Abstract
The present contribution offers an analysis of the Oratio de interioris hominis reformatione (1628), a sermon written by Cornelius Jansenius (1585–1638), professor of exegesis at the university of Leuven, for the introduction of a new monastic rule in the monastery of Affligem (Southern Netherlands). The text was reprinted several times and gained a certain popularity in the seventeenth century, especially through its French translation by Robert Arnauld d’Andilly (1642). This contribution focuses on the historical circumstances which lead to the genesis of the Oratio. By means of introduction, a summary of the text’s content is given, focusing on Jansenius’ presentation of the Augustinian exegesis of 1 John 2:16 on the threefold concupiscence. Our proper analysis of the historical context of the Oratio is threefold. In first instance, we analyze Jansenius’ relations with the different protagonists in the reform of Affligem, which culminated in the introduction of a new monastic rule in 1628. Thereafter, we focus on the history of the Benedictine monastery itself, from its foundation until the seventeenth century. We end our analysis with a close examination of the pronuntiatio of the Oratio on 18 October 1628 and the immediate impact of the text.