LIEVE UYTTENHOVE John of Ruusbroec Mystic and Theologian in the Quiet of Groenendaal A few years ago, I was asked to attend a colloquium on hermits and recluses in the Low Countries. On that occasion, I was due to give a lecture on the fourteenth-century Brabantine mystical writer John of Ruusbroec (1293-1381), of whom it has generally been said, left the city of Brussels in 1343 and moved into a hermit’s hut in the Sonian Forest, in a valley called Groenendaal. Unfor- tunately, the colloquium did not take place. It was then decided that I convert my presentation into an article. At that stage, I took for granted the generally accepted portrayal of Ruus- broec as a ‘hermit’, who lived in a hermitage or hermit’s hut. This depiction, however, may be less securely based than might at first sight appear. With regard to both Ruusbroec’s move into a hermitage and the seemingly general consensus that he lived there as a hermit, it is helpful to rehearse the relevant findings in two extant and well-known written testimonies about his life. The first of these is a Prologue to a manuscript collection of five of Ruusbroec’s works written circa 1360 by Brother Gerard of Saintes, a Carthusian at the ­priory in Herne;1 the second is a biography of Ruusbroec contained in De ­origine monasterii Viridisvallis – a history of the foundation of the priory at Groenendaal – written circa 1414-1420 by canon of Groenendaal, Hendrik Utenbogaerde (better known by his Latinised name Henricus Pomerius).2 ¶ I wish to thank Ursula Lawler for assistance in language editing and proofreading the manuscript. 1 See W. De Vreese, “Bijdragen tot de kennis van het leven en de werken van Jan van Ruusbroec. I: Die Prologe van her Gerardus,” in: Het Belfort 10 (1895), p. 6-20. De Vreese made use of two manuscripts: the Brussels manuscript, Koninklijke Bibliotheek 3416-24 (1461), known as ms. D, and the Ghent manuscript, Bibliotheek der Rijksuniversiteit 693 (1480), known as ms. G. See ibid., p. 6-7. Part of the Prologue appeared earlier in the introduction by J. B. David to Jan van Ruusbroec. Dat boec van den Gheesteleken Tabernacule. Ed. Maetschappy der Vlaemsche bibliophilen. 2nd Series No. 1. Ghent: Annoot-Braeckman, 1858. p. VI-XIV. David bases himself only on ms. D. Ibid., p. VI, n. 1. The Prologue, probably written shortly after 1360, is the oldest literary source that came into existence while Ruusbroec was still alive. With respect to a ‘new’ date of origin, see J. Alaerts, ”Ruusbroecs bezoek aan Herne en het ‘oorspronkelijke Groenendaalse verzamelhandschrift’,” in: Ons geestelijk erf 74 (2000), p. 193-196. See also John Arblaster’s English translation of The Pro- logue by Brother Gerard of Saintes, in: A Companion to John of Ruusbroec. Ed. John Arblaster & Rob Faesen. Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition, 51. Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2014. p. 378- 383. (Text footnote partly taken from Lieve Uyttenhove, Embraced by the Father and the Son in the Unity of the Holy Spirit. A Study of the Trinity and the Mystical Life in the Works of Jan van Ruusbroec. Preface Rob Faesen. Annua Nuntia Lovaniensia, 65. Leuven: Peeters, 2012, p. 9-10). 2 See De origine monasterii Viridisvallis una cum vitis B. Joannis Rusbrochii, primi prioris hujus monasterii, et aliquot coaetaneorum ejus opusculum Henrici Pomerii, [ed. by J. B. De Leu]. Analecta­ Bollandiana, 4. Brussels: Société générale de librairie catholique, 1885. Also edited by Mikel M. Kors, “Studie en kritische tekstuitgave van Henricus Pomerius’ De origine monasterii Ons Geestelijk Erf 88(1), 3-34. doi: 10.2143/OGE.88.1.3248512 © Ons Geestelijk Erf. All rights reserved. 4 lieve uYttenhove By attending closely to these historical sources, this article will demonstrate a need to rethink the popular conception of Ruusbroec as a ‘hermit’ if we are to correctly understand his life, his mission and vocation. The article divides into three sections. The first section examines the phrasing used by both Brother Gerard and Pomerius when referring to Ruusbroec’s desire for a life away from the multitude in Brussels, and how this has been interpreted by scholars over the centuries. Building on this discussion, the second section probes further the historical sources in order to discern the basic elements of Ruusbroec’s alleg- edly new life-status in Groenendaal. Finally, by taking into account Ruus- broec’s own book, The Sparkling Stone (Vanden blinkenden steen), – which, according to Brother Gerard, was written for a hermit – the third section high- lights Ruusbroec’s ultimate goal in seeking a solitary life. Taken together the discussion from these three sections will show that far from being a departure from his life as a (secular) priest, Ruusbroec’s move to Groenendaal was in fact in service of a more contemplative living out of priestly ministry. 