History Commons^™

Knowledge Is Power: The Political Influence Of The Chanter Social Circle At The University Of Paris (1200-1215), Andrew X. Fleming

Anthós

The faculty of theology within the medieval University of Paris formed a major node within the social network of thirteenth-century Europe. Through an analysis of papal and university statutes concerning the development of a defined understanding of heresy, an overview of the historiographic methodologies traditionally used in studying such a topic, and a prosopographically-based analysis of the actions taken by Pope Innocent III and a small circle of theologians at Paris, we hope to come to a more clarified understanding of the political motivations which drove academic and papal reform within the thirteenth century. More specifically, this study aims to …

The Dichotomy Of Pudicitia, Amber L. Harvey

Young Historians Conference

The lives of women in the Roman Republic were incredibly restricted and controlled by their male counterparts, yet key counters to this restriction are often overlooked, mainly that of a woman’s pudicitia. Pudicitia was a defining moral quality that encompassed state, familial, sexual, and other duties, a woman held in society. These qualities, are shown in the mythical Rape of the Sabines, and allow female participation in the Conflict of the Orders and the defiance of the Vestal Virgins. These allowances are countered by aspects of pudicitia that restricted rights and participation, ultimately yielding a system that paradoxically encouraged …

Christianity's Influence On Attitudes Toward Homosexuality In The Roman Empire, Jennie Jiang

Young Historians Conference

Attitudes towards sexuality are deeply influenced by the intricate interplay between religion and social values. How do polytheistic and monotheistic societies differ in how they view sexuality? In the pre-Christian days of the early Roman Empire, polytheism fostered a remarkable tolerance toward both same-sex relations and various expressions of sexuality, as evident in social expectations, literature, and written law. In contrast, a closer examination of the Roman Empire’s transition from a polytheistic to Christian society in the 4^th and 5^th centuries reveals that the rise of Christianity corresponded with, and likely contributed to, increasingly strict attitudes towards homosexuality.

02, A Mystery Of Belonging: Original Ownership Of The Portland State University Book Of Hours, Shirleanne Ackerman Gahan

Texts of Time

Shirleanne Ackerman Gahan discusses patronage and ownership of Books of Hours and explores evidence within PSU’s book that suggest information about its possible owner or owners.

05, Latin, Vernacular Language, And Personal Devotion In The Portland State Book Of Hours, Matthias Bladou

Texts of Time

Matthias Bladou describes the use of Latin and vernacular French in the Book of Hours, and how language reflected a more personal use of prayer texts in the fifteenth century.

01, "Texts Of Time: The Portland State Library Book Of Hours And The Medieval Manuscript Tradition" Exhibit Catalog, Anne Mcclanan, Shirleanne Ackerman Gahan, Melissa Medefesser, Kenna Miller, Matthias Bladou, Thomas Goodwin, Devin Courtright, Bethany Kraft, Jackie Anderson, Charolette Stoehr, Caitlyn Au

Texts of Time

This is the catalog for the exhibit "Texts of Time: The Portland State Library Book of Hours and the Medieval Manuscript Tradition"

12, A Love Affair: Passionate Pursuits Of The Book Of Hours, Tammy Boyer-Martel

Texts of Time

Tammy Boyer-Martel focuses on how the Book of Hours provides crucial resources of cultural context that reveal the intimate and personal relationship between text and owner.

09, Decorated Borders: Marginalia, Jackie Anderson

Texts of Time

Jackie Anderson explains the importance of devotional books in medieval life and describes the significance of color and symbol in the marginal illustrations and illustrated initials on a fifteenth-century manuscript.

10, Points Of Difference, Charolette Stoehr

Texts of Time

Charolette Stoehr describes the points of difference and continuity amongst Book of Hours.

06, The Transition From Psalters To Books Of Hours, Thomas Goodwin

Texts of Time

Thomas Goodwin describes the types of manuscripts that preceded Books of Hours, their commonalities and distinctions, and the changes in content and design of devotional manuscripts over time.

