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Document Details :

Title: Juan de Segovia and Medieval Hebdomadal Meditation on the Life of Christ
Author(s): MANN, Jesse D.
Journal: Studies in Spirituality
Volume: 18    Date: 2008   
Pages: 113-132
DOI: 10.2143/SIS.18.0.2033285

Abstract :
Systematic hebdomadal meditation on the life of Christ was a common and widespread practice in the late Middle Ages with roots in traditional medieval theology, spirituality and liturgy. This article outlines some of the more important features and examples of medieval hebdomadal meditation on the vita Christi and relates these to a specific fifteenth-century instance of this tradition, namely Juan de Segovia’s († 1458) little known Epistola ad Guillielmum de Orliaco. It is argued that Segovia’s letter shows striking similarities to the Pseudo-Bonaventuran Meditationes vitae Christi and to various works associated with the Devotio Moderna. It is further suggested that the devotional practices of the Devotio Moderna may have gained a wider audience at the Council of Basel (1431-1449), where Segovia was a major participant throughout the council’s long duration. Finally, this article argues that Segovia’s Epistola reveals an unstudied side of this important fifteenth-century theologian.

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