Norbert and Early Norbertine Spirituality (review)

This book is long overdue. As Carol Neel and Theodore Antry point out in the introduction to their book Norbert and Early Norbertine Spirituality, studies of Norbert of Xanten and the Premonstratensians are “conspicuously underrepresented in modern scholarship” (p. 1). Ss. Bernard of Clairvaux, Hildegard of Bingen, and Francis of Assisi have long been the subject of historical analysis, and more recent studies have focused on Robert of Arbrissel and the wandering preachers of the twelfth century. By selecting and translating seven texts that illuminate Norbert and the Premonstratensian order, the editors provide an extraordinary service to monastic studies, as well as offer a wonderful entry point into the twelfth century.

Published as part of the Paulist Press’s Classics in Western Spirituality series, the translations offer “some of the more important Premonstratensian works of the early decades and provide material for such synoptic consideration of their twelfth-century movement”(p. 3). Each text is preceded by helpful introductory remarks that supply important historical context. By presenting these texts in chronological order and in full translation, the translators demonstrate the emergence of a distinctive Premonstratensian spirituality. As Neel and Antry argue, the Premonstratensians were “astoundingly prolific” in contrast to other “networks of Augustinians” (p. 24).

In critiquing monks for claiming superiority over “the true profession of the canons,” Anselm of Havelberg’s Apologetic Letter offers insights into the active profession of the regular canons. Herman of Tournai’s Miracles of St. Mary of Laon is the only non-Premonstrensian view of Norbert and the early Premonstratensians in the volume; his comparisons of Norbert and Bernard of Clairvaux, as well as his descriptions of the status of women within the order, deserve more attention. Set among the dramatic political climate of northwestern Germany, The Life of Godfrey of Cappenberg reveals the origins of Premonstratensian monasteries in northwestern Germany, as well as illuminates early hagiography within the order. Both of Norbert’s vitae are included: Vita A, as the oldest surviving account of Norbert, is fully reproduced; parts of Vita B, where it differs from A, have also been included. The book concludes with two texts from the Premonstratensian abbot Philip of Harvengt. His “Knowledge of the Clerics” offers a detailed description of canonical life, while his Life of Oda celebrates the life of a young girl who thwarts an arranged marriage by mutilating her face and joining the Premonstratensian order.

The editors frame these texts with an outstanding essay devoted to the life of Norbert, the twelfth-century reform movement, and recent scholarship on the order. Their aim “to facilitate intensive study of the early Premonstratensians” (p. 24) will surely be met. Because of its ease and simplicity, this book will find a wide audience. It is highly recommended for library purchase, use in the classroom, and general insights into the creative energy, spirituality, and passion of the earliest Premonstratensians.