From scandal to monastic penance: a reconciliatory manuscript from the early twelfth-century abbey of St. Laurent in Liège

An important element of monastic penance and conflict resolution was its repetitive, almost cyclical nature. The manuscripts that were used during these performances often proceed implicitly, which makes them difficult to contextualize and understand. This article considers a possible example of such "hidden" reconciliatory discourse in a manuscript that was produced for the congregation of St. Laurent in Liege around the turn of the eleventh century: Brussels, Royal Library 9361-9367. It examines the sin of pride in monastic dignitaries, discusses the best way to atone for it, and provides tools for the penitent to start living a more virtuous life in the future. The surviving evidence suggests that this manuscript was produced in reaction to the deeds of abbot Berenger, whose actions in 1095 were considered scandalous by contemporaries because he had led his monks into confusion and sin. The article shows how the combination of texts in this manuscript takes on a different meaning because of these politically charged circumstances, and argues that the St. Laurent manuscript was a discreet but methodical way to end the resulting estrangement between Berenger and his monks. In this interpretation, Brussels RL 9361-9367 is a rare and highly relevant testimony to the ways in which monks in the early twelfth century dealt with psychological and social tensions in the wake of an intra-group conflict

Note sur le sens de Capitulum

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Sur la formation des prix dans l'économie du haut Moyen Âge

International audienceDuring the Early Middle Ages, market exchange coexists alongside non market exchange. The aim of this paper is to examine how possibly this two great modalities of exchange can be present at the same time in the economic life, in a period in which the existence of marketable surplus is a problem. The presumed deficiencies of the means of production, their presumed unsuitability with the economic development, the postulated incompetence of the élites, make the market exchange, and even the possibility that a profit sector exists in the economy, undervalued, or even denied. The social élites, just as the small scale actors, whatever their activity could be, farming or trading, have beside production, consumption and exchange, very subtle and complex attitudes. We shall see that some cognitive capacities exist within the groups of economic actors, that go far beyond an empirical knowledge and result from a reflection about the finalities of economics, the functions of wealth and about its use in a Christian society. Sixth century monks know how the prices are formed, as they know that there is a difference between price formation and price fixation, and also know how to manage with rules to ensure one's salvation. This knowledge also exists, within a very different framework, and the comparison between the practice of such men as Adalhard of Corbie and saint Benedict's Rule (or with the Master's Rule), give an explanation of their attitude toward prices: for them, things have a value and it is possible to measure it as well as modify it. The attitude of the Carolingian and post-carolingian élites during the famines allows us to understand how social and political authorities understood market exchange rules within a Christian society. At the end, there is a shared but tacit, as well, knowledge about the functioning of exchanges and a clear awareness about the fact that they can take several forms depending on the result aimed at.Durant le haut Moyen Âge, l'échange marchand coexiste avec l'échange non-marchand. Le but de cet article est d'examiner les conditions de possibilité de la présence de ces deux grandes modalités de l'échange au sein de la vie économique durant une période où l'existence même de surplus commerciaux fait question. Les déficiences supposées des moyens de production, leur éventuelle inadéquation avec le développement, l'incompétence elle aussi postulée des élites font que l'échange par le marché et la possibilité qu'il existe un secteur de profit sont le plus souvent sous-évalués voire niés. Les élites sociales tout comme les acteurs de petit niveau, qu'il s'agisse d'agriculteurs ou de commerçants, ont à l'égard de la production, de la consommation et de l'échange des attitudes très nuancées et complexes. On montre qu'il existe des capacités cognitives qui vont au-delà d'un savoir faire empirique mais relèvent d'une réflexion sur les finalités mêmes de la vie économique, sur les fonctions de la richesse et sur leur usage dans un monde chrétien. Les moines savent, au VIe siècle, comment se forment les prix et comprennent la différence entre formation et fixation des prix. Il savent aussi comment il faut jouer avec ces règles pour assurer son salut. Ce savoir existe aussi au IXe siècle, dans un monde très différent, et la comparaison entre les pratiques d'hommes comme Adalhard de Corbie et la règle de saint Benoît (ou celle du Maître) livre l'explication de leur attitude à l'égard des prix : pour eux les choses ont une valeur qu'il est possible de mesurer et de modifier. L'attitude des élites carolingiennes et post-carolingiennes lors des famines permet d'établir comment les autorités ont compris les règles de l'échange marchand à l'intérieur d'un monde chrétien. Il y a au bout du compte un savoir partagé mais tacite sur le fonctionnement des échanges et une conscience de ce que, en fonction des buts poursuivis, ceux-ci peuvent prendre plusieurs formes

Regional Practice Variation and Outcomes in the Standard Versus Accelerated Initiation of Renal Replacement Therapy in Acute Kidney Injury (STARRT-AKI) Trial: A Post Hoc Secondary Analysis

OBJECTIVES: Among patients with severe acute kidney injury (AKI) admitted to the ICU in high-income countries, regional practice variations for fluid balance (FB) management, timing, and choice of renal replacement therapy (RRT) modality may be significant. DESIGN: Secondary post hoc analysis of the STandard vs. Accelerated initiation of Renal Replacement Therapy in Acute Kidney Injury (STARRT-AKI) trial (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT02568722). SETTING: One hundred-fifty-three ICUs in 13 countries. PATIENTS: Altogether 2693 critically ill patients with AKI, of whom 994 were North American, 1143 European, and 556 from Australia and New Zealand (ANZ). INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Total mean FB to a maximum of 14 days was +7199 mL in North America, +5641 mL in Europe, and +2211 mL in ANZ (p < 0.001). The median time to RRT initiation among patients allocated to the standard strategy was longest in Europe compared with North America and ANZ (p < 0.001; p < 0.001). Continuous RRT was the initial RRT modality in 60.8% of patients in North America and 56.8% of patients in Europe, compared with 96.4% of patients in ANZ (p < 0.001). After adjustment for predefined baseline characteristics, compared with North American and European patients, those in ANZ were more likely to survive to ICU (p < 0.001) and hospital discharge (p < 0.001) and to 90 days (for ANZ vs. Europe: risk difference [RD], -11.3%; 95% CI, -17.7% to -4.8%; p < 0.001 and for ANZ vs. North America: RD, -10.3%; 95% CI, -17.5% to -3.1%; p = 0.007). CONCLUSIONS: Among STARRT-AKI trial centers, significant regional practice variation exists regarding FB, timing of initiation of RRT, and initial use of continuous RRT. After adjustment, such practice variation was associated with lower ICU and hospital stay and 90-day mortality among ANZ patients compared with other regions

Implementing an University Risk Management approach at the University of Liège : the lessons from one year experiment

In the vision of educational organisations as loosely coupled systems already depicted by Weick in 1976, the need for a global and integrated management system allowing to optimise dynamically the use of scarce resources in an environment characterized by an increasing pressure to comply to the multiple requirements imposed by the numerous internal and external stakeholders of (Public) Universities is growing. In this context, this study relies on an analysis of the recent literature about risk management in complex organizations and on the first lessons drawn from a first one-year experiment in the implementation of an ERM approach in a Public University context to discuss the interest of developing an effective University Risk Management methodology and protocol in a University and to identify the benefits of ERM for universities

Les premières années de l'abbaye cistercienne de Clairefontaine

Despy A., Despy Georges. Les premières années de l'abbaye cistercienne de Clairefontaine. In: Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire, tome 48, fasc. 4, 1970. Histoire (depuis l'Antiquité) — Geschiedenis (sedert de Oudheid) pp. 1207-1224