1. AWaY FROM BRuSSElS TO THE SONIaN FOREST It should come as no surprise – in keeping with the generally held view of Ruusbroec – that the organizers of the originally planned colloquium ­considered Viridis Vallis,” in: Ons geestelijk erf 87 (2016), p. 227-331. The text was translated into Middle Dutch as early as the 15th century. Paul Verdeyen, Ruusbroec and His Mysticism. Translation by André Lefevere. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1994 (translation of Paul Verdeyen, Ruusbroec en zijn mystiek. Keurreeks, 150. Louvain: Davidsfonds, [1981]), p. 10. The 15th- century Middle Dutch translation appeared in P. Verdeyen, “De Middelnederlandse vertaling van Pomerius’ werk ‘De origine monasterii Viridisvallis’,” in: Ons geestelijk erf 55 (1981), p. 105- 165. For Ruusbroec’s vita Pomerius is said to have used, among other things, a biography written by Jan van Schoonhoven who was a confrere of Ruusbroec’s. See J. Huijben, “Jan van Schoon- hoven leerling van den zaligen Jan van Ruysbroec,” in: Ons geestelijk erf 6 (1932), p. 288; Geert Warnar, “Het leven van Jan van Ruusbroec. Biografie en beeldvorming,” in: Een claer verlicht man. Over het leven en werk van Jan van Ruusbroec (1293-1381). Ed. E. P. Bos & G. Warnar. Hilversum: Verloren, 1993, p. 13; Hans Kienhorst & Mikel M. Kors, “Codicological Evidence for a Chronological Rearrangement of the Works of Jan van Ruusbroec (1293-1381),” in: Quaer- endo 33 (2003) (translation of Hans Kienhorst & Mikel M. Kors. “De chronologie van Ruus- broecs werken volgens de Groenendaalse codex,” in: Ons geestelijk erf 75 [2001]), p. 162-163. Yet, Schoonhoven’s biography has not been found. Verdeyen, Ruusbroec and His Mysticism, p. 9-10. See also A. Ampe, Jan van Ruusbroec 1293-1381. II. Leven. Tentoonstellingscatalogus. Met als bijlage een chronologische tabel en drie kaarten. Brussel: Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I, 1981, p. 32-33. Following Joannes Jonckheere († 1510), author of a Virilogium Viridis vallis, Schoonhoven’s biography was already lost in the beginning of the 16th century. Apparently, Pomerius was held responsible for its disappearance. Stephanus G. Axters, “Ruusbroec, gelukkige Jan van, mystieke schrijver,” in: Nationaal Biografisch Woordenboek, 1. Brussel-Paleis der Academiën, 1964, p. 801-802. On the lost vita, see also Geert Warnar, Literature and Mysticism in the Fourteenth Century. Translation Diane Webb. Brill’s Studies in Intellectual History 150. Leiden/Boston: Brill, 2007 (translation of Geert Warnar, Ruusbroec. Literatuur en mystiek in de veertiende eeuw. Amsterdam: Polak & Van Gennep, 2003), p. 3-4 and 8. (Text footnote partly taken from Uyttenhove, Embraced by the Father and the Son, p. 16-17). ruusbroec: mYstic and theologian in the quiet of groenendaal 5 Ruusbroec to be an exemplary hermit or recluse of the Low Countries who, on moving to Groenendaal lived at first in a hermit’s house. This conviction is no doubt the legacy of the work of various scholars over the past three centuries. But, is it in fact the case that Ruusbroec and his companions moved ‘into’ a hermitage or hermit’s hut upon their arrival in the Sonian Forest? Establishing what can be reliably asserted from the historical sources on this matter is our primary concern in this first section. Going back to the late nineteenth century, we find reference to Ruusbroec having settled in Groenendaal in the Sonian Forest with a recluse called Lam- bert.3 In the mid-twentieth century both Reypens and Ter Laan broadly follow this interpretation, although they do not mention Lambert. Ter Laan tells us that Ruusbroec first was a chaplain in the Saint Gudula Church in Brussels and then in 1343 moved ‘into’ a hermit’s hut or a hermitage in Groenendaal.4 Reypens, writing just ahead of Ter Laan, also referred to the hermitage which Ruusbroec initially ‘inhabited’ and which later became a priory (proostdij) or a religious community lead by a provost.5 The theme of Ruusbroec the hermit receives further emphasis from Reypens in a later publication where he says that ‘If Ruusbroec (…) moved away from Brussels to live in a hermitage in Groenendaal, it is because he had been irresistibly attracted to it for a long time.’6 Reypens’ writing on this point is permeated with his conviction that the Prologue suggests Ruusbroec wanted to remain a ‘hermit’ in Groenendaal rather than becoming a member of a religious community.7 Although, as will be shown below, the word ‘hermit’, as used by Reypens in depicting Ruusbroec’s solitary life seems at odds with the language of Brother Gerard, the term is nevertheless taken up by Axters and used throughout an article he wrote in 1981.8 Significantly, Axters suggests that Ruusbroec and two fellow priests moved away from Brussels and settled ‘into’ a hermit’s house built forty-years earlier.9 Axters’ and Reypens’ interpretations are also supported by Wildiers10 and Brombaert, with the latter describing Ruusbroec’s settlement ‘into’ a hidden hermitage (dans un ermitage perdu) in the Sonian Forest.11 We find similar phrasing regarding ‘hermitage’ 3 H.