| The mass and office for the Feast of Saint Gilbert, the twelfth-century founder of the English Gilbertine Order for men and women, provide a fascinating example of liturgical creativity. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries, an abundance of new saints were canonized; and the need for commemorative masses and offices opened a window of opportunity for liturgical creativity. The author of Gilbert's mass and office mined contemporary theologies of death, Gilbert's Vita, Gilbertine liturgical traditions, and the format and aesthetic of the versified office to produce a unique, artistic service which fulfilled four purposes: the commemoration of Gilbert; the praise of God; the justification of the Gilbertine Order; and the encouragement of members of that Order. This dissertation examines the context, genre, literary technique, and content of these texts. Once translated, the mass and office are probed for evidence of their author's creativity, such as his selective inclusion of theological tenets, his judicious employment of elements from Gilbert's Vita, and his dramatic use of timing.; The window of opportunity for the creation of saints' masses and offices by local liturgical authors did not remain open for long. As the thirteenth century began, the pope appropriated all authority to canonize saints; and the canonization process itself became longer and more difficult to negotiate. With the Reformation, entire populations were taught that the veneration of saints was pointless, or even heretical, and detracted from the worship of Christ. In succeeding centuries, attitudes toward death changed so that death and the dead are now often ignored rather than commemorated. This dissertation, which focuses on one example of liturgical commemoration, ends with suggestions toward the creation of modern services for the remembrance of saints and calls for further work in the crafting of these modern commemorations. |
