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The Sect of the Flagellants - The History of Self Flagellation Whipping has been around forever. A form of religious fanaticism during the thirteenth century developed whereby members whipped themselves severely in the streets. This has fascinated me since I first read about it in a college library. Clearly, I wasn’t doing my homework at that moment, at least not for class. Flagellants is a term applied to the groups of Christians who practiced public flagellation as a penance. The practice supposedly grew out of the floggings administered as punishment to erring monks, although flagellation as a form of religious expression is an ancient usage. Among the flagellants it was an extreme expression of the ascetic ideal. Self-flagellation as a penance was approved by the early Christian church. However, the flagellant movement itself did not appear until the 13th cent., and it was not until c.1260 that the flagellants grew into large, organized bodies. Arising in the towns of N Italy, the movement spread across the Alps to Germany, Bohemia, and even to Poland. Bands of flagellants marched from town to town and in public places bared their backs and beat each other and themselves, all the while exhorting the people to repent. The disorderly and morbid nature of these exhibitions led civil and ecclesiastical authorities to suppress them. The movement died down, although it occasionally reappeared, especially in Germany in 1296 and in Italy under the leadership of Venturino of Bergamo. During the general societal confusion that accompanied the Black Death (1348-49) it flared up again. From the East bands of flagellants spread across Hungary and Germany, to S Europe and even to England, where no converts were gained. In 1349, Pope Clement VI prohibited the practice. Heretical flagellant sects such as the Bianchi of Italy and France (c.1399) and the followers of Karl Schmidt (c.1414) were suppressed; milder forms of flagellation were tolerated, however, and even encouraged by such leaders as St. Vincent Ferrer. There was a reappearance of public flagellation within the church after the Reformation. Catherine de' Medici and King Henry III of France encouraged flagellant orders, but Henry IV forbade them. The Jesuits after a time abandoned this public penance, and the practice died out again, although tertiaries from time to time degenerated into flagellant groups. In Spanish America flagellant orders persisted, usually in defiance of the ecclesiastical disapproval; in New Mexico the Hermanos Penitentes, a flagellant order, is said to practice secret rites today. Author not available, Flagellants., The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition 2007 _________________________________________________ Modern processions of hooded Flagellants are still a feature of various Mediterranean Catholic countries, mainly in Spain, Portugal and Italy and some former colonies, usually every year during Lent. For example in the comune of Guardia Sanframondi in Campania, Italy, such parades are organized once every seven years. In modern times, it has been speculated that the more extreme practices of mortification of the flesh may have been used to obtain altered states of consciousness for the goal of experiencing religious experiences or visions; medical research has shown that great pain releases endorphins which can have such effect, and even get some fetishists addicted to pain. Some Christians in Philippines practice flagellation as a form of devout worship, sometimes in addition to self-crucifixion (during the end of Lent season). Los hermanos penitentes See Penitentes (New Mexico). In English, "the penitent brothers." This is a semi-secret society of flagellants among the Hispanics of Colorado and New Mexico.[1] Other religions Very similar practices exist in non-Christian traditions, including actual flagellation amongst certain branches of Islam (especially Shiites commemorating the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali), as well as milder traditions such as whipping women (while spanking men) in a Taoist temple on the Chinese New Year. The famous internet encyclopedia _____________________________________ I found even more detailed information with full bibliographies doing a quick search on the internet if you’re interested in learning more about this. |
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8/24/2007 6:31 pm |
Corpus Dei, a conservative Catholic group, located in NYC -- first avenue and the upper 50's -- secretly practices self flagellation, among other morbid acts and has ties to the carlyle group. yes, true....
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Thank you so much for sharing this with us LadyAhasuerus.
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Thank you so much Lhiannon and kitty for your contributions. I can't comment on the points debated without doing some research but I'm intrigued by it to say the least. kitty, I found what I believe you're describing which was published in Latin in 1639, the English translation appearing in 1718 by searching for: treatise of the use of flogging in venerial affairs The mispelling of venereal brought up the document first in the list. Thanks!
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8/25/2007 10:32 am |
EEK: So pleased informed souls corrected me. Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa....WEG And yes, Da Vinci is a book of fiction, but there are a number of truths in there with a fictionalized bent -- the only way to avoid libel.... Maggy
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