Events

Ritualized Energy : The Performance of the Medieval Liturgy Reconsidered

The notion of energy permeates and accentuates crucial elements of medieval theology, liturgy, and art. In spite of its omnipresence, however, this theme has received little attention in the scholarly literature. This paper explores the concept of energy in the Middle Ages through the dissemination of the term in theological treatises, through its presence in ritual, and within its representation in the visual culture of the period. By considering salient case studies, this lecture proposes that such a conception underscores a distinctly medieval understanding of the cosmos in motion.