Description
Book SynopsisNew Discourses in Medieval Canon Law Research offers a new narrative for medieval canon law history which avoids the pitfall of teleological explanations by taking seriously the multiplicity of legal development in the Middle Ages and the divergent interests of the actors involved. The contributors address the still dominant ‘master narrative’, mainly developed by Paul Fournier and enshrined in his magisterial Histoire de collections canoniques. They present new research on pre-Gratian canon collection, Gratian’s Decretum, decretal collections, but also hagiography, theology, and narrative sources challenging the standard account; a separate chapter is devoted to Fournier’s model and its genesis. New Discourses thus brings together specialized research and broader questions of who to write the history of church law in the Middle Ages. Contributors are Greta Austin, Katheleen G. Cushing, Stephan Dusil, Tatsushi Genka, John S. Ott, Christof Rolker, Danica Summerlin, Andreas Thier and John C. Wei.
Trade Review"...the valuable historiographical and methodological reflection provided in this volume makes it a must-read for anyone interested in canon law, theology, and church history in the eleventh and twelfth centuries". John Burden, in The Medieval Review 20.05.05 (2020). The full review is accessible at this link: https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/tmr/index. "Christof Rolker has edited an excellent volume of essays on research on canon law in the long twelfth century [...] this volume represents an important engagement and challenge to long-standing assumptions. Every scholar of law and the papacy in this period should consult the volume, and it should give sobriety and pause to those wishing to make a long-lasting mark on scholarship". Atria A. Larson, in Speculum 95/3, July 2020.
Table of ContentsContents Abbreviations Notes on Contributors Introduction Christof Rolker and Andreas Thier 1 Fournier’s Model and Its Merits Christof Rolker 2 Law and Reform: The Transmission of Burchard of Worms’ Liber decretorum Kathleen G. Cushing 3 New Narratives for the Gregorian Reform Greta Austin 4 Clerical Networks and Canon Law: The Beauvais Election Controversy of 1100–04 John S. Ott 5 The Role of Hagiography in the Development of Canon Law in the Reform Era Tatsushi Genka 6 Of Scholasticism and Canon Law: Narratives Old and New John C. Wei 7 The Decretum of Gratian: A Janus-Faced Collection Stephan Dusil 8 Using the ‘Old Law’ in Twelfth-Century Decretal Collections Danica Summerlin 9 Canon Law before Gratian: A Bibliographical Appendix Christof Rolker General Index
