Hermits, Monks and Reformers in Medieval Europe: East–West Parallels

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Abstract:

The article is an attempt at drawing a parallel between church Reformation in medieval Bulgaria and England. The authors discuss the key figures of St. John of Rila and St. Euthimius of Tarnovo in the light of the question: Were those persons reformers or hermits, and could we find some parallels between them and similar figures in medieval England? In concord with the latter idea, the article presents some early English reformers like Bishop Oswald compared to our sources about St. John of Rila, against the background of the dynamic changes in 10th – century Christian Europe. The authors also draw some parallels between Patriarch Euthimius’ reform and the ones of Pope Benedictus XII from the XIV c., and briefly trace their impact on the Bulgarian and English churches respectively. In conclusion, the article stresses on a number of general tendencies: the existence of reformer attitudes and changes in the 10th and 14th centuries, an outward impact on the 14th – century reforms and a close connection between church reforms, education and literary culture in Bulgaria and England in the Middle Ages.

Keywords:

and terminology: church reformation, eremitism, Hesychasm, reformation monasteries, education, university.

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