11, Depictions Of The Arch In Medieval Books Of Hours: Historic And Symbolic Origins, Caitlyn Au

Texts of Time

Caitlyn Au describes the use and meanings of the medieval arch shape as a frame for displaying illuminations within niches and through symbolic gateways.

An Investigation Into Zionism’S Inner Leadership, Zia L. Klocke

Young Historians Conference

This is a thorough investigation of Zionism’s inner leadership and specifically Herzl’s leadership and success or failure as a political leader. Zionism is a well known and widespread movement that speaks volumes to many people but the leadership during many time periods has been quite lacking. Thus the motivation to further delve into the historical problems with the Zionist movement but even more of a narrow spectrum in respects to Theodor Herzl himself. Through his whole political career, this investigation will inspect what went wrong.

To assess this character and his politics, this paper will go through the general and …

The Most Godless Region Of The World: Atheism In East Germany, Sophie L. Goddyn

Young Historians Conference

With a population of 52.1% presently identifying as atheists, East Germany ranks as the most atheistic region of the world. This anomaly can be explained through the economic lenses of supply-side theory and demand-side theory when analyzing the changes instated by the Communist Party during the life of the German Democratic Republic, from 1945 to 1989. Through a process of secularization and religious oppression, the Communist Party lessened the supply of religious goods in East Germany. On the other hand, it also minimized religious demand by providing secular alternatives to traditional religious practices, and institutionalizing anti-religious sentiment. These actions combined …

The Catholic Church: Shaping The Roles Of Medieval Women, Ashley N. Just

Young Historians Conference

The paradoxical modern expectation for women to remain virgins while simultaneously being sexual objects for men to enjoy as they please is a result of the ideology of the Catholic Church in Medieval Europe. Christian doctrine at this time presented an image of women as inherently weak and prone to sexual sin as a result of Eve's Original Sin. This weakness then led to the expectation that women would remain chaste and subservient, which in turn inhibited the power and influence women possessed Medieval society. Many of the issues modern feminism fights to remedy result from these historical Christian ideas.

The Life And Thought Of Mormon Apostle Parley Parker Pratt, Andrew James Morse

Dissertations and Theses

In 1855 Parley P. Pratt, a Mormon missionary and member of the Quorum of the Twelve, published Key to the Science of Theology. It was the culmination of over twenty years of intellectual engagement with the young religious movement of Mormonism. The book was also the first attempt by any Mormon at writing a comprehensive summary of the religion's theological ideas. Pratt covered topics ranging from the origins of theology in ancient Judaism, the apostasy of early Christianity, the restoration of correct theology with nineteenth century Mormonism, dreams, polygamy, and communication with beings on other planets. For nearly fifty years …

From Company Town To Company Town: Holden And Holden Village, Washington, 1937-1980 & Today, Mattias Olshausen

Dissertations and Theses

In 1937, Howe Sound Company built the town of Holden, Washington, to support its copper-mining operation at Copper Peak, located in the North Cascade Mountains, approximately 10 miles west of Lake Chelan. The operation produced concentrate from 1937 to 1957, during which time the town was home to a lively community featuring many families, a variety of organized recreational activities, and a public school. It was a company town, in which most property, business, organized activity, and public utilities and services were either directly or indirectly controlled by Howe Sound. After the operation shut down in 1957, the town was …

"The Perfidy Of The Jews": Visigothic Law And The Catholic Public Sphere, Jonathan Phillips

Anthós

In this essay, I will analyze the Visigothic law code, the Forum judicum, as revised by King Recces winth in 654 CE and King Erwig in 681 CE, in order to examine Visigothic society as envisioned by its lawmakers. In particular, I will focus on the role of Jews in this social framework. While these laws were, of course, normative and not necessarily reflective of any historical reality outside the imaginations of their authors, they can be used to attempt to determine the intent of the Visigothic rulers towards the Jews in their kingdom. To this end, I will …

Coptic Prayer Book Leaves: Overview Of Text, Bronwyn Dorhofer

Gift of the Word

PSU student Bronwyn Dorhofer presents her research on a selection of pages from an 18^th-century prayer book, an Agpeya, written in Bohairic Coptic and Arabic. This manuscript on paper was transcribed for the purpose of hourly prayers and hymns and it is likely that the text would have been read and sung by a Coptic priest in a church setting as part of daily ritual. Cresting the top of each prayer page are hand-drawn archways reflecting the interlaced geometric patterns in Islamic designs.

