The Devotio moderna, the radical reformation, and the idea of inner spirituality, 1374-1554

Jacob Anderson Wells

This thesis studies the idea of inner spirituality during the transition from late medieval to early modern Europe. The introduction examines the historiographical debates surrounding the questions of whether the Reformation was an intellectual break from the past and whether the Devotio Moderna influenced the Reformation. The first chapter assesses the intellectual impact of three late medieval leaders of the Devotio Moderna, a religious group that focused on the spiritual growth of Christians and imitating the life of Christ. The Brethren and Sisters of the Common Life, lay associations of men and women devoted to the Devotio Moderna, gathered in houses in order to avoid worldly temptations. The best expression of the group’s beliefs are expressed in Thomas Á Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ, a guidebook for lay Christians looking for spiritual growth. Chapter two examines the idea of inner spirituality represented in the writings of Martin Luther and Huldrych Zwingli, two first generation leaders of the Magisterial Reformation. It then compares those interpretations of inner spirituality with the Devotio Moderna, and determines that when considering the historical context of the Magisterial Reformation, there is insufficient evidence to prove that the Devotio Moderna directly influenced Luther and Zwingli. The central purpose of this thesis is to determine the relationship between the interpretations of inner spirituality of the Devotio Moderna and the Radical Reformation. Chapter three examines the life, education, and the religious ideas of David Joris, an outspoken radical reformer, and argues that when comparing David Joris’ writings to the writings of the Devotio Moderna, his interpretation of inner spirituality was inherently late medieval. The fourth chapter deals with the writings of the humanist and reformer Sebastian Castellio. It describes how Castellio was influenced by spiritualist ideas, especially when considering his relationship with David Joris. Castellio is an intellectual who historians have argued was a harbinger of modernity, but was in fact fundamentally a late medieval figure. The conclusion considers the compiled research and argues that the boundary between late medieval and early modern Europe must be seen as a fluid instead of a rigid boundary.

The Devotio moderna, the radical reformation, and the idea of inner spirituality, 1374-1554

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