BETWEEN EAST AND WEST: THE MANY USES OF THE LIFE OF ST SYMEON OF TRIER

In the minds of many, the history of eleventh-century Europe is characterized by a marked antagonism between East and West. The schism between the Eastern and Western churches, the semi-official division of the previously nominally unified church in 1054, and the crusader movement at the end of the century were events and phenomena that seem to testify to evident differences and even confrontation. This, however, is not the whole picture, and the understandable emphasis of historical studies on larger events, such as the schism or controversies between Christians during the Crusades, may prevent us from seeing the natural continuation of self-evident interaction between Eastern and Western Christendom. The East had the authority that could be borrowed by the West to propogate ideas and ideals that were of importance for, say, an ecclesiastical institution, cult, town or realm. This article aims to elucidate this phenomenon by examing the versatile uses of the life of St. Symeon of Trier (d. 1035), whose life was written and disseminated on the even of and during the schism between the Eastern and Western churches in the 11th and 12th centuries. [web URL: http://ojs.tsv.fi/index.php/StOrE/article/view/52267/16199]