In Samuel's image
Book Description
In Samuel's Image explores a profound spiritual practice that shaped medieval religious life for centuries: the offering of children to monastic communities by their parents. Drawing from the biblical story of Hannah presenting her son Samuel to serve in the Temple, this practice of child oblation saw countless young lives dedicated to God through an irrevocable parental gift.
Mayke De Jong challenges common assumptions about why families made these sacred offerings. Rather than viewing oblation as mere economic convenience or abandonment disguised as piety, she reveals it as genuine sacrifice woven into the fabric of medieval gift-giving culture. These acts of devotion reflected the central role that religious and social exchange played in early medieval societies.
The author examines the lived experiences of monks and nuns who entered religious communities as children, spending their entire lives within monastic walls. Through careful historical analysis, she illuminates how these communities functioned and what drove parents to make such momentous decisions about their children's spiritual destinies.
This scholarly work offers valuable insights for anyone seeking to understand how spiritual commitment manifested in medieval Europe. By exploring the intersection of family sacrifice, religious devotion, and community life, De Jong provides a window into a world where faith demanded extraordinary personal investment and shaped entire lifetimes of service.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~10 hours)
📄 Length: 360 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Monasticism and religious orders, middle ages, 600-1500
- ✓ Explore Church history
- ✓ Explore Child oblates
- ✓ Explore Children, religious life
- ✓ Explore Monasticism and religious orders, europe
- ✓ Explore 600-1500
- ✓ Explore Church history, middle ages, 600-1500
- ✓ Explore Europe, church history