Dimensions: 19.5 x 13.7 cm Origin: Egypt

Portland State University Library, Special Collections, Mss. …

"Gift Of The Word" Exhibit Catalogue, Katherine Bass, Karena Bennett, Jeffrey Brown, Bronwyn Dorhofer, Normandie Holmes, Denise Loncar, Alexandra Park, Darcie Hart Riedner, Christy Valentine

Gift of the Word

This is the catalogue for the exhibit "Gift of the Word"

Abbasid Qur’An Leaf In Kufic Script Description, Jeffrey Brown

Gift of the Word

PSU student Jeff Brown presents his research on a leaf from a Qur’an manuscript in Kufic script. This vellum leaf dates to approximately the turn of the tenth century (early 4^th century AH), the height of the Abbasid dynasty, and may have been produced in one of the great centers of Islamic culture such as Cairo, Damascus, or Kairouan. Kufic script is common to Qur’ans from this era. This page is from Surah 87 (Al-A’la), verses 11-15 [verso], 16-19 [recto], which warns against the perils of a worldly existence that ignores the path to salvation put forth by scripture. …

Ethiopian Scroll, Karena Bennett

Gift of the Word

PSU student Karena Bennett presents her research on the creation and meaning of an Ethiopian magic scroll from the 19^th century. Scrolls such as this were created for individuals, inscribed with specific prayers and then worn as talismans. The text is in Ge’ez, an Ethiopian liturgical language, and the images depict guardian angels and a priest watching over the supplicant. The scroll is made of vellum and was originally a single continuous piece.

Dimensions: 15 x 192 cm

Portland State University Library, Special Collections, Mss 39

Coptic Prayer Book Leaves: Warrior Saint Images, Denise Loncar

Gift of the Word

PSU student Denise Loncar presents her research on a selection of illustrated pages from an 18^th-century Coptic prayer book. The hand-painted images of Christian saints on horseback (St. George, St. Theodore the Eastern, and St. Mercurius) are similar to equestrian representations seen in Eastern Orthodox, Armenian, and Ethiopian iconography, indicating a complex interplay of cultural influences that is also shown by the Coptic, Arabic, and Greek text.

Dimensions: 19.5 x 13.7 cm Origin: Egypt

Portland State University Library, Special Collections, Mss. 40

Local Reception Of Religious Change Under Henry Viii And Edward Vi: Evidence From Four Suffolk Parishes, William Keene Thompson

Dissertations and Theses

From the second half of Henry VIII's reign through that of his son Edward VI, roughly 1530 through 1553, England was in turmoil. Traditional (Catholic) religion was methodically undermined, and sometimes violently swept away, in favor of a biblically based evangelical faith imported and adapted from European dissenters/reformers (Protestants). This thesis elucidates the process of parish-level religious change in England during the tumultuous mid sixteenth century. It does so through examining the unique dynamics and complexities of its local reception in a previously unstudied corner of the realm, the Suffolk parishes of Boxford, Cratfield, Long Melford, and Mildenhall. This thesis …

The Anatomical Renaissance, Chloe Zimmerman

Young Historians Conference

The mystical element of the human cadaver has long determined how people interact with it. Ancient cultures often feared the wrath of a higher power arising from an investigation into the sanctity of the human corpse, a fear that for the most part stemmed from religious traditions. Despite the taboos associated with this practice, the dawn of the Italian Renaissance saw a gradual shift in this traditional perspective that allowed for scholars, particularly those in Northern Italy, to explore the subject of anatomy with greater freedom. This paper explores the factors that contributed to the proliferation of anatomical dissection throughout …

