Conspiring in Dreams: between Misdeeds and saving one’s Soul

Abstract

Thietmar, Bishop of Merseburg (1009-1018), was not an example of a virtuous, pious ecclesiastic; rather, he more closely exemplified an Amtsbischof and mentally anguished sinner. In the last book of his Chronicle, he narrates a dream in which he finds himself surrounded by a hostile crowd that incites him to consume a drink, which he considers suspicious and peculiar: allegedly, it causes him to feel unpleasant sensations while performing his duties. Thietmar believes this apparition (the crowd) is the result of his sinful weakness. The humility and exaggerated feelings of guilt shown by the chronicler have been properly attributed to the Christian fear of endangering the salvation of his soul. However, this concern is not an abstract one. I will analyse the textual framework within which the dream is narrated with the aim of assessing the role played by certain concrete situations related to local conflicts in fomenting Thietmar´s growing preoccupation with his salvation and the repercussions of his actions on his bishopric at large. In particular, I will point to Thietmar?s concern about restoring the rights of the see and insuring that it was well-administered.