Sin, Interiority, and Selfhood in the Twelfth-Century West

By Susan R. Kramer

Book Description

In the twelfth century, a profound transformation began reshaping how Christians understood the relationship between their inner spiritual lives and their outward religious practices. Susan R. Kramer explores this pivotal moment when the medieval Church moved beyond judging external actions to demanding access to the most private chambers of the human heart.

For centuries, Christian thought maintained that God alone could perceive the secrets dwelling within each person's interior world. Thoughts, intentions, and hidden sentiments remained safely beyond human scrutiny. Yet by 1215, the Fourth Lateran Council revolutionized this understanding by requiring all Christians to confess not merely their visible sins, but their innermost thoughts and feelings to a priest.

This scholarly investigation traces the intellectual currents that made such a dramatic shift possible. Drawing from cathedral and monastic school texts, Kramer examines how medieval thinkers grappled with questions that remain relevant today: How do we discern authentic spiritual experience? What role does our inner life play in defining who we are? How do we navigate the tension between privacy and spiritual accountability?

Through careful analysis of discussions ranging from the interpretation of tears to the mechanics of original sin, this work reveals how medieval concepts of confession helped shape Western notions of selfhood and interiority. For readers interested in the historical roots of modern spirituality and self-understanding, this exploration offers valuable insights into how our ancestors conceived the relationship between inner transformation and spiritual practice.