Coptic Prayer Book Leaves: Video Exploration, Jordan Long

Gift of the Word

PSU student Jordan Long wrote and narrated this video as part of PSU’s University Studies program for the Medieval Portland Capstone taught by Professor Anne McClanan. This five-minute presentation demonstrates that the hand-illuminated Agpeya in Portland State’s Special Collections is a rare example of a manuscript book created after the rise of printing, describes the technique, materials, and meanings of its illustrations and calligraphy, and identifies its liturgical use as a ritual text.

Soundtrack: Choir of the Coptic Church, "Litugical Hymns," Chants from the Holy Land, vol. 35: Ecumenical Evening.

Portland State University Library, Special Collections, Mss. 40

Subordinate Saints : Women And The Founding Of Third Church, Boston, 1669-1674, Melissa Ann Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

Although seventeenth-century New England has been one of the most heavily studied subjects in American history, women's lived experience of Puritan church membership has been incompletely understood. Histories of New England's Puritan churches have often assumed membership to have had universal implications, and studies of New England women either have focused on dissenting women or have neglected women's religious lives altogether despite the centrality of religion to the structure of New England society and culture.

This thesis uses pamphlets, sermons, and church records to demonstrate that women's church membership in Massachusetts's Puritan churches differed from men's because women were prohibited …

From Pork To Kapores: Transformations In Religious Practice Among The Jews Of Late Imperial Kiev, Natan Meir

Judaic Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

Until recently, studies of Jewish religious practices in Imperial Russia have focused on major movements such as Hasidism and mitnagdism as well as the challenges that Haskalah presented to traditional Judaism. Few scholars have scrutinized transformations in everyday religious practices such as the observance of Sabbath and other holidays, synagogue attendance, and liturgical practices. However, new political, social, and economic realities had generated subtle changes in religious practices even in earlier periods and it comes as no surprise, therefore, that religious practices among Jews during the tsarist period, especially in Kiev, were neither monolithic nor static. This article provides a …

A Nun's Life : Barking Abbey In The Late-Medieval And Early Modern Periods, Teresa L. Barnes

Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this project is to gain an understanding of the daily lives of nuns in an English nunnery by examining a particular prominent abbey. This study also attempts to update the history of the abbey by incorporating methods and theories used by recent historians of women's monasticism, as well as recent archaeological evidence found at the abbey site. By including specific examinations of Barking Abbey's last nuns, as well as the nuns' artistic and cultural pursuits, this thesis expands the scholarship of the abbey's history into areas previously unexplored. This thesis begins with a look at the nuns …

Fur Trade Daughters Of The Oregon Country: Students Of The Sisters Of Notre Dame De Namur, 1850, Shawna Lea Gandy

Dissertations and Theses

Ethnicity, religion, class, and gender are important elements in determining the cultural texture of society. This study examines these components at an important junction in the history of the Pacific Northwest through the lives of students enrolled in two girls’ schools established by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDN) in the Willamette Valley in the 1840s. These girls, predominantly métis daughters of fur-trade settlers and their Indian wives, along with their Irish and Anglo-American classmates, represent the socioeconomic and cultural transformation of the region as the mixing that gave rise to the unique intermediary culture referred to as …

Spiritual Nourishment: A Central Christian Metaphor, Susan Sleeth Mosedale

Dissertations and Theses

Since its origins, Christianity has been pervaded by a large array of images in which the spiritual realities are symbolized as food. Such images may be not only verbal, but visual or expressed in actions. These images can be seen as expressions of a spiritual nourishment metaphor; I apply here the meaning of "metaphor" proposed by the linguist George Lakoff and the philosopher Mark Johnson: a metaphor is a concept that structures ideas and actions as well as language. This thesis establishes the spiritual nourishment metaphor as a philosophical concept and begins to explore its history within Christianity.

The spiritual …