Religion homework readings response
Mystic Melancholy: Religion and Mental Health
From The Hebrew Bible , 1 Samuel 16.14 -23. Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from
the Lord tormented him. 15And Saul’s servants said , ‘See now, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16Let our lord
now command the servants who attend you to look for someone who is skillful in playing the lyre; and when the evil spirit
from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will feel better.’ 17So Saul sai d, ‘Provide for me someo ne who can play
well, and bring him to me.’ 18One of the young men answered, ‘I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful
in playing, a man of valour, a warrior, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence; and the Lord is with him.’ 19So
Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, ‘Send me your son David who is with the sheep.’ 20Jesse took a donkey loaded
with bread, a skin of wine, and a kid, and sent them by his son David to Saul. 21And David came to Saul, and entered his
service. Saul lo ved him greatly, and he became his armour -bearer. 22Saul sent to Jesse, saying, ‘Let David remain in my
service, for he has found favour in my sight.’ 23And whenever the evil spirit from God came upon Saul, David took the
lyre and played it with his hand, a nd Saul would be relieved and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
4th century. Gregory of Nyssa, On the Making of Man .
We are aware that mental aberrations do not arise from heaviness of head [drunkenness] alone, but skilled physician s
declare that our intellect is also weakened by the membranes that underlie the sides being affected by disease, when they
call the disease frenzy [ phrenitis ], since the name given to those membranes is phrense … Since the whole body is made
like some musi cal instrument, just as it often happens in the case of those who know how to play, but are unable, because
the unfitness of the instrument does not admit of their art, to show their skill…so too the mind, passing over the whole
instrument, and touching ea ch of the parts in a mode corresponding to its intellectual activities, according to its nature,
produces its proper effect on those parts which are in a natural condition…For the mind is somehow naturally adapted to
be in close relation with that which is in a natural condition, but to be alien from that which is removed from nature. [And
again], each organ of the human composition has its own special activity. The power of the soul can remain effective, if
the organ in question is maintained in a natural and healthy condition.
4th century . Evagrius of Pontus , from the Praktikos . The demon
of acedia , also called the noonday demon, is the most burdensome of demons. It besets the monk at about the fourth hour
(10 am) of the morning, encircling his soul until a bout the eighth (2 pm). It makes the sun s eem to slow down or stop , so
the day appears fifty hours long. It makes the monk keep looking out his window and forces him to go bounding out of his
cell to examine the sun to see how much longer it is to 3 o’clock, to look round in all directions in case any of the brethre n
is there. It makes him hate the place and h is way of life and his manual work. It makes him think there is no charity left
among the brethren; no one is going to come and visit him. If anyone has upset the monk, the demon throws this in to
increase his hatred. It makes him desire other places where he can easily find all he needs to practice an easier, more
convenient craft. After all, pleasing the Lord is not dependent on geography, the demon adds; God is to be worshipped
everywhere. It joins to this remembrance of the monk’s family and previous wa y of life, and suggests to him that he still
has a long time to live, raising up before his eyes a vision of how burdensome ascetic life is. So, it employs, as they say,
every means to move the monk to abandon his cell and give up the race. No other demon follows on immediately after
this one but after its struggle the soul is taken over by a peaceful condition and by unspeakable joy.
4th century . Palladius, Lausiac History Chapter 35. The Woman Who Pretended to be Insane In this
monastery there was another sister who pretended to be insane and [possessed by] by a demon. They loathed her so much
they would not even eat with her, and that was what she wanted . Wandering around the kitchen , she used to do all sorts of
work, and she was the sponge of the monaste ry, as they say, fulfilling by her behavior that which is written: “ If any one
among you seems to be wise in this world, let him because a fool in order to be wise.” She had bound a rag around her
head (all the others were shorn and wore hoods), and that wa s how she served. Not one of the four hundred ever saw her
eating during the years of her life; she did not sit at table, nor did she receive a piece of bread. She just sponged up the
crumbs from the tables and washed the pots; that sufficed for her. She n ever insulted anybody, did not complain, did not
speak a little or at length although she was punched and insulted, cursed and loathed. An angel came to the holy Piteroum,
[who was] a tried and tested anchorite living [between the Nile and the Red Sea], an d said to him “Why do you have such
a high opinion of yourself for being pious and living in such a space? Do you want to see a woman who is more devout
than you? Go to the monasetery of women at Tabennesi, and there you shall find one wearing a diadem on her head; she is
better than you.” “For in competition with such a multitude she has never separated her heart from God — while you live
here, wandering over cities in your mind.” And he who never went out went to that monastery and requested permission
of t he teachers to enter the women’s monastery. Given his renown and his great age, they brought him in with confidence. When he came in he requested to see them all; she did not appear. Finally he said to them, “Bring them all to me, for there
is another miss ing.” They said to him, “We have one who is a fool in the kitchen” (that is how they call the suffering
ones). He said to them, “Bring her to me too; let me see her.” They went to call her, but she would not obey; perhaps she
discerned the situation or eve n had it revealed to her. They dragged her by forced, saying, “Holy Piteroum wants to see
you,” for he was renowned. When she came, he saw the rag on her brow, and falling at her feet, he said to her, “Bless
me.” She likewise fell at him feet and said to h im, “Bless me, sir.” They were all astounded and said to him, “Do not be
offended, Abba — she is a fool.” Piteroum said to them all, “It is you who are fools; this one is our amma ” (that is what
they call spiritual women), “and I pray to be found worth y of her on judgement day.” On hearing this, they fell at his feet
all confessing different things: one that she had poured the washbowl on her, another that she had punched her, another
that she had rubbed her nose in mustard. In a word, they all confessed to various offenses. When he had prayed for them
he went his way. After a few days, unable to tolerate the esteem and respect of the sisters and weighed down by their
excuses, she went out of the monastery. Where she went, where she hid away, or how she d ied, nobody knew.
