Caesarius was a monk at the Cistercian monastery of Heisterbach in Germany, where he served as Master of novices. For their instruction and edification, he composed his lengthy Dialogue on Miracles in twelve sections between 1219 and 1223. The many surviving manuscripts of this and other works by Caesarius attest to his stature in the history of Cistercian letters. This second volume contains sections seven through twelve of Caesarius of Heisterbach’s Dialogue on Miracles, the first complete translation into English of an influential representation of exempla literature from the Middle Ages. Caesarius’s stories provide a splendid index to monastic life, religious practices, and daily life in a tumultuous time.
Ronald E. Pepin received his PhD from Fordham University. In addition to The Lives of Monastic Reformers, 1 and 2 (in collaboration with Hugh Feiss and Maureen O'Brien), his published translations include The Vatican Mythographers (Fordham, 2008), Anselm & Becket (PIMS, 2009), and Sextus Amarcius: Satires (DOML: Harvard, 2011).
ContentsPreface viiAbbreviations ixThe Dialogue on Miracles 1Seventh Section: On Holy Mary 3Eighth Section: On Diverse Visions 95Ninth Section: On the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood 191Tenth Section: On Miracles 255Eleventh Section: On the Dying 313Twelfth Section: On the Rewards of the Dead 373Index 435
"It is almost a century since the Dialogue on Miracles was last translated and published, and so the appearance of this new translation is a happy occasion for medieval studies. Caesarius of Heisterbach was once looked upon askance as a teller of tales, but it is precisely this trait which makes him an invaluable source for the thought and feelings of medieval people. He was a great listener and recorder, and with the guidance of Hugh Feiss's introduction, the reader will be introduced to an exciting world of fact and fantasy."Brian Patrick McGuire, professor emeritus of history (Denmark)