Handbook for William Becca Dvorak HON-H 211 10/1/14 10/6/14 Intro Dhuoda and her Handbook: o Dhuoda, Frankish noblewoman (ix.1) o Written in middle of 9th century o Written for her oldest son to share with the younger o Taken from her when oldest was 14 o Emperor Louis the Pious o Lothar, Louis the German, Charles the Bald fought for their father’s territories o Rebelled against their father’s authority (x.2) o Husband Bernard, Count of Septimania o “Virtual vice-emperor” (x.7) o This text “stands as a memorial to the failure of Dhuoda’s hopes” (xi.10) o Purpose was to teach her children how to be successful by God’s standards and the world’s (xi.11) Book 1: Loving God On Loving God: o Should be loved and praised by every human creature on the earth (7.1) o Burning desire (8.9) On Seeking God: o “we take our existence from his approval, we live, we move, and are” (8.9) o “he has the power to do all good” (8.16) On God’s Greatness: o humbled himself to become man (8.21) o knows our sins (9.26) On God’s Sublimity: o too great to understand (9.29) More on the same topic. On God: o God = “Deus” (9.33) o Everlasting power that cannot be destroyed (12.49) Moral Interpretation: o Allow yourself to be filled with God (12.56) Cautionary words on the same topic: o Be in this world, but not of this world (13.59) o Learn from other men of the church (13.59) Book 3: Social Order and Secular Success On the reverence you should show your father throughout your life: o Fear, love, be faithful to your father, Bernard (21.1) o “your lord and father” (21.1) On the same topic, on reverence for your father: o a father has more “access to another person at the height of power” than anyone else (23.27) On the examples of the early Fathers: o examples from Bible (23.28) o obedience to God and mindfulness of commands of a devoted father leads to successful men (25.38) Direction on your comportment toward your lord: o serve King Charles because God and your father chose him (25.42) On taking counsel: o take advice of those who behave loyally in body and soul (27.49) o “There are no riches where stupidity reigns” (27.56) More on the same topic. On counselors: o it is difficult to know good council (29.79) Special direction on the same topic: o find good men (30.85) Regarding your lord’s family: o fear, love, honor, and cherish them (31.102) Regarding the magnates: o learn from your elders (33.114) That you will accommodate yourself to great and to lesser men: o God condemns the powerful and exalts the humble (34.116) On respect for priests: o Should be revered because the intercede for our sins (38.145) Book 4: Moral Life Special direction on various aspects of moral betterment: o Do not envy (43.3) o In the world, not of the world (43.2) On the same topic: o Give thanks without ceasing (45.20) On the same topic. Useful direction: o Be humble, not prideful (47.36) On arming yourself with the sevenfold gifts of the Holy Spirit: o Love God and study the scriptures (48.51) On the same topic. Setting opposites against each other: o Maintain purity in body and spirit; flee from lust and temptation (51.83) That you be patient in mind and body: o Be gentle to overcome anger (54.117) To overcome your faults with ease, read the eight beatitudes aloud, and keep them always in your heart: o Perform your worldly service to God (55.119) That you help the poor as you are able: o Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (62.209) Book 5: God’s Chastisement On being tested in various troubles: o Don’t worry about the problems of this world (65.1) o Apostles (65.1), secular works (65.3), other books of the Bible (68.29); Spiritual Lessons; God On making amends, if you go astray: o Acknowledge your wrongdoing publicly and to yourself and make it right in the eyes of God (69.36) o Other books of the Bible (69.38) Psalms (70.43); Spiritual lessons, social conduct; God On various temptations, if they befall you: o Be courageous and prepared (70.45) o Other books of the Bible (70.45); Spiritual lessons; God If there is difficulty: o Be patient and call upon the Lord (70.50) o Other books of the Bible (70.45); Spiritual lessons; God On persecution: o Be patient and suffer it in Christ (70.52) o Other books of the Bible (70.45); Spiritual lessons; God In hardship: o Look to God (70.53) o Other books of the Bible (70.45); Spiritual lessons; God In deprivation: o Call out to God to help your body and soul o Other books of the Bible (70.45); Spiritual lessons; God In illness: o Don’t pity yourself (71.58) o Other books of the Bible (71.58), cultural norms (72.63); Spiritual lessons, humility; God, William himself That you give glory to God in all circumstances: o Glorify God, not yourself (72.76) o Other books of the Bible (72.76); Spiritual lesson, humility; God Book 7: The Deaths of the Body and Spirit On the same topic. Special direction of great usefulness: o Be reborn every day (79.2) I wish that you be strong in your first birth: o We are sinners (79.3) I direct you to be steadfast in your second birth: o Make believers of all men (80.7) On the first and second death: o Death of body and death of soul (80.12) I call you to consider the first death: o Inescapable (80.12) Struggle to escape the second death: o Grow in Christ to have eternal life with Him (81.19) Book 8: How to Pray and for Whom I direct you to grow strong through reading and prayer: o Read and pray to seek out God (83.1) On the past, present, and the future: o To improve, to overcome, to be aware of evils (83.5) I suggest how you may pray for all the ranks of the clergy: o “As best you can” (83.5) For bishops and priests: o That they pour out good prayers for others (84.5) For kings and others of the highest rank: o Uphold universal Church’s firm belief in Christ (84.5) For your own lord: o Pray for peace and happiness for him (84.6) I direct you to pray constantly for your father: o Also ask various ranks of the clergy to pray for him (84.6) On the same topic, for all the following: o Those who oppose you and insult you (84.7) o Travellers (84.8) End with the words, “and for all the holy people of God”: o After many other things (85.10) That you pray for all the faithful who have died: o To be with the saints (85.10) For those who were truly good: o Give thanks (85.11) For those who were not truly good: o Propitiation (85.12) Here you will find something appropriate to offer those who were unworthy: o God knows the hearts of everyone (85.14) Pray for the dead relations of your father: o They passed on their inheritance and legacy to Bernard (87.25) For the late lord Theoderic: o Would have been your foster-father (88.28) And again, pray for all the dead, that they rest in peace: o Rest in peace (88.31) On the same topic, especially for you: o Bless God and be found worthy of eternal life (89.31)