Description
Book SynopsisSince its earliest days, the Christian Church sought to draw up rules by which its members could live together in religious communities. Whilst those of Augustine (c.400 AD) and Benedict (c.530 AD) provided detailed guidance for monastic life, it took another two centuries for equivalent rules for secular clergy to become accepted on a wide scale. The earliest surviving set of comprehensive rules for canons are those written in the mid-eighth century by St Chrodegang (c.712-766), Bishop of Metz. Writing initially for secular clergy at Metz Cathedral, this work shows how Chrodegang''s rule borrowed much from the Benedictine tradition, dealing with many of the same concerns such as the housing, feeding and disciplining of members of the community and the daily routine of the divine offices. At a time when there was no consensus on how clergy should live - whether they should marry or were eligible to own property - Chrodegang''s rule provided clear guidance on such issues, and inspired
Trade Review'... provides a useful and accessible place in which to study some important but often neglected early medieval documents.' Catholic Historical Review 'Students and teachers of medieval history will find this work a welcome source for the changing milieu of clerical common life in the early Middle Ages... The Latin is carefully translated into clear and comprehensible English, with many footnotes to satisfy the scholar.' American Benedictine Review
Table of ContentsContents: Foreword; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; The common life of the secular clergy; The Rule of Chrodegang; The Council of Aachen and the Canonical Institute; The Longer Rule; Bibliography; Index.
