'Let us run in love together' : Master Jordan of Saxony (d. 1237) and participation of women in the religious life of the Order of Preachers

Abstract

In this thesis I argue that Jordan of Saxony (d. 1237), Master of the Order of Preachers, fostered a culture of openness toward the participation of women in the religious life of the Dominican order. This is demonstrated, in part, through the study of the nature of Jordan's support for Diana d'Andalò (d. 1236) and her convent of Sant'Agnese and his presentation of female pastoral care in the Libellus, his history of the order. The argument is also developed by means of a chronologically-informed reading of Jordan's letters, which explores his use of familial language, his employment of the topoi of spiritual friendship, and the significance he attributes to the role of religious women's prayer in the order's evangelical mission. Jordan's friendship with Diana d'Andalò and her convent of Sant'Agnese is well-known, if not necessarily well-explored. It is usually treated as a case apart from the order's increasing hostility to the pastoral care of religious and devout women, which gained momentum over the course of Jordan's tenure. This thesis seeks to break down this compartmentalized view by articulating not only the close parallels between Jordan's perception of friars and nuns within the order, but also the way in which he extended bonds of mutual religious commitment to religious women outside the order. As such, this study also intends to contribute to a growing historiography that explores the various ways in which medieval men and women participated together in religious life.