This English translation of the Sister Book from the St. Agnes Convent in Emmerich is made possible by the critical edition by Bollmann and Staubach:
Bollmann, Anne, Nikolaus Staubach, and St. Agnes-Konvent in Emmerich. 1998. Schwesternbuch und Statuten des St. Agnes-Konvents in Emmerich. Emmerich]: Emmericher Geschichtsverein.
The original medieval manuscript of this Sister Book was lost in WWII. A copy of a transcription made in 1921-1922 by Wilhelm Richter, a theology student and late pastor, is available: Emmerich, Stadtarchiv, DE 44.
** The translation below is a work in progress.
Contents Below
- Authorship, Function, and Genre of the Sister Book
- Notes on pagination, foliation, column breaks, etc.
Translation of the Sister Book
Introduction to the Text
Authorship, Function, and Genre
Bollmann and Staubach argue persuasively that this Sister Book was authored by Mechtelt Smeeds, a mother of the community and the natural sister of Geertruijt Smeeds, whose vite (in Dutch, Cf. Latin vita) is the very last entry in the Sister Book. (See Bollmann and Staubach, “Einleitung,” 15-17).
Bollmann and Staubach also point out that the genre of the Sister Book was intended to fulfill a certain purpose that could not be achieved with the many other various texts available to the Sisters. Specifically, the genre of the Sister Book combined hagiographical and exemplary literature — intended to inspire and exhort — along with the history and memorial witness of the cloister and of the larger community of the Modern Devout — intended to develop a sense of identity and belonging. (See Bollmann and Staubach, “Einleitung,” 17).
Notes on pagination, foliation, column breaks, etc.
All the following are copied over from the critical edition by Bollmann and Staubach, with the following caveat: in the English translation below, pagination, foliation, and column breaks are marked without interrupting complete words; therefore, some are approximate rather than exact.
- Richter’s pagination is identified in parenthesis with a capital R: (R4).
- The foliation of the original manuscript as reported by Richter is identified in parentheses with recto & verso: (1r).
- Breaks between columns are marked with a forward slash: /.
Page numbers corresponding to the critical edition by Bollmann and Staubach are noted inside en dashes: -38-.
Translation of the Sister Book
-38-
Prologue
(1r) Here begins the prologue of the book of the sisters of St. Agnes in Emmerich of St. Augustine’s rule. The life and [spiritual] journeying of the honor-worthy (venerable), god-serving (god-fearing) sisters at Emmerich of the St. Agnes cloister, which cloister was established and founded in the year of our Lord 1419.
So have I taken [up] for myself [the task] to write a little to the honor of God and the Virgin Maria, and to the praise of those who experienced it [lived through the foundation of the cloister], to the edification of those who came after, to the comfort of all believing souls. And because I am simple and / unlearned, so I desire, that those who read or hear it, not to despise it, but that they esteem (regard) the life and the virtues of those, who are described in this book – their obedience and humility, their meekness and patience, their poverty and sobriety, their pure simpleness and willing readiness to all work and their fiery desire to all virtues – and [who] have conformed and ordered their lives according to the example of our dear lord Jesus Christ in humble subordination to their superiors.
And so that I may compile it more suitably according to [proper] order (R4), so I want to begin first with our honor-worthy (1v) father and mother superiors who have died, and thereafter the sisters, each one [according to the date] when they died, the one after the other, each uniquely, [both those] without order and in the order [i.e., conversae and choir nuns], so that we might follow after their example and virtues, which they have gone before us, which our lord Jesus Christ bestowed on us.
Amen.
-39-
1. Willem Blijfer, Pater († 1464)
Here begins the life and wandering of the honorworthy Heer Willem Blyfer, the first father of this convent.
In the name of our dear lord Jesus Christ, so I want with the help of God, to write a little about our honor-worthy father Heer Willem Blyffer, how he lived here the / time that he resided with us. And before he came here, so he lived in Deventer in the Heer Florens House. He was born from rich distinguished parents of Doesboerch, but neither his parents nor any temporal good could hold him in the world. But he held them as despised and went to Deventer with fiery (ardent) desire and great humility.
And there was his life and his wandering so god-serving and edifying without reproach, so that he was sent here by the command of his honor-worthy father Heer Gert ten Toern, so that he should govern this convent and bring it into a good existence. Which he very faithfully did and did not spare himself in anything. For (R5;2r) he was a god-fearing holy man and very diligent in the service of God. And particularly in his -40- masses wherein he was devout and very interior (ynnich). His preaching he did humbly and made clear the word of God with great honor-worthiness. He had the grace to listen in confession so that it was not tiresome to him, for he was exceedingly gentle and patient, very good-natured, so that no one needed to fear to confess or to reveal to him any thing, no matter what or how profound [their sins] were. For he was so truly fatherly, that he always desired with good-naturedness, to draw the people from their sins and unvirtues. He did not spare himself in the [office of] confession, neither early nor late, but was / always ready and willing. And if it sometimes happened that he had had hard words with someone, he nevertheless did not leave it so; before he separated from that person, he reconciled himself [to them] again, and said: “Sister, forgive me, for I have already forgiven you and do not want to think about it any more either.” He used to say that it was by no means fitting that a spiritual father should stand in unlove with his children. And therein so he did as Saint Paul wrote: “He hated the faults and loved the persons of human beings.”
