Jordan of Quedlinburg (
Latin ''Jordanus de Saxonia''; c. 1300–1380) was an
Augustinian hermit, influential writer and preacher. He is known for his advocacy of a moderate
asceticism
Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...
.
He was born around 1300 in
Quedlinburg in the
Duchy of Saxony. He studied at the Augustinian seminaries in
Bologna (1317–1319) and
Paris (1319–1322) under
Henry of Friemar Henry of Friemar (the younger)Henricus de Vrimaria, Henricus de Frimaria, Heinrich von Friemar. (born at Friemar, a small town near Gotha in Thuringia c. 1285, died 21 April 1354 in Erfurt) was a German Augustinian theologian. He should be distin ...
, Hermann of Halle and Prosper of Reggio. He graduated with the degree of
lector and was appointed to a lectureship at the Augustinian ''
studium generale'' in
Erfurt
Erfurt () is the capital and largest city in the Central German state of Thuringia. It is located in the wide valley of the Gera river (progression: ), in the southern part of the Thuringian Basin, north of the Thuringian Forest. It sits in ...
, where he taught from 1327 at the latest until 1333. By 1336 he had transferred to the ''studium generale'' of
Magdeburg, where stayed until 1338. He lectured in various other Augustinian houses in Germany and in 1341 was appointed provincial of Saxony, an office to which he was reappointed continuously until 1351. In Saxony he reorganized the Augustinians into a
mendicant order. In 1343 he was appointed visitor of the Augustinian province of France.
Jordan's later life and the date and circumstances of his death are disputed. He is thought to have lived for a time in
Vienna in the
Duchy of Austria
The Duchy of Austria (german: Herzogtum Österreich) was a medieval principality of the Holy Roman Empire, established in 1156 by the ''Privilegium Minus'', when the Margraviate of Austria (''Ostarrîchi'') was detached from Bavaria and elevated ...
, dying there in 1380. Several of his associates are known to have been connected to the
University of Vienna, founded in 1365. Some scholars, however, believe that he spent his final years in
Vienne in the
Dauphiné and died there. His death is usually placed in 1380, but sometimes as early as 1370.
He is remembered chiefly for his preaching and his spiritual writings. His sermons were popular in the later Middle Ages and one collection circulated widely. His spirituality was influenced by
German mysticism, but he attacked the excesses of the ascetic movement. His most important work in this vein was his ''Liber vitasfratrum'', which was printed at Rome in 1587. His other known works include:
*''Meditations on the Passion of Christ''
[See .]
*''Tractatus de spiritu libertatis'' (lost)
*''Expositio dominicae orationis'' (unpublished)
*''Opus postillarum et sermonum de tempore'' (printed at Strasbourg in 1483)
*''Sermones de sanctis'' (Paris, 1484)
*''Collectanea seu Speculum Augustinianum'' (Paris, 1686)
References
Bibliography
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External links
Jordan, von Quedlinburg, approximately 1299–1380at Medieval Manuscripts in Oxford Libraries
{{Authority control
1380 deaths
People from Quedlinburg
Augustinian friars
Year of birth uncertain