The Letter by Egeria - Case Study Example

Biographical Information of Egeria: Egeria was a Galician woman, who was able to make a travel to the Holy Land, between the periods of 381, to 384. Egeria managed to write an account of her travels, in a very long letter, and it was addressed to a specific group of women in her home country, whom she referred to as her sister1. This letter only survives in a fragmented form. The people, who found this letter, did not manage to find the whole of it. It is only the middle parts of this letter which were found2. This therefore means that a lot of information concerning her identity and level of education are not found. Majority of the information pertaining to Egeria emanates from letters that were written by Valerio of Bierzo, who was a monk in the 7th century3 . He is able to identify Egeria as a nun, and this is specifically because she calls her Christian colleagues as sisters. However, this is disputed, mainly because during the period in which Egeria was writing her letter, it was common for Christians to refer to each other as sisters. Another reason why Valerio identifies Egeria as a nun, is because of the Christian pilgrimage she undertook4 . However, most religious women, during this time, are known for undertaking religious travels. Furthermore, Egeria had a freedom of planning her journeys, an issue that nuns did not have. However, there might be some truths contained in the assertions of Valerio of Bierzo, and mostly because of the social constraints that middle-class women, had, during this period of time5. Social freedoms were not available to middle class women, and, these lone pilgrimages were rare. Furthermore, Egeria spent more than three years travelling and with no hurry to return home6. This is an indication that she did not have a husband or a family. The social status of Egeria was not Aristotic, or elitist, but she was wealthy enough, to be able to afford travelling for more than three years7. Furthermore, Egeria had a large number of social networks, who were able to help her, during her pilgrimage8. This is an indication that her family were engaging in trade, and she was benefitting from their contacts. Egeria had friends and she was addressing them as her sisters. This was in her community, back at home. In regard to education, the education level of Egeria is low, and this is based on her writing. This is because her writings are clumsy, and repetitive, and she is not able to write fluently in Latin9. This is an indication that she was not a well educated woman, and she was unable to understand and know the famous theologians of her period, and this includes scholars such as Gregory, Origen, and Basil. Textual History: There is only one surviving letter that was written by Egeria, and this letter was copied in the 11th, in a monastery referred to as Monte Casssino. The community of St Flora, thereafter owned this letter, and the community is found at Arezzo. This is during the period when Ambrose Ratrellini was able to become the Abbot of Arezzo, and this letter stayed at Arezzo until 1810, whereby it was taken to a library owned by the city. It is only until 1884, when the importance of this letter was being recognized. Major Works: a): Letter Addressed to her community. Egeria Travels is mostly a letter that is addressed to her Christian community, in her homeland, and to the people whom she refers to as sisters. This letter provides an account of her journey, and the experiences she found during her journey, most specifically to the holy lands of Jerusalem and Mt. Sinai. b): Her Journey to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, Egeria is able to describe the manner in which Christians were able to celebrate their Passover and other Christian celebrations and services10. The Bishop is very important for Christian services, and he is responsible for leading those services. c): Christian Liturgy in Jerusalem. Egeria had a lot of interest in the liturgical arrangements, and especially the ones that she finds exceptiona11. In as much as she admires the marathon religious services that were held in Jerusalem, and the great festivals that Christians used to celebrate in Jerusalem, she is also concerned on the fatigue that these services create to the people who are able to attend them12 . She is very energetic, appreciative, and determined, and she is able to give gratitude to her guides, and the people who have been hosting her during her travels. She is also very appreciative to God, and this is because she views herself as unworthy to the travels that God allowed her to undertake. She sees this as the grace of God13 (Fagan, 2004). Furthermore, Egeria denotes that at least six churches in Jerusalem are established in areas that were of critical importance to Jesus Christ14. The daily and Sunday services of these churches, used to focus on a specific importance of the place, in the life of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Egeria denotes that additional prayers were held during the easter celebrations, and these were able to focus on the last days of Jesus Christ, and on Tuesday, the Bishop used to lead his disciples to the Mount Olives, and read to