The Religious Worlds of the Laity in Late Antique Gaul by Lisa Kaaren Bailey;

Author:Lisa Kaaren Bailey; [Bailey, Lisa Kaaren]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781472519047
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: 2016-01-27T06:00:00+00:00

Men who are not able to give rather abundant alms should at least with a good intention dispense a little something according to their strength. Those who are unable to retain the glory of virginity should at least, with God’s help, strive to observe chastity with their own wives … Now these and similar actions, dearly beloved, are proven not to be excessively difficult or insupportable.36

Caesarius repeatedly emphasized that God did not expect more from anyone than they were capable of giving – if you cannot fast, or keep vigils, you can love your enemies and give charity.37 If you cannot give charity, give wise counsel, or a cup of cold water.38 As a result, married lay people could also find their path to heaven. ‘Married people who have observed mutual fidelity … if they continually give alms and observe God’s precepts as well as they can, will merit happily to be associated with holy Job, Sara, and Susanna, along with the patriarchs and prophets.’39

As all of this makes clear, Caesarius did not expect the same from all Christians. He was explicit that the expectations upon clergy and ascetics were significantly higher than upon lay Christians. Marriage, he explained, was the lowest of the three professions within the church available to women, the higher two being widowhood and virginity.40 As an ascetic and a cleric, Caesarius still thoroughly endorsed a hierarchy within Christian communities. Nonetheless, in sermon 135 he made it clear that commitments at every level had to be taken seriously. ‘There is, indeed, a common standard for all men. Not to commit adultery is a precept for married people (nuptae) as well as for religious (sanctimoniali) … Not to steal is a precept for all men.’41 The same, he went on to point out, was true for drunkenness, pride and murder. The ascetic path was not the only way to virtue. Perhaps, he worried, when he was preaching, someone would reflect and say: ‘I am young and married, how can I cut my hair or assume the religious habit?’ Caesarius hastened to assure such an anxious person that this would not be required. ‘How can a married man be harmed if he is willing to change his evil habits to good and noble works, and if by almsgiving, fasting and prayer he is anxious to restore the wounds of his sins to their former healthy condition? For such a man it is enough to have a true conversion without any change of garments.’42 Living entirely without sin was impossible even for saints.43 Lay people, in Caesarius’ mind, should simply strive to do the best they could, and hope that God would judge them kindly.

Caesarius’ approach to lay virtue was to provide lists of ideal behaviours, but not all preachers took the same tack. The sermons in the Eusebius Gallicanus collection offered very few lists of approved behaviours or sets of moral instructions. On the whole, the tone of this collection was far more meditative and vague, with sermons extolling general principles of common decency, rather than prescriptions for heaven.

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