Thou art a spiritual man, and needest not food. We are
carnal, and must eat because we work; but thou hast chosen the better
part." The monk was then rather ashamed of his brave resolution. Another
monk, John the dwarf, also wanted to be "without care, like the angels,
doing nothing but praising God." So he threw away his cloak, left his
brother the abbot, and went into the desert. But after seven days he came
back and knocked at the door. "Who is there?" asked his brother. "John."
"Nay, John is turned into an angel and is no more among men." So he left
John outside all night; and in the morning gave John to understand that,
if he was a man, he must work; but that if he was an angel, he had no need
to live in a cell.
DEATH OF AN ABBESS AT ARLES (A.D. 632).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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