Description
Book SynopsisFirst English translation of seminal essays on heresy and other aspects of medieval religious history. In the field of medieval religious history, few scholars have matched the originality of the German academic Herbert Grundmann (1902-1970). Trained at the University of Leipzig and president of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica from 1959 until his death, Grundmann published a series of brilliant books and articles that fundamentally reshaped how historians of culture and religion conceptualized the medieval past. Yet although later generations of scholarshave since approached their research from vantage points shaped by his arguments, few of his writings have been previously accessible to an Anglophone audience. This volume presents translations of six of Grundmann's most significant essays on the intertwined themes of medieval heresy, literacy, and inquisition. Together, they offer new access to Grundmann's scholarship, one which will catalyze new perspectives on the medieval religious past and enable a fresh consideration of his intellectual legacy in the twenty-first century. JENNIFER KOLPACOFF DEANE is Professor of History at the University of Minnesota, Morris.
Trade ReviewStudents of medieval religion not yet directly acquainted with Grundmann probably will be struck by how many familiar ideas they find here. Like reading Shakespeare for the first time, one can expect several "ah, that's where that comes from" moments. Those who already know the master's work will still appreciate these excellent translations. -- Michael D. Bailey * Speculum *
Table of ContentsIntroduction Note on the Text The Profile (Typus) of the Heretic in Medieval Perception Women and Literature in the Middle Ages: A Contribution on the Origins of Vernacular Writing Litteratus - Illiteratus: The Transformation of an Educational Standard from Antiquity to the Middle Ages Heresy Interrogations in the Late Middle Ages as a Source-Critical Problem Oportet et Haereses Esse: The Problem of Heresy in the Mirror of Medieval Biblical Exegesis Learned and Popular Heresies of the Middle Ages Herbert Grundmann (1902 - 1970) [by Arno Borst, annotations by Dr. Letha Böhringer] Bibliography of Herbert Grundmann Index
