Grosseteste, Robert 317MEDICINE, and THEOLOGYat AACHEN,COLOGNE,PARIS,
and PRAGUE. But in about 1374/5 his life changed dra-
matically when he experienced a spiritual conversion.
Influenced by his friend Jan Van RUYSBROECK, he gave up
his wealth and possessions and entered a CARTHUSIAN
monastery. After two years there, wanting to preach, he
was ordained a deacon but never a priest; he subse-
quently left the monastery. He began to preach in the
diocese of Utrecht and attracted large, enthusiastic audi-
ences. Groote’s popularity was the result of his preaching
well in the VERNACULAR(unlike the LATINservices of
the church) and his appeal to the spiritual ideals of
the times. This popular religious feeling centered
on the imitation of Christ, an idea that all Christians
should practice Christ’s virtues and imitate his life. Groote
preached this message, and although he was never hereti-
cal, he angered the church by his criticism of the clergy’s
sexual mores, wealth, and power. For this reason, in 1384
the bishop of Utrecht ordered Groote to stop preaching
on the grounds he was not a priest. Groote obeyed, but
he appealed to the pope. Before the pope could reply,
Groote died at the age of 44, on August 20, 1384.
Although his career was cut short, the legacy of Ger-
ard Groote was important. His followers formed the
BRETHREN OF THECOMMONLIFE, whose aim to teach and
thus develop their moral and spiritual qualities. One
result of this movement was greatly improved education
in the NETHERLANDSand GERMANY.
See also DEVOTIOMODERNA;KEMPIS,THOMAS À.
Further reading: John Van Engen, trans., Devotio
Moderna: Basic Writing(New York: Paulist Press, 1988);
Albert Hyma, The Christian Renaissance: A History of the
“Devotio Moderna,” 2d ed. (Hamden, Conn.: Archon
Books 1965); R. R. Post, The Modern Devotion: Confronta-
tion with Reformation and Humanism(Leiden: E. J. Brill,
1968).
Grosseteste, Robert(ca. 1168–1253)English church-
man, scientist, exegete, statesman
Robert Grosseteste was born about 1168 at Stradbrooke,
Suffolk, of humble parents. There is little information of
him until much later in his life. Educated at OXFORD,
where he became magister, or master, in 1199, he then
studied at PARIS. By 1215, he was back in ENGLAND,
where he is believed to have been at the meeting of King
JOHN and the barons at Runnymede, where the king
accepted the MAGNACARTA.
As the first English scholar who knew both Greek and
some Hebrew, Grosseteste soon rose within the church. In
1224 he was made the first rector of the FRANCISCANSat
Oxford, and the next years saw his rise through a series of
church positions: archdeacon of Wiltshire, then
Northampton and Leicester; a rich prebend in Lincoln;
and chancellor of Oxford University. Grosseteste was one
of the few medieval churchmen to sympathize with the
JEWS. He may have had contact with Jews through learn-
ing Hebrew from a rabbi in Oxford. By 1231 he was writ-
ing works to try to gain converts from Judaism. In 1232
he gave up many of his posts so that he could remain at
Oxford, but in 1235 he was elevated to the bishopric of
Lincoln, one of England’s largest and richest sees.
From then on Grosseteste was absorbed by the
administration of his CATHEDRALand diocese. From 1239
to 1245 he had to carry out a dispute with the chapter
over his rights of visitation or supervision. He finally
won, but only after visiting the pope in LYONto gain his
support.
Grosseteste was active in support of the PAPACYin
England and of papal claims against the barons at the
Council of Merton in 1236, but he was also to object to
the papacy in matters of perceived abuses, such as papal
nepotistic attempts to find positions in England for Ital-
ian clerics. In 1253 he refused to place the pope’s absen-
tee nephew in a canonry at Lincoln because of his lack of
knowledge of English. In addition, he often opposed the
policies of the king. In 1244 Grosseteste prevented the
granting of a subsidy to the king, stood as a clerical rep-
resentative to discuss the financial needs of the Crown,
and was one of the 12 appointed to a committee to regu-
late the conduct of the king and his ministers. In 1252
he opposed HENRYIII’s demand for a 10th of the church’s
revenues, granted for a crusade. A friend and adviser to
SIMON DEMONTFORTthe younger, Grosseteste played an
important part in the politics of his age.INTELLECTUAL INFLUENCE
His most long-lasting influence lay in his writings and his
fame as a scholar. Roger BACONwas one of his pupils,
and Grosseteste appeared in his own time as a universal
genius, as evidenced by his long list of works. He pro-
duced treatises on law, philosophy, free will, French
poems, physics, biblical commentaries, and AGRICUL-
TURE, as well as theology. He produced TRANSLATIONSand
commentaries on such works as ARISTOTLE’s Physicsand
Ethics and on the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs
and the Ignatian Epistles. His important work on OPTICS
and light was also part of the basis of some aspects of his
rebuilding of Lincoln Cathedral.DEATH AND REPUTATION
Taken ill during the summer of 1253 while at Buckden in
Buckinghamshire, Grosseteste died on October 9 and was
buried in the south transept of Lincoln Cathedral. MIRA-
CLES were soon reported at his tomb, but repeated
attempts to procure his canonization failed because his
public career had at times opposed papal authority. Can-
onized informally by the people of northern England, he
has been described as among the best influences in
English public life of the 13th century.
Further reading: J. J. McEvoy, The Philosophy of
Robert Grosseteste (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982);