3. Religious Motifs in the Novel
Umberto Eco’s literary
masterpiece is of course a historical mystery and not a religious manuscript.
Therefore in the course of this study, the researcher has discovered that the
materials dealing with the strictly religious import of the work are scant and
shallow. At times, essays that mention the religious aspect of the novel
provide only hints on how to proceed to a deepening of an inquiry in this area.
(cf. Vassallo, n.d.). More numerous are the studies of the novel within the
ambit of literary criticism and analysis or philosophical inquiry.
However, since Eco was a
passionate scholar of the medieval period, in which the church was a dominant
and imposing institution, he could not resist the temptation to embellish his
first fictional writing, set within holy ground, with some religious sense. The
Middle Ages was a historical epoch rife with discussions about God and the
proliferation of religious foundations for both men and women. At this time too
there flourished controversies concerning the church and its internal relations
with its dissident followers, as well as the church’s external relations with monarchical
authorities of the day and the diplomatic machinations that needed to be
employed when dealing with them.
The Middle Ages saw the high
point of the existence of the church as a spiritual institution incongruously
patterned after the imperial model. These salient features of the medieval
church found their way into the imagination of Eco. The following are some of
the conspicuous religious motifs that even a superficial reading of the novel
will reveal.
a. Characters
In this historical “whodunnit,”
the main characters are either monks or religious men. Monks refer to men who
live in common within enclosed walls or defined territory separate from the
outside world. There they pursue a life of prayer, work and sacrifice. Monasteries
were founded as a way of satiating the desire of men for holiness after the
days when martyrdom was no longer the prize of becoming Christian due to the end
of the age of persecution. (cf. Sartori, 1988, 106).
Some of the monks become priests
while others remain unordained and are referred to as brothers. While the
priests are charged with duties of administration and sacramental celebration,
the brothers are focused on the practical needs of the monastery, like manual
labor in the kitchen, garden, farm or barn.
There are many groups or orders
of monks, among them is the Benedictine Order to which, in the novel, Abo and
his community belong. Called Benedictines because of their founder St. Benedict
of Nursia, these monks are prominent in their commitment to practice ora et labor (prayer and work). Study
and research are essential part of the work they do. Adso the narrator was also
a young novice for the Benedictine monastic life. (cf. Religious Orders, n.d.).
William of Baskerville represents
the religious or spiritual men. Their lives are organized around a particular
charism or gift that they feel God is calling them to publicly profess. While
they may or may not live in isolated environments as the monks do, the
religious orders or communities still form an “authentic structure within the
church” (un’autentica strutture dentro la
chiesa, translation mine). (Sartori, 1988, 106). Religious orders, like the
monastic ones, must gain the official recognition and approval of the church
for their valid existence.
William belongs to the Order of
Friars Minor or Franciscans, so-called because the founding father is the
universal favorite, the son of Assisi, Francis Bernardone. Far from just
working in silence and separation from the outside world, St. Francis felt the
need for a missionary life for his followers. He admonished them to go out all
over Europe and to distant lands and propagate the faith. Due to Francis’ professed love for
“Lady Poverty,” the Franciscans are considered the image of religious poverty
in the church. (cf. Eco, The Name of the
Rose, 2003, 54).
In the Middle Ages, there were
also many monasteries founded for women. These nuns too observed the Rule or
the monastic discipline that prevailed in the communities of their male
counterparts with some variations. Saintly women, all monastics, are
sporadically mentioned in the novel. (cf. Eco, The Name of the Rose, 2003, 61).
b. Setting
The major events in the
recollections of Adso happened within the walls of the monastery. Since the
novel explored the theme of quest for knowledge and truth, it was fitting that
the medieval abbey be designated as its location. Monasteries were respected
enclaves of wisdom and learning around which communities or villages were later
built. The monks saw themselves as custodians of knowledge for the church and
for future ages.
The novel divides the events that
William and Adso experienced within a period of seven days, each day divided by
the horarium or prayer schedules of the Benedictine monks for their daily
devotions. Eco accurately identifies the communal prayer sessions as follows:
Matins or pre-dawn prayer, Lauds or morning prayer, Prime or mid-morning, Sext
or noontime or midday prayer, None or mid-afternoon prayer, Vespers or evening
prayer), and Compline or night prayer. (cf. Eco, The Name of
the Rose, 2003, 7). Today these prayers are collectively called “The
Liturgy of the Hours” because they are intended to consecrate the various hours
of the day to the praise and glory of God.