His heart was so full of godly love and also his fellow human beings, that his mouth did not speak anything but what promoted love. He had such great love (2v) for his subordinates, that he loved them all as though they had been his natural children, (R6) and not only did he care for their souls, but he also had care for their bodies and used to say as Saint Bernard wrote: “A human being shall hold his body, as though he should live always, and his soul, as though he should die tomorrow.” He said: “One shall feed the body with food, so that the spirit grows strong in the love of God and of one’s fellow human beings. O, if the human being understood and knew, how unpleasant unlove toward one’s fellow human beings is in the eyes of God, it should frighten him very much to come before God’s countenance.” Nothing was more difficult for him than that someone / -41- had unlove toward him, and he did as much about this as he possibly might; yes, he preferred to bow himself rather than giving anyone cause for any aversion, even though he was a worthy (venerable) prelate.
And herewith he did not lower himself but rather, much more, magnified and exalted himself in the eyes of God and in the herts of human beings, for he gave an example of perfect humility and therein he also proved that he did not teach with words unless he did it first with works, just as our dear lord Jesus Christ did and also taught his disciples to do. For that is the most perfect thing, that one first does what he teaches another to do, (3r) worthless and contemptible is the learning of those who teach another [to do something] and do not do it themselves.
He was also very sober in eating and drinking and did not desire to have anything special, (R7) but he said: “What the sisters eat and drink, I am also contented with that and do not want to have any costly or tasty privileges.” And if it happened that, because of his worthiness, one sometimes gave to him something better than to the sisters, he received that with great thankfulness and said: “I have not deserved it, that one does me this honor and reverence, for I am a servant of the children of God.” In this way, he always held himself small. Very humble was he in his habit, for he wore a simple, uncostly gray outer garment such as the sisters made for themselves; he often went about poorly with patched / clothing, just as if he wanted to say: “My richness is not of this world, but I work to obtain the richness that is without end, in which there is no sorrow nor poverty, but imperishable goods, which do not perish in eternity.” And in order to possess this good eternally, so he worked all his life and did much great work and particularly in this convent. For he did not spare himself in those things that he knew were of benefit to the sisters or the convent. He had such fatherly love for the sisters that he often called them ‘my children,’ just as the holy Saint John the Evangelist also did, who used to call his disciples his children, for that (3v) word ‘child’ is, in the ears of a subordinate, sweet and loving to hear out of the mouth of his superior. (R8) The love and unanimity (harmony) was so firmly rooted in his heart, that he not only did not like to do anyone any unpeace or unlove, but also when he perceived that someone was in unlove, so he did not leave it alone, until he brought them back into peace, and thought as it stands written: “The most difficult (bitter) skill which may be, is that one ovecome evil with good -42- and establish peace.”
He also used to say: “Oh children, hold onto love for one another, for you shall live with each other here and also hereafter as the angels in the heaven.” His greatest pleasure and joy was / the progress of the sisters in virtues and love to one another.
He also allowed the sisters’ friends come to them, and he was always very worthy and friendly to them, and he was no respecter of persons, but he could be pleasant with each one. He said: “Sisters, I grant you, that your friends come to you and that you have some pleasure with them, but see to it that you do not chat with them about useless idleness, but teach them something good and draw them to God and to the virtues. And with this, you shall help your friends the best, and they shall love you all the more.” Also, when he perceived, that the sisters needed any thing or were in want, he made it so that for those (4r) who were suffering, [their circumstances] were improved, for he did not want anyone to have lack, and said: “Therefore (R9) I will suffer lack, before I allow that my children do not have their necessities.”
Our dear lord Jesus Christ had given him such a gentle (meek) spirit, that he not only forbore that one did him injustice, but he also used – as the holy martyr Saint Steven did – also prayed for those who persecuted him or did him injustice. For he suffered exceedingly much from some of the superiors from the town and from the chapter of canons, which he forbore very gently (meekly) for the love of Christ. For he was a god-fearing holy man who sought nothing other than how he might please the Lord. / And therefore, this world did not have any cause to speak [badly] of him or against him, for the world did not please him, nor he the world. He took from the things of this world as very sparsely as he might.
And when he had governed this convent longer than 30 years in great peace and god-servingness, so our dear Lord visited him with sickness, so that he was not capable of the work of the governance. And then a fellow brother was given to him, named Heer Peter van Gendt, who also became father after him, whom he held in great love, but [the fact] that he should hear the sisters’ confession, that was very hard for him. But nevertheless, since he (4v) was counseled that it was for the best, so he yielded, but he said: “I desire first to speak with my children, if it is also agreeable to him.” Then one led him into the chapter house, [so] that he spoke with the sisters, and they said, now he was no longer capable of it, they would do (R10) what he counseled best before this. And so he let himself be contented and commanded Heer Peter to carry on his companionship [to the sisters]. But he said: “Nothing is harder for me than that I can not do it myself. I would still attempt to do more, but I am lacking the power; dear children, had I only the power, for truly love is stronger than death.” Oh, how well he might say that, for it was his power that failed him because / of the sickness rather than his good will, for he always desired to produce the fruit of souls, and in that, he did not spare himself at any time. And always when he used to hold the chapter [of faults], he was so so earnest to uproot and to correct the faults and unvirtues with fatherly punishment, for he hated the unvirtues and loved very much the good and the virtues. And when the time came that our dear Lord would bring him from the earthly realm and reward him for all the good works which he had done, so he became very heavily sick a few days before his death. But he remained very patient and long-suffering and he held onto his understanding until the very end, and he was concerned with the law of the holy (5r) church. And so he separated from here full of graces and virtues, in the year of our Lord 1464. And he was brought with great honor and worthiness to earth and buried with much sadness and crying, especially from his spiritual daughters. -44-