Late 6 th Century. Evagrius Scholasticus, Ecclesiastical History , 4.34. Life of Symeon the Holy Fool.
There was in Emesa a man called Symeon who had so thoroughly stripped off the garment of vainglory as to appear
insane to those who di d not know him, although he was filled with all divine wisdom and grace. For the most part, this
Symeon lived by himself, letting absolutely no one know when or how he worshipped the Deity, nor when he was fasting
or eating. Often, too, while on the street s in the market, he seemed to be deprived of his composure, and to be utterly
senseless or witless. And when he slipped into a tavern, when he was hungry, he ate whatever food he could get his hands
on. But if anyone showed him reverence with a nod of the head, he quickly and angrily left the place, for he feared lest his
private virtue be discovered by man people. Such was the conduct of Symeon in the public market. But he had certain
acquaintances with whom he associated without any dissembling. Once he w as seen to enter the chamber of a courtesan,
and having closed the door, he stayed alone with her for a very long time. And when he opened the door again, he went
away looking in every direction lest anyone should see him. Suspicion arose so that those who had witnessed it brought
the woman out, and inquired why Symeon had come to her and why the visit lasted so long. She swore that for the past
three days, for lack of basic necessities, she had tasted nothing but water, and that Symeon had brought her food and
provisions and a jug of wine, and that after he had closed the door, he set a table before her to feed her and bid her to eat
until she had enough to take her fill. She then brought out the leavings of what he had brought her.
1265. Calendar of the Patent Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office , Henry III.
Pardon, at the instance of Thomas de Fer rariis, to William Pilche of Sonky, an idiot, for the death of Augustine le Fevere
of Maunnccestre, as it appears by testimony of Robert de Stokeport, cor oner in the county of Lancaster and other
trustworthy persons that the said William was passing along the high road by night when he was met by the said
Augustine, in the disguise of a terrible monster uttering groans and refusing to speak though adjured in God’s name, on
account of whi ch the said William rushed upon him as a monster and killed him.
17 October 1285. Calendar of the Patent Rolls Preser ved in the Public Record Office . On Wednesday after St.
Wilfried 1 Edward I, after dinner, Brother Walter lay asleep on his bed in his ch amber at Beverly, and Richard the clerk,
whom he loved, lay very sick in the same chamber. And being by the sickness rendered frantic and mad, Richard rose
from his bed, and by the instigation of the devil smote Walter on the head as he slept, first with a form, and afterwards
with a trestle, so that the brains came out. He then went to the men in the court and the kitchen with blood and brains on
his hands. And when they asked him what he had done, he said, laughing: “I have killed my dear master, brother Walter:
come and see where he lies slain; he will never speak another word.” And he brought them to the slain man saying: Do I
not say true, he is slain? So being mad he was taken and imprisoned, and still persists in his madness.
1373 -1440. Margery Kem pe. The Book of Margery Kempe .
