Norbert and Early Norbertine Spirituality

Having met with resistance in his attempts to reform the clergy in his native Xanten, Norbert (ca. 1080-1134) founded a religious community in France. His establishment was the first house of an eventually hugely successful order, the Canons Regular of Premontre, also known as the Premonstratensians or Norbertines. Although Norbert, who was appointed archbishop of Magdeburg in 1126, left no writings, his followers produced many important texts in their efforts to reform a lax and demoralized clergy. Yet, despite these authors' significance to the spirituality of their age, their words and their historical context are little-known to modern readers. This volume renders audible the voices of the twelfth-century followers of Norbert, presenting the most important early Premonstratensian texts (including two versions of the Vita Norberti), along with an introductory essay describing their place in twelfth-century religious life. Book jacket.Ciferni, Andrew D. is the author of 'Norbert and Early Norbertine Spirituality ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780809144686 and ISBN 0809144689.