Both during his lifetime and afterwards Armand Jean le Bouthiellier, the abbe de Rance, was a controversial figure. Alive, he was extravagantly admired by many, yet had, as one recent biographer observed, 'an unhappy genius for incurring hostility unnecessarily'. Dead, he continued to evoke extreme reactions-he was either loved or loathed. One biographer nicknamed him 'the thundering abbot'; others depicted him in hagiographical panegyrics. The present volume sets Rance against the colorful and extravagant world of seventeenth-century France and corrects both masterly and entertaining caricatures by exploring the world which surrounded and formed this ever fascinating monk: the privileged circles of the ancient regime in which Rance moved from his birth in 1626; and the austere monastic environment he created at la Trappe. 'This is not so much a book about Rance as around Rance, Dr Bell writes. 'I do not expect that it will persuade people who do not like Rance to like him; it may, however, serve to explain why he said and did what he said and did in the way that he said and did.'

Understanding Rance: The Spirituality Of The Abbot Of La Trappe In Context (Cistercian Studies Series)

Biographies & Memoirs

Bell, David N.

Historical

Cistercian Pubns

What Nuns Read: Books and Libraries in Medieval English Nunneries (Volume 158) (Cistercian Studies Series)

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Liturgical Press

First published in 1989, A Cloud of Witnesses has been completely rewritten to incorporate a multitude of minor amendments and a considerable amount of additional information. Like the first edition, it is intended as an introduction to the formative first five hundred years of the Christian theological tradition. In these pages the opinions and personalities of the Fathers of the Church that emerge are presented against the intellectual, social, and political world of their times, but since the book is only an introduction, the author presents the development of Christian doctrine in a rather more logical and cohesive manner than was the case in reality.

A Cloud of Witnesses: An Introductory History of the Development of Christian Doctrine to 500 AD, New Revised Edition (Cistercian Studies series) (Volume 218)

History

World

Cistercian Publications

Strangers in a Strange Land: The Trappist Monastery of Saint Susan at Lulworth, Dorset, 1794–1817 (Cistercian Studies Series) (Volume 299)

Europe

Cistercian Publicatoins

Orthodox Christianity 'divided into two main groups: Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox 'is now a world-wide phenomenon and one of the fastest growing Christian traditions in the United States. In this introduction to the tradition, the author presents a reasonably wide-ranging account of modern Orthodox beliefs primarily for non-Orthodox readers," and by examining beliefs and attitudes common in the West, explores whether they can be accommodated to traditional Orthodox teachings. Includes an insert of icons in four-color! 
David N. Bell is Professor of Religious Studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Well known among Cistercian scholars for his studies of the Augustinian theology of William of Saint Thierry and the library holdings of medieval abbeys, he has also translated monastic works from Latin, Greek, and Coptic."

Orthodoxy: Evolving Tradition (Volume 228) (Cistercian Studies Series)

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

This is an annotated translation of the classic Description de l’abbaye de La Trappe, the most important eye-witness account of life at the abbey of La Trappe under Armand-Jean de Rancé. The work includes a map showing the physical layout of the abbey and detailed discussions of the monks’ daily life and practice. It was written by André Félibien des Avaux for Jeanne de Schomberg, duchess of Liancourt, in 1671, with a new and enlarged edition being published in 1689. That is the edition translated here, with copious notes to help the reader appreciate Félibien’s account.

Everyday Life at La Trappe under Armand-Jean de Rancé (Volume 274) (Cistercian Studies Series)

An overview of how religious thinking developed in the thousand years between the end of the Roman Empire and the Reformation, Many Mansions goes beyond other textbooks by looking at developments in both the Latin West and the Greek East. In addition to providing an introduction for readers with no background in theology or history, Bellpoints out the reasons behind the growing divergence between the two great halves of Christendom.

Many Mansions: An Introduction to the Development and Diversity of Medieval Theology (Volume 146) (Cistercian Studies)

An overview of how religious thinking developed in the thousand years between the end of the Roman Empire and the Reformation, Many Mansions goes beyond other textbooks by looking at developments in both the Latin West and the Greek East. In addition to providing an introduction for readers with no background in theology or history, Bellpoints out the reasons behind the growing divergence between the two great halves of Christendom.

Many Mansions: An Introduction to the Development and Diversity of Medieval Theology (Cistercian Studies Series) (Volume 146)

The literacy and education of medieval nuns has been a subject of dispute and study in recent years. In his third Index of medieval libraries, David Bell presents a comprehensive list of all manuscripts and printed books which have been traced with certainty or high probability to english nunneries. A systematic listing of the books available to english nuns, and in the process an indication of the wealth, the intellectual level, and the spirituality of english nuns from the Conquest to the Reformation.

1989 CISTERCIAN PUBLICATIONS SOFTCOVER

A Cloud of Witnesses: An Introductory History of the Development of Christian Doctrine (Cistercian Studies Series)

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bell, David N.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bell, David N.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bell, David N.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Understanding Rance: The Spirituality Of The Abbot Of La Trappe In Context (Cistercian Studies Series)

What Nuns Read: Books and Libraries in Medieval English Nunneries (Volume 158) (Cistercian Studies Series)

A Cloud of Witnesses: An Introductory History of the Development of Christian Doctrine to 500 AD, New Revised Edition (Cistercian Studies series) (Volume 218)

Strangers in a Strange Land: The Trappist Monastery of Saint Susan at Lulworth, Dorset, 1794–1817 (Cistercian Studies Series) (Volume 299)

Orthodoxy: Evolving Tradition (Volume 228) (Cistercian Studies Series)

Everyday Life at La Trappe under Armand-Jean de Rancé (Volume 274) (Cistercian Studies Series)

Many Mansions: An Introduction to the Development and Diversity of Medieval Theology (Volume 146) (Cistercian Studies)

Many Mansions: An Introduction to the Development and Diversity of Medieval Theology (Cistercian Studies Series) (Volume 146)

What Nuns Read: Books and Libraries in Medieval English Nunneries (Volume 158) (Cistercian Studies Series)

A Cloud of Witnesses: An Introductory History of the Development of Christian Doctrine (Cistercian Studies Series)