Joining the Slow Pilgrimage in a Second Holy Week in Autumn: A Theopoetics from the Ars Moriendi.

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56
Author(s):  
Cas Wepener
Keyword(s):  
Practical Theology ◽  
Presidential Address ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Ars Moriendi

Abstract The article is a response to Heather Walton’s IAPT presidential address titled “A Theopoetics of Practice – Re-forming in Practical Theology.” Practices examined in this article are rituals and caring related to death and dying in literature. By making use of Ronald Grimes’ so-called fictive ritual the portrayal of rituals and caring in novels by the Afrikaans novelist Karel Schoeman are examined. As a response to Walton’s address, a theopoetics is developed from the ars moriendi in the work of Schoeman.

Poetic License

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-48
Author(s):  
Terry A. Veling
Keyword(s):  
Practical Theology ◽  
Presidential Address ◽  
Holy Saturday ◽  
Poetic License ◽  
International Academy

Abstract This paper is a response to Heather Walton’s 2017 Presidential Address to the International Academy of Practical Theology, “A Theopoetics of Practice – Re-forming in Practical Theology.” It explores a key question raised by Walton: “If we were to construct a way of imagining a theopoetics of practical theology, what would it look like?” The paper critiques systematic and speculative thinking, reflects on Holy Saturday, and offers a poetic reflection on creation and natural love.

Memoirs and the Ars Moriendi

2019 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 160-168
Author(s):  
John Gillman
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Clinical Skill ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Ars Moriendi ◽  
Late Middle Ages

The Ars Moriendi, from the Late Middle Ages, has been revitalized and adapted for the 21st century. This paper examines how the model has been utilized by contemporary authors and how current memoirs on death and dying may function for clinical skill development.

Erasmus and the Emotions of Death

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-173
Author(s):  
Gordon D. Raeburn
Keyword(s):  
Early Modern ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Fear Of Death ◽  
Personal Beliefs ◽  
Late Medieval ◽  
Ars Moriendi ◽  
Recent Growth ◽  
History Of Emotion ◽  
History Of

Abstract This article investigates the presence of emotion, primarily fear, in Erasmus’ work on death and dying. How did Erasmus approach the fear of death, how did he believe people should face this fear, and what were his own personal beliefs on the matter? These questions are addressed here. The recent growth of the study of the History of Emotion has shown just how central to the development of thought and belief in the late medieval and early modern periods the emotions were, and this is no less true of the development of thought and belief concerning death and dying. The various ars moriendi works of the period were fully aware of the natural fear of death that people had, and they approached this fear in several ways. By the time Reformed Protestant artes moriendi began to appear, readers were taught that the fear of death could only be overcome by the constant meditation upon death. In certain respects Erasmus, with his De Praeparatione, bridged the gap between Catholicism, Early Lutheranism, and Reformed Protestantism, and as such his work, and its use of and engagement with fear, is investigated in detail here.

scholarly journals The Art of Dying Well according to Erasmus of Rotterdam and Teresa of Ávila

Lumen et Vita ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-76
Author(s):  
Dominika Sieruta
Keyword(s):  
Death And Dying ◽  
Desiderius Erasmus ◽  
Religion And Spirituality ◽  
Modern Culture ◽  
Teresa Of Avila ◽  
Ars Moriendi ◽  
The Common ◽  
Art Of Dying ◽  
Catholic Tradition

Contemporary conversations about death and dying are lost and unsatisfying on many levels. This phenomenon subsists not only in fields like bioethics, but also in religion and spirituality. Modern culture is preoccupied with seeking ways to live a longer, youthful life, ignoring the inevitable forthcoming of death. One period during which the topic of death and dying was reflected upon by the common Christian was between the fifteenth and the seventeenth centuries, during which a specific genre of literature was formed: ars moriendi. This genre attempted to provide intellectual, cultural and religious answers as to how death should be understood and ritualized. Two spiritual writers who contributed to the understanding of ars moriendi are Desiderius Erasmus and Teresa of Ávila. What unites these figures of the Catholic tradition is their attempt to show that preparation for death is a lifelong process of cultivating appropriate virtues.

From Ars Moriendi to Assisted Suicide: Bonhoefferian Explorations into Cultures of Death and Dying

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Wannenwetsch
Keyword(s):  
Assisted Suicide ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Modern Trend ◽  
Ars Moriendi ◽  
Human Autonomy ◽  
Dual Character ◽  
Back Stage ◽  
The One ◽  
Conceptual Link ◽  
Final Expression

The essay is intended to shed light on the back-stage of contemporary debates about death and the dying, and more specifically on newer trends that emphasise the importance of ‘dying well’ and the moral viability of a ‘good death’. It raises the question as to whether there is a hidden conceptual link between the high medieval tradition of ars moriendi and the modern trend towards embracing (assisted) suicide as a final expression of human autonomy and suggests that this link becomes visible only when death is theologically understood in a twofold way: according to its spiritual side on the one hand, and according to its physical on the other. Drawing inspiration from Bonhoeffer’s exposition of the biblical myth of the Fall and his insights into the link between thanatos and techne, the essay suggests that the compulsive fashion in which modern societies tend to shy away from any contact with the dying that is not mediated by technology or bureaucracy is owed to their refusal to acknowledge the dual character of death, as it is open to theological analysis.

