The 13th Century Western European Women Mysticism

It was in the13th century that came forth groups of female mystics, who came from different countries and areas, belonged to different orders or were hemits (or recluse),born in differet families, and received higher or lower education.But all of them claimed they were bride of Jesus, met with him secretly in the ridiculous but intriguing visions.These women expressed their deep and endless love to God, and how God gave himself to his bride.Many of the male colleagues(few of them were females) recorded their visions and miracles.Now these works became the great part of western literature and the Christian Classics.Why suddenly came forth groups of female mystics in13th century? While similar kind of women were fired as witches in later ages, such as Marguerite Porete was kindled in Paris in1310. How the female mystics in13th century constructed their supporting systems? Why were they, some of whom even can not read, pushed Christian mysticism into another way. These were my thesis try to answer.The early history of Christianity owed much to women, and women not only participated in organizing and supporting churches, and also constributed the primal female mysticism into Christian Mind.But the female mysticism was disappeared cause of "patriarchaliation" in later centuries.In second part of11th century, many new kinds of medieval cities and towns rises in western Europe, especially in the low contries, the south France, the Rhine Germany and Italy, where dispersed large or small fairs and beared the new female mysticism. The profitable economy developed by the new rising cities and towns supported the female mystics who relied on endowment from rich citizens, while it at the same time made women became the first choose by employers to fire.So lots of women choose entering into new orders.There were many new orders for women in12-13thcenturies.Beside Benedictine and Cluny nunneries, women counld enter into Cistercian, Augustine regular, double monasteries, Carthusian, the mendicant orders, beguine houses or even live lonely in a little room inside churches. All these new kind religious life based on towns and citizen who lived in the towns, so the13th century’s femal mysticism expressed more freshly, more affectively which attached tightly to the complicated lives in the towns.Althogh the female mystics in13th century had not many chances to be trained in schools, they showed new lights on understanding body, sensibility, soul, pain and visons. Their spirituality broke forth the natural limits of creatures, became one spirit and one life with love in love when in their ecstasy. Their indistinctive union pushed the medieval history forward, favored Luthur’s reform.In a word, the13th century female mysticsinheritd the long tradition of Christian mysticism, conceived in the background of the turning poit of feudal society.Their female spirituality which were based on body trigged the great turning poit in mysticism, they participated and pushed the social religious reform.Observing these women, we may get a new light on the study of medieval women, and the religion research, meanwhile recover the living social life in middle ages.