Download or read book Historiography and Identity written by Jens Röhrkasten and published by LIT Verlag Münster. This book was released on 2017 with total page 221 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Carmelites' role as one of the four great mendicant orders was not unchallenged. Originating as an association of hermits on Mount Carmel, the order experienced a dramatic transformation in the thirteenth century while its name was a reminder to origins which were obscure and its first form of religious life was diametrically opposed to the mendicant ministry. In addition the 'White Friars' were unable to find legitimization in a charismatic founder figure, unlike the Franciscans and the Dominicans. These factors led the Carmelites to create an identity finding their roots with the prophets Elijah and Elisha, who appear in texts and were represented in altar pieces and other works of art. The ten articles published in this volume address these underlying issues and deal with the order's historiography as well as its regional representation in different phases of its history. The authors are historians and art historians-some of them members of the Carmelite community-who are working as academics and specialise in the comparative history of religious orders. (Series: Vita regularis-Orders and interpretations of religious life in the Middle Ages / Vita regularis-Ordnungen und Deutungen religiosen Lebens im Mittelalter. Abhandlungen, Vol. 68) [Subject: Religious Studies, History]