Miracles and the Medieval Mind: Theory, Record, and Event, 1000-1215

by Benedicta Ward

The author examines the theory of miracles, derived from Augustine, that prevailed throughout the Middle Ages, and discusses representative traditional shrines, the miracles with which they were associated, and the growing shift toward popular devotion in this period. Comprehensive, accessible, and thoroughly documented, this is a major sourcebook for medievalists.

Genres: History, Medieval

300 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1982

About the author

Benedicta Ward, SLG was a British Anglican nun, theologian, and historian who specialized in early Christian spirituality and medieval theology. She was a lifelong member of the Community of the Sisters of the Love of God at Fairacres in Oxford.

Ward is best known for popularizing the Apophthegmata Patrum through her translation, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection, alongside major contributions to the study of St. Anselm of Canterbury, the Venerable Bede, and medieval miracles, including The Prayers and Meditations of St. Anselm and Miracles and the Medieval Mind.

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benedicta Ward’s Miracles and the Medieval Mind analyzes miracle stories in Western Europe, with a particular emphasis on the miracles near saints’ shrines. In her introduction, she admits that it is very hard to determine what people thought of miracles due to the dearth of written opinion, but she paints a very sympathetic picture of a society in which God was expected to intervene on a regular basis. This assumption of the nearness of the holy is an important key to understanding medieval society, and Ward offers a significant contribution to medieval social history with this engaging work.