Waldo, Waldensians, and Lay Access to the Bible
Go, sell all your possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me. (Matthew 19:21)
Source: E. Peters, ed., Heresy and Authority in Medieval Europe, 139-163 [coursepack]; The Conversion of Waldo
While Christian lay people were expected to be familiar with Bible narrative, actual reading of the Bible without learned supervision/interpretation could be problematic. Until the fourteenth century, few lay people ever learned Latin, which limited the kinds of Christian texts they were able to encounter. To be unable to read Latin was to be "unlettered," or "illiterate," whether or not one could read in a vernacular European language. When you read about the "illiterati" in the primary source texts, keep in mind that these individuals were not necessarily ignorant or completely unfamiliar with reading and literary texts of various kinds.
Your second assignment is to write a four- to five-page paper considering competing approaches to [and attitudes towards, and readings of] the Bible and lay access to the Bible in the readings on Valdes [Waldo] and Waldensians. Think broadly here: consider Valdes' initial encounter with the Bible, the later Waldensians' and the authorities' understanding of the text both generally and specifically, the relationship of various constituencies to the text, etc.
As in the first paper, your pursuit of this topic is meant to be an exercise in close reading and careful thinking. Introduce specific passages of primary source texts(citing page or passage numbers where applicable) to illustrate your points. It is not necessary or desirable to quote extensively – simply introduce and summarize or paraphrase the passage. Of course you will then go on to elaborate and provide analysis. You should consider contextual/historical issues as well as theological ones.
Remember that this is not a research paper. Do not consult materials outside of the course syllabus. (You may utilize *other* texts from the reading list, if they seem appropriate and helpful.)
Your paper will be judged on the care with which you construct your analysis, good writing (including grammar and spelling, proper citation of sources, and so on), and your mastery of the course materials thus far.
Your paper should be between four and five pages, double-spaced with the usual margins (1" at top and bottom, 1.25" left and right.) Please remember to include page numbers. You must cite all sources which you quote or paraphrase, as well as works to which you refer or from which you have culled information. Please follow proper format as described in Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers or The Chicago Manual of Style. Whatever form of citation you choose, it is important to be consistent. If you refer to class notes, cite them as "class discussion" and date. There are proper ways of citing electronic source material; you should consult and use the MLA guidelines available through the library's web pages.
Please remember that a good paper should ultimately contain some sort of thesis. I strongly encourage you to look at the following very helpful guides to writing papers, one put together by the History Department at the University of Colorado Boulder and another written by Caroline Schriber of Rhodes College on how to forge an argument. You should also consider making use of BU's URC Writing Center. Information on setting up an appointment is available by clicking here.
Deadline, extensions, and late papers
Papers are due in class Thursday, November 8 (Please do not come to class late--allow yourself plenty of time to print out your paper in advance). Extensions will be granted only in cases of extreme necessity, and all requests for extensions must be made by 3:00 PM Tuesday, November 6 at the latest. You will need to explain why you need an extension, what you have done so far, and how that will impact on the rest of your course work. Papers that are late without an approved extension will lose one letter grade for each day they are late. The same rule applies to any new due date given by extension.
My office hours are Tuesday 11:00-12:00 and Wednesday, 1:00-2:30. Please don't hesitate to contact me by phone or e-mail if you can't make it during that time: 358-0186 or dklepper@bu.edu