When I was twenty, or perhaps a little older, I was married to a well -respected burgess of Bishops’ Lynn and, as such
things usually happen, I soon found myself with child. All through my pregnancy, even up to the birth, I w as constantly
sick; so that when I went into labor I was so weakened that I despaired of my life and believed I would not survive…I sent
for the priest, as I say, wanting to make a full general confession of all the sins of my life. But when it came to the point of
telling my sin that I had hidden all this time, my confessor grew impatient with me; he began telling me off in no
uncertain way before I had a chance to explain what I wanted to say. At last I fell silent and would say no more, whatever
he might try to do or say. As a result, what with the priest’s sharp worlds, and my own inner fear of damnation, I went out
of my mind. For half a year, eight weeks, and a few odd days I was terribly disturbed and plagued by evil spirits. All the
while I saw, as I thought, devils opening their mouths as if to swallow me alive, their insides full of fire…I felt empty of
any goodness or virtue; I was intent only on wickedness; I did and said just as the spirits tempted me. Many times I wanted to kill myself and be da mned in hell with them. And to prove it, I bit my hand so badly that the scar is visible to
this day. More than this, I would tear and scratch myself, wounding my breast around my heart with my nails, for want of
any other instrument at hand. Left to my ow n devices, I would have done even more harm to myself, but I was tied and
forcibly restrained by day and night…Then one day, I was lying alone without anyone minding me; our merciful Lord
Jesus Christ — always to be trusted, blessed be his Name — appeared thou gh I deserted him… He spoke the following to
me: “My daughter, why have you left, when I never for one moment went away from you?” And as soon as he had spoken
these words, I swear that I watched as the whole room opened up so brightly it might have been by lightening…Almost at
once, I grew ca lm and came to my senses.
Margery explains her visions to her vicar: Sometimes too, our Lady spoke in my mind; or it might otherwise be Saint
Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Katherine, or whichever saint I happened to become devoted to; these all made themselves known
in my soul, teaching me how I could best love and please our Lo rd. Such conversations were frequently so intimate and
moved me so much by their sacredness that I would fall down, writhing and contorting both my body and face; with loud
sobbings and great floods of tears I would cry out “Jesus, have mercy!” and sometim es even “I am dying!”
Margery goes on pilgrimage to Jerusalem : But in no time at all, feelings ran against me throughout our company that I no
longer ate meat, and they made sure that my confessor too would be annoyed with me. But they were even more irri tated
by my continual tears … When they arrive at Jerusalem “Sirs,” I told them, “don’t be annoyed by my weeping here in this
holy place; for this is the very land where our Lord Jesus Christ lived and died.” We visited the Church of the Holy
Sepulchre, the very center of Jerusalem. We were let in at evensong on our first day, and we stayed at prayer until
evensong on the following. There were friars looking after the church; and once everyone was settled, they presently lifted
up a cross and processed from o ne holy spot to the next. And so as we pilgrims were led to the very places w here our Lord
had suffered his pains and his passions, each man and wom an carried a candle, and the fria rs were able to give us a
running commentary on what our Lord had suffered at each poi nt. And I began to weep and sob; it was as if I were
watching our Lord with my own eyes suffering his passion at that very moment. At the same time, in my soul I saw him
most truly in my contemplation; seeing all this caused such compassio n for him. And when it last we came up to Mount
Calvary, I fell down, no longer able to stand or even kneel; in there I lay, writhing and struggling in my body. I reached
out wide with my arms and cried aloud as though my heart would burst. For in the city of my soul I saw truly and freshly
as if for the first time how our Lord was crucified. I could hear, as well a s see face -to-face – that is, with spiritual insight –
our Lady’s grieving, St. John's and Mary Magdalene’s mo urning, together with all those countles s other lovers of our
Lord. So great was my compassion that it became for me a better pain of loss not to share to the full our Lord's own, true
pain. I was quite unable to prevent myself from crying out loud, a kind of roar it was, even though it might ha ve been the
death of me. This was the very first time I had ever experienced this sort of crying aloud in contemplation. And it was to
be with me now for many more years ; and there would be nothing I could do to prevent it, notwithstanding the contempt
and rebukes I should suffer on account of it. My cries were so earsplitting, so sudden that people were taken unawares,
save for those who had heard me cry out before and knew what it was about. Afterward, whenever I had these kind of
attacks, which were most frequently occasioned by the mere mention of our Lord's passion, they sapped my physical
strength so that I became quite weak.
From The Tr ial of Joan of Arc. From the Second Public Examination, early 15 th century.
Thursday, February 22 nd, in the Ornament Room at the end of the Great Hall of the Castle of Rouen.
The Bishop and 48 Assessors Present. We warned and required her, on pain of law, to make oath as she had done the day
before and to swear simply and absolutely to speak truth on all things in respect of which she should be questioned; to
which she answered:
Jeanne : “I swore yesterday: that should be enough.”
We required her to swear: we said to her, not even a prince, required to swear in a matter of faith, can refuse.
Jeanne : “I made oath to y ou yesterday, which should be quite enoug h for you; you overburden me. ”
Then Maitre Jean Beaupère, a well -known Professor of Theology, did, by Our order , question the said Jeanne :
Vice -Inquisitor: “First , I exhort you, as you have so sworn, to tell the truth on what I am about to ask you.”
Jeanne : “You may well ask me things on which I shall tell the truth and s ome on which I shall not . If yo u were well
informed of me , you would wish to have me out of your hands. I have done nothing except by revelation.”
Vice -Inquisitor: “How old were you when you left your father's house?”
