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Teresa of Avila's Bridal Spirituality Within The TERESA OF AVILA’S BRIDAL SPIRITUALITY WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE MEDIEVAL MYSTICAL TRADITION by Alyssa Janine Vanpopta B.A., University of the Fraser Valley, 2006 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS In the Department of History Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences © Alyssa Janine Vanpopta 2011 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Summer 2011 All rights reserved. However, in accordance with the Copyright Act of Canada, this work may be reproduced, without authorization, under the conditions for Fair Dealing. Therefore, limited reproduction of this work for the purposes of private study, research, criticism, review and news reporting is likely to be in accordance with the law, particularly if cited appropriately. APPROVAL Name: Alyssa Janine Vanpopta Degree: Master of Arts Title of Thesis: Teresa of Avila’s Bridal Spirituality Within the Context of the Medieval Mystical Tradition Examining Committee: Chair: Dr. Allen Seager Associate Professor, Department of History ___________________________________________ Dr. Hilmar M. Pabel Senior Supervisor Professor, Department of History ___________________________________________ Dr. Emily O’Brien Supervisor Assistant Professor, Departments of History and Humanities ___________________________________________ Dr. Eleanor Stebner External Examiner J.S. Woodsworth Chair in the Humanities Associate Professor, Department of Humanities Date Defended/Approved: ___________________________________________ ii Declaration of Partial Copyright Licence The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. The author has further granted permission to Simon Fraser University to keep or make a digital copy for use in its circulating collection (currently available to the public at the “Institutional Repository” link of the SFU Library website <www.lib.sfu.ca> at: <http://ir.lib.sfu.ca/handle/1892/112>) and, without changing the content, to translate the thesis/project or extended essays, if technically possible, to any medium or format for the purpose of preservation of the digital work. The author has further agreed that permission for multiple copying of this work for scholarly purposes may be granted by either the author or the Dean of Graduate Studies. It is understood that copying or publication of this work for financial gain shall not be allowed without the author’s written permission. Permission for public performance, or limited permission for private scholarly use, of any multimedia materials forming part of this work, may have been granted by the author. This information may be found on the separately catalogued multimedia material and in the signed Partial Copyright Licence. While licensing SFU to permit the above uses, the author retains copyright in the thesis, project or extended essays, including the right to change the work for subsequent purposes, including editing and publishing the work in whole or in part, and licensing other parties, as the author may desire. The original Partial Copyright Licence attesting to these terms, and signed by this author, may be found in the original bound copy of this work, retained in the Simon Fraser University Archive. Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada Last revision: Spring 09 ABSTRACT In recent years, many scholars have studied the life and writings of Teresa of Avila, but few have situated her mysticism within a larger religious context. Furthermore, scholars have not thoroughly examined Teresa‟s bridal spirituality, a common theme in her writings, and they have not sufficiently discussed how the mysticism of medieval male and female writers shaped her bridal spirituality. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to understand how traditional or innovative Teresa‟s bridal spirituality was within the context of the medieval mystical tradition. A close comparison between the writings of Teresa and medieval mystics reveals that her bridal spirituality is often traditional, similar to the bridal mysticism of Bernard of Clairvaux, Catherine of Siena, Angela of Foligno, and Gertrude of Helfta. However, she occasionally offered an innovative perspective on bridal spirituality. Keywords: Teresa of Avila; medieval mystics; mysticism; spiritual marriage; Song of Songs; Spain iii DEDICATION To my family iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First, my sincere thanks are due to Dr. Hilmar Pabel and Dr. Emily O‟Brien. When applying to the program, Hilmar suggested that I look at the writings of Teresa of Avila. I am grateful that he introduced me to this fascinating woman. I also cannot begin to thank both Hilmar and Emily for their help and support. Hilmar, especially, challenged my ideas and writing, which has helped me grow as a student. Hilmar and Emily always advised me to read Teresa‟s writings closely and, as a result, I feel as if I really know Teresa and her writings. I also want to express my gratitude to the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the SFU History department for financial support. Finally, I dedicate this thesis to my family because, without them, I would not have finished this project. My parents and my parents-in-law have always helped and supported me. A special word of thanks to my mother and father who babysat Nathan at least one day a week for ten months with determination and smiles. I also want to thank my brother Brendan for proofreading and doing errands on campus for me. Lastly, I cannot express how much I owe to my husband and son. Jonathan, my best friend, always encouraged and helped me. After Nathan was born, I worried that I would never finish, but this little baby made me more determined. I will never forget the days I quickly tried to get in some thesis work while he was playing or napping. Both my boys have added new meanings to the words “love” and “laughter.” v TABLE OF CONTENTS Approval .......................................................................................................................................... ii Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iii Dedication ....................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... v Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ vi Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter One: An Examination of the Spiritual Marriages of Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Siena ........................................................................................................................ 13 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 13 Spiritual Marriage in the Early Church and Medieval Period ........................................................ 15 Catherine of Siena‟s Influence in the Sixteenth Century ............................................................... 17 Two Spiritual Marriages ................................................................................................................. 21 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter Two: A Comparison of Teresa of Avila’s and Bernard of Clairvaux’s Commentaries on the Song of Songs ........................................................................................... 31 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 31 The Song of Songs in the Early Church and Medieval Period ....................................................... 32 Bernard of Clairvaux‟s Influence in Sixteenth-Century Spain ....................................................... 34 Exegetical Method .......................................................................................................................... 36 Interpreting Song 1:1 ...................................................................................................................... 40 Interpreting Song 2:4-5 .................................................................................................................. 47 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 52 Chapter Three: Teresa of Avila’s Bridal Mysticism in the Context of Medieval Mysticism ...................................................................................................................................... 54 Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 54 Teresa of Avila and the Medieval Mystical
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