Activities Academic Year 2010-2011

Two Sessions on 'Poor in Ourselves, Rich in God': The Anthropology of the Mystics of the Low Countries' at the International Medieval Congress in Leeds, UK, July 11-14, 2011.

In the development of Western medieval thought, the contemplative, mystical tradition has a controversial role. Especially in the late Middle Ages, some mystical texts appeared to be problematic in the intellectual context of those days. It can be argued that one of the reasons for it is a different understanding of the human person. In order to explore the depth of the experience of the encounter with God, mystical literature presupposes a specific anthropology, which is not necessarily shared by others. In these sessions we will focus on the literary tradition of the Low Countries, and analyze some key concepts of the anthropology of major authors of this tradition, paying attention to the development of these concepts in a changing historical context.

Click here for the Conference Programme for Session One and Session Two