Jeanne : “On the subject of my age I cannot vouch.”
Vice -Inquisitor: “In your youth, did you learn any trade ?”
Jeanne : “Yes, I learnt to spin and to sew; in sewing and spinning I fear no woman in Rouen. For dread of the
Burgundians, I left my father's house and went to the town of Neufchateau, in Lorraine, to the house of a woman named
La Rousse, where I sojourned about fifteen days. When I was at home with my father, I employed myself with ordinary cares of the house. I did not go to the fields with the sheep and the other animals. Every year I confesse d… At Easter I
received the Sacrament of the Eucharist.”
Vice -Inquis itor: “Have you received the Sacrament of the Eucharist at any other Feast but Easter?”
Jeanne : “Go on to the next question [Passez outré]. I was thirteen when I had a Voice from God for my help and
guidance. The first time that I heard this Voice, I was very much frightened; it was mid -day, in the summer, in my father's
garden. I had not fasted the day before. I heard this Voice to m y right, towards the Church; rarely do I hear it without its
being accompanied also by a light. This light comes from the same side as the Voice. Generally it is a great light. Since I
came into France I have often heard this Voice.”
Vice -Inquisitor: “But how could you see this light that you speak of, when the light was at the side?”
Jeanne : “If I were in a wood, I could hear the Voice which came t o me … I believe it was sent me from God. When I
heard it for the third time, I recognized that it was the Voice of an Angel. This Voice has always guarded me well, and I
have always understood it; it instructed me to be good and to go often to Church; it told me it was necessary for me to
come into France. You ask me under what form this Voice appeared to me? You will hear no more of it from me this
time. It said to me two or three times a w eek: ‘You must go into France.’ My father kne w nothing of m y going. The Voice
said to me: ‘Go into France!’ I could stay no longer. It said to me: ‘ Go, raise the siege which is being made before the City
of Orleans. Go!’ it added, ‘t o Robert de Baudricourt, Captain of Vaucouleurs: he will furnish you with an escort to
accompany you. ’ And I replied that I was but a poor girl, who knew nothing of riding or fighting. I went to my uncle and
said that I wished to stay near him for a time. I remained there eight days . I said to him, ‘I must go to Vaucouleur s.’ He
took me there. When I arrived, I recognized Robert de Baudricourt, although I had never seen him. I knew him, thanks to
my Voice, which made me re cognize him. I said to Robert, ‘I must go into France!’ Twice Robert refused to hear me, and
rejected me. The third time, he received me, and furnished me with men; the Voice had told me it would be so. The Duke
of Lorraine gave orders that I should be taken to him. I went there. I told him that I wished to go into France. The Duke
asked me questions about his health; but I said of that I knew nothing. I spoke to him little of my journey. I told him he
was to send his son with me, together with some people to conduct me to France, and that I would pray to God for his
health. I had gone to him with a safe -con duct: from there I returned to Vaucouleurs. From Vaucouleurs I departed, dressed
as a man, armed with a sword given me by Robert de Baudricourt, but without other arms. I had with me a Knight , a
Squire, and four servants, with whom I reached the town of Sa int Urbain, where I slept in an Abbey. On the way, I passed
through Auxerre, where I heard Mass in the Church. Thenceforward I often heard my Voices.”
Vice -Inquisitor: “Who counseled you to take a man's dress?”
To this question she several times refused to answer. In the end, she said: “With that I charge no one.”
Vice -Inquisitor: “When the Voice showed you the King, was there any light?”
Jeanne : “Go on to the next question .”
Vice -Inquisitor: “Did you see an Angel over the King?”
Jeanne : “Spare me. Go on to the next question . Before the King set me to work, he had many apparitions and beautiful
revelations.”
Vice -Inquisitor: “What revelations and apparitions had the King?”
Jeanne : “I will not tell you ; it is not yet time to answer you about them; but send to the King, and he will tell you. The
Voice promised me as soon I came to the King, he would receive me. Those of my party knew the Voice had been sent
from God; they have seen and known this Voice. My King and others have also heard and seen Voices which came to
me… There is not a day when I do not hear this Voice… But never have I asked of it any recompense but the salvation of
my soul. The Voice told me to remain at Saint -Denis, in France … If I had no t been wounded, I should never have left.
After having quitted Saint -Denis, I was wound ed in the trenches before Paris ; but was cured in five days. It is true that I
caused an assault to be made before Paris.”
Vice -Inquisitor: “Was it a Festival that day?”
Jeanne : “I think it was certainly a Festival.”
Vice -Inquisitor: “Is it a good thing to make an assault on a Festival?”
Jeanne : “Go on to the next question .”
And as it appeared that enough had been done for today, We have postponed the affair to Saturday next, at eight o'clock in
the morning.
