The breviary was essential to the devotional life of Dominican friars, allowing them to celebrate the daily office individually when they were unable to join the communal liturgy. The Dominican vocation, rooted in the apostolic life and itinerant preaching, required a commitment to observing the canonical hours. Personal breviaries enabled friars to merge conventual and itinerant ideals, adhering to the Dominican order's rule. While serving friars’ personal use, breviaries also marked collective identity, distinguishing Dominicans from other religious professionals and fostering the order's unity. This article explores the breviary as both a personal and communal object, examining its liturgical content as an expression of lived religion. It argues that the breviary, often overlooked by scholars, can in some cases reveal a negotiation between individual and communal religious experiences. As products of their communities, breviaries represent shared experiences and offer insights into the devotional lives of individual friars, reflecting lived religion beyond normative theology.
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January 2025
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Research Article|
January 01 2025
Signs of Shared and Personal Experience in Dominican Breviaries
Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies (2025) 55 (1): 31–50.
Citation
Marika Räsänen; Signs of Shared and Personal Experience in Dominican Breviaries. Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies 1 January 2025; 55 (1): 31–50. doi: https://doi.org/10.1215/10829636-11568633
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