(TMR 00

(TMR 00.03.13)

Ann-Mari Jonsson, ed. Sancta Birgitta: Revelaciones Book

III. Stockholm: Almqvist and Wiksell International, 1998.

Pp. 251. ISBN: 9-174-02288-1.

Reviewed by Harriet M. Sonne

Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto

and Institute of Art History, University of Copenhagen

hsonne@chass.utoronto.ca

The revelations of St. Birgitta of Sweden, canonized in 1391,

have attracted the attention of scholars for many years. There

are approximately eighty extant manuscripts of Birgitta's

revelations. Originally, they were written or dictated by her in

Old Swedish. They were first compiled and translated into Latin

by her Swedish confessors, Master Mathias Ovidi, Canon of

Linkoping Cathedral (d.ca. 1350), Prior Petrus Olavi of Alvastra

(d.1390) and Master Petrus Olavi of Skanninge (d.1378) and later,

by the exiled Spaniard Alfonso Pecha da Vadaterra, former Bishop

of Jaén (d.1389), who is believed to have been responsible for

the division of her nearly 700 revelations into eight books.

Ann-Mari Jonsson's edition of Book III adds to previous editions

of Books I [[1]], IV [[2]], V [[3]], VI [[4]] and VII [[5]], the

first in a series of modern critical Latin editions of Birgitta's

revelations. Book III is comprised of thirty-four chapters with

the supplementary material of the Addiciones and

Declaraciones, comments on revelations I-IV and VI by Prior

Petrus prior to the manuscript's submission to Vadstena in 1380

(p.57). Birgitta is believed to have experienced the visions in

Book III between 1349 and 1353, and composed them prior to 1354.

They were codified prior to the submission of Book IV to the

papal authorities on December 17, 1373 (p.28). Book III differs

from the others. Jonsson's edition is of particular interest to

historians. The revelations were directed toward the leading

members of the Church in Sweden and Italy. Birgitta expresses an

urgent need for reform in the Church. As a prerequisite, she

felt the Pope must return to Rome. The revelations assembled in

Book III are tied thematically and were meant to serve as a type

of Speculum episcoporum, as a textbook guide to a better

Christian life for popes, bishops and monks, alike. H.T. Gilkaer

[[6]] has suggested that Book III was edited by Alfonso for the

express purpose of being part of a larger compilation of works

consisting of Liber celestis imperatoris ad reges (Book

VIII with the Epistola Solitarii), Tractatus de summis

pontificibus and Celeste viridarium, planned in

accordance with Alfonso X's legal treatise from the thirteenth

century, Las siete partidas (p.28).

Interpretations of the revelations are kept to a minimum. The

focus of the edition is on the process of transcribing, creating

an archetype and related editorial issues. In keeping with the

layout of previous works in this series, Jonsson's edition

commences with an extensive bibliography (pp. 9-18), a brief

history of the text, dates of the individual revelations and a

summary of the contents of Book III (pp. 29-41). Chapter 2

provides the reader with information about the various

manuscripts and their relationships (pp.42-57). Chapter 3

outlines the editorial principles (pp.59-61). The reader is

given an overview of the relationship of the Old Swedish texts to

the Latin versions, the rubrics, the cursus planus, tardus and

velox, the orthography, normalizations and apparatuses. In

Chapter 4 Jonsson discusses the various textual problems

associated with the reconstruction of the archetype (pp.63-81).

The transcription of Book III follows on pages 81-190. At the

end there is a glossary of the words that are either completely

missing from K.E. Georges, Ausfuhrlisches latenisch-deutsches

Handwoerterbuch (Basel, 1962) or, as the author writes "whose

meaning are not adequately dealt with" (pp.191-203). Each entry

has useful cross references to the glossaries in the other modern

editions of Birgitta's revelations and related Birgittine works.

The glossary is followed by several useful indices: a grammatical

index, an index nominum, an index rerum et

locutionum notabiliorum et allegoriarum and, lastly, an

index locorum sacrae scripturae. Jonsson concludes her text

with an examination of the fourteenth-century Old Swedish copies

of the revelations with the reconstructed archetype from the

Latin versions.

While the revelations are directed toward members of the Church,

identifying them is another puzzle that has engaged several

scholars. Jonsson introduces previous suggestions as to who some

figures might be but, generally, refrains from partaking in

speculative assumptions, noting only the more certain identities.

