Between Saint James and Erasmus: Studies in Late-Medieval Religious Life: Devotion and Pilgrimage in the Netherlands

Book Description
This volume is divided into four sections: late medieval devotion in the Netherlands; medieval Christian pilgrimage; the medieval cult of St. James the Great and Erasmiana. Variety and coherence sound the keynote in the title and the contents of the book. Religious concepts and expressions of religious faith such as pilgrimages and indulgences are representative of late-medieval Christianity. In this book they refer specifically to the medieval cult of St. James the Great, while for Erasmus they were an object of his critical consideration. The whole book can be read in the light of the debate about the tension between an appreciation for outward signs of faith, and the inward experience of religious belief, which Erasmus considered an absolute necessity.

About the Author
Jan van Herwaarden, Ph.D. (1978) in History, University of Groningen, is Professor in the History of Medieval and Renaissance Culture at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. He has published extensively on medieval christian pilgrimage (especially Santiago de Compostela), late-medieval devotion and Erasmus.


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The 19 articles of this collection were first published in Dutch beginning in 1978. Van Herwaarden (history, U. of Groningen, the Netherlands) has grouped the translated articles into themes; late-medieval devotions in the Netherlands, medieval Christian pilgrimages, the medieval cult of St James the Great, and Erasmus. The articles range from general summaries of large issues—such as medieval pilgrimage—to more specific topics. The material is based on the author's familiarity with archival sources written in the Netherlands in the high and late middle ages. Individual topics include the cult of the Eucharist and devotion to Christ's Passion, pilgrimages to Rome, the effect of pilgrimage on social status, textual issues of the Liber sancti Jacobi in the Codex calixtinus, and Erasmus and Burckhardt. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR


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