The monks keep a regimented but
serene daily schedule, centered on prayer and punctuated by other useful
preoccupations. In the novel, Eco mentions the particular tasks or
responsibilities of monks within the community. Some work as glaziers, smiths,
herbalists, librarians, cooks, cellarers, illustrators of manuscripts, scribes,
and supervisors of the servants. The abbot oversees everything, being the
superior of the whole house. The name abbot means father, from the root “abba.”
There is mention in the novel of
the presence of servants or helpers. While the monks are all tasked with
various assignments, a monastery usually enlists the help of outsiders to work
with or for the monks. Each monastery is intended to be an independent and
self-sufficient entity, not dependent on others for their survival. Thus a
monastery ingeniously develops a trade to provide for the daily needs and
sustenance. When that trade expands, the monastery is able to provide jobs for
other people. This explains the mushrooming of villages outside the gates and
around the vicinity of the novel’s monastery. The monastery is described as
rich, and therefore, it was capable of employing outsiders.
c. Papal Politics
The historical background of the novel
is the bitter rivalry between the emperor and the pope, which happened in the
early years of the 14th century. The pope, identified as John XXII, was a zealot Frenchman
who resides in Avignon and refuses to move back the seat of power to Rome. This
pontiff excommunicates the victorious emperor Louis the Bavarian whom he
dislikes. The emperor in turn declares the pope a heretic and opposes his
authority.
As already mentioned above
(summary), this pope also identifies enemies from within his own flock. He
finds the spiritual Franciscans, who are causing an uproar on the matter of
poverty, dangerous to his position, wealth, and authority. The emperor’s
protection of the Franciscans puts them in an awkward position as pawns in the
power struggle between church and the temporal masters. In the novel, the papal
delegation comes to the monastery to meet with the Franciscans to discuss their
differences.
d. Church Crisis
The issue of poverty may be an
incidental part of the novel but its inclusion is of significant value to the
church of the period. The church wields a lot of power – spiritual, political,
and even economic. Behaving like a secular institution, the church is surrounded
by riches and glory, capable of throwing its weight around because of its
influence and control. The abbot personally describes the material treasures of
his monastery. The pope in Avignon does not hesitate to launch a skirmish with
the emperor.
In this context, some people
appeal for an internal reform, a return to the understanding and practice of
poverty as the Gospel teaches it. The Franciscans employ a theological basis
for the poverty of Christ and the church. And while the Franciscans are presented
as principal advocates of poverty, the novel alludes to other groups that
embrace the same crusade for a simpler, holier life. But some of these groups’
leaders or members are unlettered folks who are inflamed by emotions and resort
to violence to express their sentiments. They then become the target of the
Inquisition for heresy.
The papacy struggles to accept
the propositions of the Franciscans and continues to be wary of potential
heretics and warmongers. After a swathing decree refusing their propositions
the Franciscans do all in their power to be heard by the authorities again.
This is the context of the meeting William was to mediate between the papal
delegates and his own Franciscan confreres.
Described but not directly
touched is the scandalous riches of the monastery in the midst of the poverty
of the people around them. Some of the monastery’s neighbors are so poor that
the women trade their bodies to some lascivious monks in exchange for food.
e. Inquisition
William worked for a time with
the Inquisition but retired due to disagreements with its methods. In the novel
the Inquisition is brought to life through the historical figure of Bernardo
Gui, who comes across as fierce and remorseless. The Inquisition of course, has
a bad reputation in contemporary history and it is believed that the church put
to death numerous people after instilling in them fear, putting them up to
hasty and baseless trials, and inflicting physical tortures.
Modern-day experts discovered in
their study though, that there are actually two kinds of Inquisition, the one
sponsored by the church and the other promoted by secular authorities, the
latter being the more severe and merciless because it could actually carry out
executions. It is now more correctly termed as the “Spanish Inquisition.” The
Inquisition in the novel is not of Spanish extraction. (Cook, 2013).
Records of the church Inquisition
for example, showed that between 1308 to 1323, “only 42 persons were turned
over to secular authority (for punishment) while others were condemned to minor
penances, often with extraordinary kindess, and 139 were absolved” (soltanto 42 rimessi al braccio secolare,
mentre altri sono condannati a pene minori, spesso di straordinaria mitezza, e
centotrentanove assolti, translation mine – translation mine. Introvigne,
1987).
The actual historical Dominican
priest Bernardo has been vilified in the novel (and in the film version)
although he was considered by his contemporaries as one of the best Dominicans
of the medieval period. He did not spend his career chasing after witches
because most of those charged with witchcraft fell under the jurisdiction of
bishops and not of the Inquisition. Bernardo died in peace after having served
as bishop of two dioceses. (Introvigne, 1987). Pope John Paul II asked pardon
for all the harm the church Inquisition meted on people, innocent or otherwise.
(Kauffman, 2007).