them the scriptures as contained in the book of Mathew Chapters 23 and 24. Construction of her Work: The construction of the works of Egeria began in 1884, when its importance was realized. This is the period when J Gammurrini was able to read and discover this letter, and he began the process of publishing the letter. In 1887, the first edition of this paper appeared, and a corrected version appeared in 188815. In 1889, the translation of this letter into various languages appeared, and Russian was the first language that this letter was translated into. In 1891, J. H. Bernard began translating this letter into English. Ever this period of time, this letter, written by Egeria, has been translated into almost all the major languages of Europe. In its current state, this manuscript comprises of eight folded leaves, and this means it is a sixteen paged paper. However, the middle page has lost most of its leaves, hence comprising of only six leaves. This therefore means that its only twelve pages can be read16. These twelve pages are divided into two equal sections, with their first section giving a description of their journey to Mount Sinai, and it ends at Constantinople. The second information is on the Christian services that are conducted in Jerusalem. This letter by Egeria is preserved in a manuscript that is called the Travels of Egeria17. Critical Analysis: a) Similar Travel Account There are other Christian pilgrimage accounts, and an example is Itinerarium Burdigalense, which was written by unknown author during the periods of 333 to 334 AD18 . The author of this letter refers to himself or herself as, the Pilgrim of Bordeaux19. This letter provides an account of the holy lands of Jerusalem, and how worship was conducted amongst the Christians in this region. This letter is very similar, to the one written by Etheria, and mostly because it covers the regions visited by Egeria, such as Jerusalem, Italy, Rome, Constantinople, etc. b) Scholarly Debate: Debate exists on the true nature of Egeria. Based on the limited knowledge that exists, schorlars are divided on whether Egeria was a nun, or just a Christian pilgrim. One school of thought is that Etheria was an independent woman, who was not married, and a Christian20. This is because she was free in travelling to other regions. Another debate is that Egeria was a nun, and this is because she used to refer to her Christian friends as sisters. However, this is disputed, mainly because Christians at the time used to refer to each other as brothers and sisters. c) Primary Audience: The primary audience of the letter written by Egeria was women, whom she referred to as sisters. These were a community of Christian women, who were found in her home town. Conclusion: In conclusion, the letter by Egeriaa is very important, and this is mainly because it describes the manner in which religious worship was conducted in Jerusalem. However, it is only the middle part of this letter that was found; hence it is difficult to identify other accounts of her travels, and her true identity. Bibliography: Top of Form Allen, S. J., and Emilie Amt. The Crusades: A Reader. 2014. Top of Form Baker, Robert Andrew, and John M. Landers. A Summary of Christian History. Nashville, Tenn: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005. Top of Form Bennett, Janice. St. Laurence & the Holy Grail: The Story of the Holy Chalice of Valencia. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 2004. Top of Form Daniel, Robert, et al. Caesarea and the Middle Coast. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2011. Top of Form Fagan, Brian M. The Rape of the Nile: Tomb Robbers, Tourists, and Archaeologists in Egypt. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 2004. Bottom of Form Bottom of Form Top of Form Haskins, Susan, Vittoria Colonna, Chiara Matraini, and Lucrezia Marinella. Who is Mary? three early modern women on the idea of the Virgin Mary. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2008. Top of Form Hezser, Catherine. Jewish Travel in Antiquity. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2011. Top of Form Jacobs, Andrew S. Remains of the Jews: The Holy Land and Christian Empire in Late Antiquity. Stanford, Calif: Stanford University Press, 2003. Top of Form Kaplony, Andreas. The Haram of Jerusalem 324 - 1099: Temple, Friday Mosque, Area of Spiritual Power. Stuttgart: Steiner, 2002. Top of Form Maclean, Arthur John. The Ancient Church Orders. Piscataway (N. J.): Gorgias press, 2004. Top of Form Renevey, Denis, and Christiania Whitehead. Writing Religious Women: Female Spiritual and Textual Practices in Late Medieval England. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2000. Top of Form Sumption, Jonathan. The Age of Pilgrimage: The Medieval Journey to God. Mahwah, N.J.: HiddenSpring, 2003. Top of Form Wallis, Mary V. Among the Pilgrims: Journeys to Santiago De Compostela. Victoria, B.C.: Trafford, 2003. Top of Form Whalen, Brett Edward. Pilgrimage in the Middle Ages: A Reader. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2011. Top of Form Veselinova, Ljuba N. Suppletion in Verb Paradigms Bits and Pieces of the Puzzle. Amsterdam: J. Benjamins, 2006.Bottom of Form Read More