Martin Luther and the Ratmouse Monks
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iKwUqN-TX_euh_GCUyTQCPuc6TxjwEWL/view?usp=drive_link
"They were talking for a time about the monks' great power they used to have. Dr. Luther said: 'The monks were the columns of the papacy, they carried the Pope, just like the rats carry their king.’
Similarly, Dr. M. Luther said: 'I have been the quicksilver of our Lord God, which he threw into the pond, that is, among the monks.’
Likewise, Dr. M. Luther said: 'The Barefoot Monks are properly the lice that the devil sets on the skin of our Lord God; the black shield they carry up top is the pretense of penitence. The preaching monks, however, are the fleas; they have been biting each other eternally.’”
Human qualities like quickness, mobility, elusiveness or being hard to pin down could be compared to the flowing yet weighty nature of quicksilver in analogies and metaphors of that time period.
For example, describing someone as "like quicksilver" may have suggested they were slippery, changeable or difficult to grasp firmly. Think, "Slippery like an eel".
Now that we have established some of Luther's insults towards monks, let's look at Christian saints who were monks.
There are many Catholic saints who were monks throughout history. Here are notable examples:
1. St. Benedict (480-543): The founder of the Benedictine Order, St. Benedict is considered the patron saint of monks and monasticism. He established the Rule of St. Benedict, which is still followed by many monastic communities today.
2. St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153): A Cistercian monk and theologian, St. Bernard was a key figure in the reform of the Catholic Church during the 12th century. He was also a vocal advocate for the Second Crusade.
3. St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274): Although not a traditional monk, St. Thomas was a Dominican friar who lived in a community of friars at the University of Paris. He wrote extensively on theology and philosophy, and is conside..