Improving Spiritual Care at the End of Life by Reclaiming the Ars moriendi

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-743
Author(s):  
Columba Thomas ◽  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Fifteenth Century ◽  
Spiritual Care ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Direct Approach ◽  
Religious Practices ◽  
Ars Moriendi ◽  
Current Context ◽  
Art Of Dying

Ars moriendi, or The Art of Dying, was a highly influential fifteenth-century text designed to guide dying persons and their loved ones in Catholic religious practices at a time when access to priests and the sacraments was limited. Given recent challenges related to the coronavirus pandemic, there is a heightened need to offer additional forms of guidance related to death and dying. This essay examines the content of the Ars moriendi and considers how key principles from the work apply to the current context. The Ars moriendi, in its direct approach to the salvation of souls and thoughtful treatment of struggles faced by dying persons, offers a much-needed supplement to typical approaches to death and dying today.

Ars Moriendi: Coping with death in the Late Middle Ages

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 553-560 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fernando Espi Forcén ◽  
Carlos Espi Forcén
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
Death Anxiety ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Public Library ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Original Text ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Ars Moriendi ◽  
Late Middle Ages ◽  
Coping With Death

ABSTRACTObjective:TheArs moriendiwas a book written in the early 15th century with the goal of assisting friars in their work of helping the dying. The aim of our study was to review the current literature on theArs Moriendiconcerning the field of medicine, to analyze the psychological mechanisms for coping with death anxiety withinArs Moriendi, and to explore parallels between the strategies used in the medieval book and in contemporary literature about death and dying.Method:A review of literature using Pubmed, EMBASE, JSTOR, Project MUSE, and the New York Public Library was undertaken first. The primary source was then interpreted from a medical/psychological point of view.Results:Seven articles were selected by literature review. These works comment on the importance of theArs Moriendiin its historical context and explore the possibility of retrieving the principles of the text in contemporary society. The original text ofArs Moriendi, the primary source, presents death as a relief from the sufferings of earthly life and a gateway to eternal glory. According to the author, a good death implied the triumph over five demonic temptations in agonizing people: a lack of faith, despair, impatience, pride and greed.Significance of Results:Analyzed from a modern psychiatric perspective, theArs Moriendioffers descriptions of behavioral manifestations compatible with delirium, mood and anxiety disorders that characterize people with terminal illnesses. Moreover, we also explored parallels between the strategies used to cope with death anxiety in the Late Middle Ages and in contemporary society.

A Contemporary Ars moriendi for End-of-Life Care

2019 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Anthony C. Ughetti ◽  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
Black Death ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Medical Providers ◽  
Contemporary World ◽  
Ars Moriendi ◽  
Art Of Dying ◽  
Hospice And Palliative Care

There was a time when the clergy, medical providers, philosophers, and individuals agreed on how to achieve a happy and holy death. In the fourteenth century, as a response to the horror of the black death, a document emerged that was accepted and adopted by these disparate parties. Translated as the art of dying, the ars moriendi was a set of common instructions and coaching tools to facilitate a peaceful transition for providers and patients alike. The contemporary world needs a new ars moriendi that articulates a triple aim: standardizing the service terms and definitions of hospice and palliative care, promoting early initiation of end-of-life services, and de-emphasizing services provided by intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency departments. If consensus could coalesce around these three goals, the experience of death and dying could be significantly improved.

scholarly journals Ars moriendi as social reality : articulation of the good death in the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Douglas Valentine
Keyword(s):  
Death And Dying ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
The United States ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Good Death ◽  
Death Process ◽  
Ritual Studies ◽  
Psychological Healing ◽  
Ars Moriendi ◽  
Responding To Change

Death and dying are often theorized as micro-level processes, focusing on the experience of the death process from the perspective of the dying, or in the context of grief and psychological healing on the part of the bereaved. While these academic analyses have merit, their analytic utility is limited. Death, dying, bereavement, and memorial are social processes that require multidisciplinary investigation. Utilizing sociological, religious studies, and ritual studies methodologies, this dissertation explores ars moriendi, or the good death, as a process enmeshed within the macro-structural forces of political, religious, economic, and social institutions. Through these discrete case studies, the dying and the bereaved are recentered as active agents driving and responding to change within the contemporary American death industry.

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