Ulrich L. Lehner - Enlightened Monks. The German Benedictines, 1740-1803 [2011][A]

Book Description
Enlightened Monks investigates the social, cultural, philosophical, and theological challenges the German Benedictines had to face between 1740 and 1803, and how the Enlightenment process influenced the self-understanding and lifestyle of these religious communities. It had an impact on their forms of communication, their transfer of knowledge, their relationships to worldly authorities and to the academic world, and also their theology and philosophy. The multifaceted achievements of enlightened monks, which included a strong belief in individual freedom, tolerance, human rights, and non-violence, show that monasticism was on the way to becoming fully integrated into the Enlightenment. Ulrich L. Lehner refutes the widespread assumption that monks were reactionary enemies of Enlightenment ideas. On the contrary, he demonstrates that many Benedictines implemented the new ideas of the time into their own systems of thought. This revisionist account contributes to a better understanding not only of monastic culture in Central Europe, but also of Catholic religious culture in general.

Reviews
"Lehner's work marks a significant step in original research. His extensive citation of archival sources offers a new perspective on European religious culture... The book's content appeals to a wide range of scholars and is not reserved for the narrow musings of the specialist. The sociologist and historian will be intrigued as will the philosopher and the theologian." - Paul G. Monson, Journal of Church and State

"Academics will appreciate its meticulously documented research, as well as the wealth of German scholarship Lehner makes available to his English readers." - Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau, First Things

"This very learned and highly original book, based on little-known and often obscure sources, reveals the existence of a remarkable subculture of Enlightened, even revolutionary, monks who had personal as well as literary and philosophical connections with the non-monastic world." - Derek Beales, Journal of Ecclesiastical History

"Lehner offers, among other things, an excellent description of monastic prisons, as well as deftly drawn portraits of various savants, rogues, and dreamers in and out of the monasteries. Enlightened Monks also provides important context for the later German revival of theology centered in nineteenth-century Tübingen. Despite its somewhat recherché title, this is one of the most interesting books I've read this year."--Commonweal

"Lehner has proffered a convincing argument that the German Benedictines might be counted not only as constituents of the Catholic Aufklärung, but as figures who existed squarely within the Enlightenment itself."--Religious Studies Review

Lehner is nothing if not a thorough and industrious scholar, and the wealth of information he has amassed alone makes this book a valuable resource. But he is also a fluid writer, with an eye for piquant details and arresting stories, ensuring that the narrative is enlivened along the way by a great number of vivid and sensitive portraits of individuals."--The Catholic Historical Review

"A valuable contribution to the burgeoning historiography on religion and the Enlightenment in Europe...the desire for more is a function of the extraordinary, enlightening materials that [Lehner] presents."--Theological Studies

"Masterful work of historiography...Lehner's work is exquisitely researched and an absolute delight to read...This book is perfect for graduate students specializing in either history or the history of theology. Very advanced theology or history undergraduates would also find this to be instructive for continuing on to pursue graduate research. As a primer on research methods alone this work is exemplary, a true guidebook for common and specialized citation methods...As a model of contemporary historiography and engaging scholarship, Englightened Monks is about as good as it gets."--Catholic Books Review

About the Author
Ulrich L. Lehner is author of Kant's Concept of Providence (2007), and editor/co-editor of ten books, including Brill's Companion to the Catholic Enlightenment in Europe (2010). He is a former member of the Princeton Institute of Advanced Study (2009), and a former Fellow of the Institute for Comparative History of Religious Orders at the University of Eichstatt/Germany (2008).