First Advisor

DeLys Ostlund

Term of Graduation

Spring 2001

Date of Publication

5-11-2001

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (M.A.) in Spanish

Department

Foreign Languages

Language

English

Subjects

Pope Innocent III, (1160 or 1161-1216), Gonzalo de Berceo (active 13th century), Milagros de Nuestra Señora, Gonzalo de Berceo (active 13th century)-- Criticism and interpretation

Physical Description

1 online resource (ii, 76 pages)

Abstract

In this paper, I will argue that many of the miracles in Gonzalo de Berceo's Milagros De Nuestra Señora reflect the ecclesiastic laws drawn up by Pope Innocent III at the Fourth Lateran Council. In response to a malaise in thirteenth-century Christianity, created in part by a lack of effective central government and by the perceived threat of the Jews and Arabs, Pope Innocent III called to order the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 and marshalled bishops from all over Europe, including seventy-five percent of Spain's bishops.

The Marian stories in Milagros act as an abridged summary of the main points of the Pope's document. Berceo, with a long deliberate sweep of the pen, created a well-balanced work that provided an accessible. yet pertinent clerical catechism for the neophyte monks of the diocese.

The Council emphasized the motion of sin and redemption, especially within the church; nearly all of the stories in Milagros have clerical protagonists who sin and are redeemed because of their faith in the Virgin. Berceo's didatic message --a reflection of the directive that Innocent III wanted to propagate-- was that if you are good, you will be rewarded, if you sin, redemption is available.

The constitutions of the Council repeatedly manifest themselves in the milagro stories. The milagros that reflect the edicts addressed in the Lateran Council can be divided up into categories, which mirror the external threats --Judaism, Islam and the Cathars--and the internal threats --improprieties of the clergy. Innocent, moreover, created a judicial hierarchy to establish a legal system for those who did not follow the rules.

I conclude by refuting the argument of scholars who believe that the general audience is made up of pilgrims, and demonstrate that there are weaknesses in their arguments. After examining the edict of Pope Innocent III and comparing it to Milagros, it appears that Berceo adapted Milagros de Nuestra Señora with the intention of incorporating the Lateran text to facilitate comprehension for uneducated monks, and not to entertain the weary pilgrims headed to Santiago.

Rights

In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44949

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