ABSTRACT
In the fourteenth century as today, the appellation "Christian" provided only a rough idea of individual belief, even for that of the "average" believer. And Gower was hardly an average believer. Through his wide reading he had acquired evident knowledge not only of biblical narratives and injunctions but also of many ecclesiastical proclamations, as well as a substantial awareness of Church history and canon law. As perhaps one might expect of a man who lived at least the last three decades of his life in an Austin priory, Gower's ideas were greatly influenced by those of the priory's patron. Gower's evident curiosity about others' belief systems to the contrary, theological speculation per se, much beyond what he believed necessary for his own salvation, was never his focus. Tracing Gower's "religious" or "biblical" language to its sources does not inevitably illuminate an aspect of his beliefs. Such language can have many purposes in Gower's work.
