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Title: The Rule of St. Birgitta of Vadstena
Subtitle: A Dynamic-Structural Analysis
Author(s): HUYGHE, Huguette
Journal: Studies in Spirituality
Volume: 32    Date: 2022-2023   
Pages: 217-245
DOI: 10.2143/SIS.32.0.3292460

Abstract :
The late Middle Ages saw a surge of female interest in monastic life that was met with difficulty. The Birgittine Rule, named Regula Salvatoris, inspired by the revelations received from Christ by Saint Birgitta, prompted the establishment of the first Birgittine double monastery in Sweden (1384). Birgitta Birgersdotter was a widow with lived experience of the nuances of the balance of power between men and women. This article examens the Rule of St. Birgitta of Vadstena through the lens of Waaijman’s dynamic-structural interpretation method in which he investigates structural, formalizing and dynamic aspects from the perspective of a broad spiritual transformation. The organizational structure of Birgittine convent life offers a framework for the dynamic of growth towards community as well as the individual experience. There is furthermore a mystic dynamic to be discovered in both the revelations of Birgitta and in the Regula Salvatoris.

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