Beschreibung
The articles in this volume explore the ways in which
different types of religious community organised their
economy and controlled their finances. These topics were
acknowledged already by Cassian and they are mentioned in
the rule of St. Benedict. Attitudes to religious poverty and
to wealth were largely determined by two parameters. The
first was the impressive variety of forms of religious life
with its development of different attitudes to poverty and
wealth and to a multitude of forms of economic activity. The
second parameter was set by other factors, the economic,
political and geological environment which determined the
requirements of each religious community. These parameters
caused a strain between the religious ideals on the one hand
and outside pressures which could affect individual
communities or religious orders. This is explored in nine
articles dealing with the traditional Benedictines, the
military orders as well as the mendicants in different parts
of Europe.
