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Topic: Anglo Saxon questions...  (Read 8506 times)

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Anglo Saxon questions...
« on: March 23, 2006, 10:52:12 AM »
Hi everyone sorry I haven't been aroud much lately, I have been in a bit of a "funk" but I am recovering now!

If anyone knows a lot about Anglo Saxon times I would love to ask you some questions. I have been reading a lot about women saints since a visit to Wenlock Priory but am a bit confused about a few things.
Hopefully someone here can help me out...and thanks!


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Re: Anglo Saxon questions...
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2006, 02:37:15 PM »
I would say just shoot with the first question and i am sure many will try to find out for you or some may already know!
"Be completely humble and patient, bearing with one another in love"  Ephesians 4:2

"All that is necessary for evil to win the world is for good men to do nothing." Edmund Burke



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Re: Anglo Saxon questions...
« Reply #2 on: March 24, 2006, 10:31:31 AM »
well my main confusion is about the nature of monk and abbess in those days...
as it appears many of the abbesses, who later became saints, were also married and had numerous children!  Would this have had to have happened BEFORE they became abbess?
I have read their online bios in EBK as well as wikipedia and britannia.com but it is not clear



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Re: Anglo Saxon questions...
« Reply #3 on: August 28, 2006, 12:45:41 AM »
Are you saying they were still married as abbesses?  I know many women took to religious life at the passing of their husbands and after their children were grown.


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Re: Anglo Saxon questions...
« Reply #4 on: August 28, 2006, 06:36:47 AM »
A little later in period of course, the 1200s, but St. Birgitta of Sweden was married and had quite a few children, one of whom became St. Catherine of Sweden, but on the death of her husband, she went on pilgrimage and founded an order, the Brigittines, and died in Rome.

You have to remember also that celibacy was not necessarily a rule of the early Church, although by Anglo-Saxon times they were trying their best to enforce it.  But I would say that most of those women you're reading about either were widows or, which also often happened, the husband and wife agreed to separate and live in a state of celibacy and both would enter separate orders.
If you don't know where you're going, it doesn't matter what road you take.


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Re: Anglo Saxon questions...
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2007, 05:12:37 AM »
well my main confusion is about the nature of monk and abbess in those days...
as it appears many of the abbesses, who later became saints, were also married and had numerous children!  Would this have had to have happened BEFORE they became abbess?
I have read their online bios in EBK as well as wikipedia and britannia.com but it is not clear

Anglo-Saxon religious history was my chosen field at university so I shall do my best to answer your question.

Abbesses could be wealthy/influential women who joined a convent later in life. As such it is possible they had a husband and children prior to their entry to a convent.


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