Abbed Vilhelms idealer: Det viktorinsk-augustinske syn på klosterlivets for- mål og idealer i højmiddelalderens Danmark

Resumé

The Victorine congregation of the Augustinian canons was represented in high medieval Denmark by the Abbey of Tibelholt in North-Eastern Zealand, where the French Abbot William became one of the leading personalities of his time in the Danish Church. His views and opinions of the monastic life and the ideal canon, can be found in the medieval writings of The Letters of Abbot William, and The Life of Abbot William. This article tries to identify these ideals and present them in a thematic order. According to William, the Augustinian canons - just like the monks - were serving as warriors of the Lord, fighting all the sin and impiety, which due to the work of the devil was taking place outside the walls of the monasteries - and sometimes even within. The strictly reformed Victorine canons not only had to fight the evil of the secular world, but also saw it as their duty to keep an alert eye on the purity of other monasteries. Even monks and canons of the reformed orders, could easily be overtaken by unholy ways of life, usualy showing itself by lust for material goods, pride and defiance. Therefore Abbot William praised the search for the simple and humble life in strict obedience of the Rule. But the letters of Abbot William also show, that love and friendship were of great importance to him, together with both oral and written conversation. Even though humility was a central element of the monastic life, it was important not to let it go too far. One should not be humble and quiet, when it was the property of God and the abbey itself, that needed to be spoken and faught for. Also if one had been gifted by God with a certain talent, which could be used in benefit for the brotherhood, it would be very wrong to ignore it. At least one of the possible purposes of the letter collection of Abbot William, seems to have been to serve as an example of how the canons of /Ebelholt Abbey should make themselves wise in the ways of canon law and the ars dictaminis, so that they could counsel and serve the elite of society, primarily being the king and the archbishop. Except for these matters, the written sources show very little sign of the Victorine view upon the often mentioned “pastoral” functions ofthe canons. Compared to the contemporary chronicles of the Danish Cistercians of especially 0m Abbey, the Danish Victorine writings seem to look with a slightly different importance on the same overall set of monastic virtues. A part of the explanation for this might be, that the writings did not serve the same purpose and one does have to look rather closely to find any useful information in the Cistercian chronicles, which also means, that the few findings might be overanalyzed and given to much importance. Still, it seems possible to identify a distinct difference in the self image of the two orders in their medieval writings. The Cistercians save the world from behind the walls of the monastery and if it was possible, they would prefere not to have to engage themselves with the temporal world at all. The regular canons, on the other hand, are aware that they also have an important task to advise secular people on how a good Christian should live and behave in various situations. The difference is perhaps best illustrated by the way it is descriped how the orders look upon the studying of the writings of the Holy Fathers. The monk is reading to purify and strengthen his soul, so he will be able to come closer to God. For the canon, the purpose (also) is to become wise and be able to guide others in the right direction with his wisdom.