It seems that the first revelations (III, 1-3) must have occurred

in Sweden and that the subsequent revelations (III, 5- 29 and 33)

were experienced during her stay in Italy. Jonsson agrees with

B. Klockars interpretation that revelations III, 1-3 may have

been intended for Bishop Thomas of Vaxjo (p.32). References in

III, 4 to the "undutiful bishop and his dutiful canon" may have

been intended for Petrus Tyrgilli, Archbishop 1351-1366 and

Master Mathias (p.33). Revelations III, 5-9 occurred in Milan

and Rome. As Jonsson demonstrates, revelations III, 8 and 9 were

addressed to the Archbishop of Milan, Giovanni Visconti in 1339.

The belief that Birgitta had predicted the Great Schism of the

Church in 1378, some twenty years prior to the event, was based

on another revelation mentioned in Addiciones III,

10 (p.113). In fact, this is the evidence which Magnus Petri in

his capacity as confessor general (1384-1394) is believed to have

used in the letter of defending Birgitta's revelations (p.34).

Symbolic references to the ruinous condition of St. Maria

Maggiore in Rome in III, 10 mirror the troubled state of the

Church at that time. Birgitta's belief that a new religious

order was needed surfaces in the revelations III, 14 -19 where

she attacks the Dominican order in their preference for wealth

rather than poverty (III, 15:1) and the Benedictine order in III,

20-22. The inspiration of St. Benedict is described as a fire

burning inside him. Once inside others it is now lost (III, 21).

Jonsson concurs with Schmid and Brilioth that the revelations

were directed toward Archbishop Petrus Philippi and the Dominican

Odgisle (Eglislus) Birgeri (d.1352-1353) Bishop of Vasteras in

1329 but who was at the papal court in Avignon for more than 10

years. He became known for his use of bribery to secure papal

authority for King Magnus Eriksson's occupation of Scania (p.37).

Rev. III, 26 is of historical interest for its discussion about

salvation and Jews, the three groups of mankind and their degrees

of evil, irrespective of their religious beliefs. Upon her

arrival in Rome in revelation III, 27:1 Birgitta compares the

monk with a Christain knight. The concluding revelations

discusss her efforts to learn Latin and references to the Virgin.

The following sections give a brief synopsis of the revelations,

their content and the names of some of the individuals alluded to

in Birgitta's revelations.

As a conclusion to this review mention should be made of

Jonsson's references to Birgitta's explanations of what

constitutes her revelations for this is an interesting dimension

not addressed in other editions. What exactly is a revelation?

According to Birgitta it is when "St. Ambrose says that he wants

to talk to her through a similitude because her heart cannot

understand the implication of spiritual things without a corporal

similitude" (III, 6:1; p.24). Furthermore, in III, 30:8 Birgitta

describes herself as "the channel of the Holy Ghost" (canalis

scilicet Spiritus Sancti) and in III, 19:23 she likens

herself to an ancient prophet (p.24). The shifting plurality of

time and speech become intertwined as "the Virgin Mary says

certain events of a revelation can occur in an instant before God

but for Birgitta's sake they have been prolonged with the help of

words because a thousand years with God are like one hour" (III,

4:18). Lastly, the historical sense of time is not applicable to

revelations for, as Birgitta says, God "sometimes speaks in the

present about what belongs in the future and about things that

will happen as if they have already taken place" (III, 19:23;

p.24-25).

NOTES

1. C.G. Undhagen, ed., Santa Birgitta, Reuelaciones Liber

I Book I with magester Mathias' Prologue, SFSS, Ser.2.

Latinska skrifter VII:1. Stockholm, 1978.

2. H. Aili, ed., Santa Birgitta, Reuelaciones Book IV

(SFSS, Ser.2. Latinska skrifter VII:4. Stockholm, 1992.

3. B. Bergh, ed., Sancta Birgitta, Reuelaciones Book V

Liber questionum (SFSS, Ser.2. Latinska skrifter VII:5.

Uppsala, 1971.

4. B. Bergh, ed., Sancta Birgitta, Reuelaciones. Book VI

Stockholm, 1991.

5. B. Bergh, ed., Sancta Birgitta, Reuelaciones. Book

VII(SFSS, Ser.2. Latinska skrifter VII:7) Diss. Uppsala,

1967.

6. H.T. Gilkær, The Political Ideas of St. Birgitta and her

Spanish Confessor, Alfonso Pecha. Liber Celestis Imperatoris ad

Reges. A Mirror of Princes. Odense University Studies in

History and Social Sciences 163, Diss. Odense, 1993.