DOCSLIB.ORG

Receiving the Council

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Receiving the Council Receiving the Council Receiving the Council Theological and Canonical Insights and Debates Ladislas Orsy A Michael Glazier Book LITURGICAL PRESS Collegeville, Minnesota www.litpress.org A Michael Glazier Book published by Liturgical Press Cover design by David Manahan, OSB. Photo © Ackab and Dreamstime.com Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, “Stellungnahme,” in Stimmen der Zeit 217 (1999) 169–72 and “Schlusswort zur Debatte mit Pater Orsy,” in Stimmen der Zeit 217 (1999) 420–22. © Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Reprinted with permission. © 2009 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or by any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America. 123456789 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Orsy, Ladislas M., 1921– Receiving the Council : theological and canonical insights and debates / Ladislas Orsy. p. cm. “A Michael Glazier book.” Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-8146-5377-7 1. Vatican Council (2nd : 1962–1965). 2. Catholic Church—History— 20th century. 3. Church renewal—Catholic Church. I. Title. BX8301962 .O89 2009 262'.52—dc22 2009028706 To the memory of ANGELO GIOVANNI RONCALLI BLESSED JOHN XXIII Era un papa che ti ha fatto sentire come una persona “He was a pope who made you feel like a person” (Remark by an anonymous ticket collector on a Roman bus, the morning afterPapa Giovanni left his people, June 4, 1963.) If Christianity be an universal religion, suited not simply to one locality or period but to all times and places, it cannot but vary in its relations and dealings towards the world around it, that is, it will develop. Principles require a very various application according as persons and circumstances vary, and must be thrown into new shapes according to the form of society which they are to influence. John Henry Newman An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine Chapter II, Section I, 3 Contents Acknowledgments ix Prologue xi Abbreviations xiv 1 In Praise of Communio: The Church in the Third Millennium 1 2 Episcopal Conferences: Communio among the Bishops 16 3 Discourse about the Laity: A Sacred Power 35 4 Toward the One Church of Christ: Has Ecumenism a Future? 46 5 Reception of the Laws: An Exercise in Communio 55 6 Law for Life: Canon Law after the Council 74 7 Justice in the Church: The Legal Wisdom of Our Age 91 8 Stability and Development in Canon Law: The Case of Definitive Doctrine 105 9 Definitive Doctrine and Ordinances Supporting It: Debating the Issues 115 10 In the Service of the Holy Spirit: The Ecclesial Vocation of Canon Lawyers 143 Epilogue 152 References 153 Bibliography 155 Index of Persons 160 Acknowledgments o whom am I indebted? I keep asking myself, and my memory responds by recalling good and learned persons who contributed to the develop- ment of my mind. To list them all would be fair but not feasible; to Tname a few is a matter of duty. In the past, at privileged times, I met teachers or friends (not with us any- more) who opened up new fields of vision for me and changed the direction of my thinking. The impact of such meetings never wore off. In the beginning of my academic studies, Alois Naber, S.J., from Germany, then professor of history of philosophy at the Gregorian University, Rome, introduced me to the fascinating story of Western philosophy from antiquity to modernity; his gentle and good-humored lectures are still guiding me on a field that otherwise I may have found a labyrinth with no exit. In my first encounter with theology, Leopold Malevez, S.J., professor of theology at Collège St. Albert de Louvain, Belgium, warned me against ever having a “hero” among theologians and taught me how to approach the mysteries independently and how to reach critically sound judgments using authentic sources—without following favored opin- ions. The admonition took: I never joined a school. When I was in Rome again, for the study of canon law, Peter Huizing, S.J., a native of the Netherlands, professor at the Gregorian University and an insightful historian, drew my attention to the fragility of human institutions even in the community of be- lievers, and to the ever-present temptation to revere the transient as if it were permanent. Further, I am indebted to Barry Nicholas, Esq., fellow and later Master of Brasenose College, Oxford, England; with his finely tuned expertise in comparative legal studies, he helped me to master the intricacies of common law and to give due attention to the empirical realities in the realm of law. Once I began teaching at the Gregorian University in Rome, I increasingly sensed the need to understand better “what it means to understand” and to find a method that could bring fresh water to parched minds—this happened in the vibrant years of the aggiornamento. I found in-house help: Bernard ix x Receiving the Council Lonergan, S.J., was professor of theology and an elder colleague of mine at the same institution. We conversed, and I studied his Insight. The result: I pro- gressed in the art of raising well-grounded and correctly directed questions, reached some new insights in my own field, and became more cautious in as- serting “the truth.” A lifelong gift. Now, from the past to the present. For many years Georgetown University Law Center, whose motto is “Law is but the means—justice is the end,” has given me an intellectual home: it is an “academy” of abundant insights and vigorous debates. Professor Judy Areen, Esq., former dean, invited me to join the school. Dean Alexander Aleinikoff, Esq., continued to support my work. Carol O’Neil, Esq., associate dean, took every opportunity to encourage my efforts. The Jesuit community at Georgetown University provided for all my needs: may my gratitude match their generosity. In particular Ronald Murphy, S.J., has been my literary counselor for years; he knows how to read beyond the lines and communicate wisdom with style. Throughout all my teaching years, curious students kept my mind alert with their questions. But how to thank such benefactors who come and go? I hereby propose that in the quadrangle of every university a monument should be erected dedicated to the “Anonymous Inquiring Students” who keep the teach- ers’ minds fresh. Waiting for that, let this paragraph do the honors. In the preparation of the manuscript many pairs of eyes and hands helped me: Megan Hall, Esq., and Joshua Kellemen, my research assistants, worked long days and weeks in editing the chapters. Sharon Doku, Esq., as research assistant, and Dr. Josie Ryan, as volunteer, shared the intense labor of the last revisions. From Liturgical Press, Hans Christoffersen watched over the progress of my work and made sure of its timely completion. Mary Stommes provided good advice for style and content. Dr. Linda Maloney rendered into English sensitive German documents. To all generous givers, named or not, my heartfelt thanks. Prologue very time Christians gather and make their profession of faith, reciting the symbolum composed by the councils of Nicea (325) and Constan- tinople (381), they implicitly proclaim their faith in the power of the Eecumenical councils. After all, two of those councils composed the well-known Creed. Such gatherings of the bishops are mysterious events in the history of God’s dealing with his people. The councils appear fully human, but, ever since their beginnings in 325 in Nicea, the communities perceive them as authentic wit- nesses of faith—assisted by the Spirit of Christ and endowed with a gift of -fi delity to the evangelical message. Vatican Council II, which opened on October 11, 1962, was no less an ecumenical council than any other held in the first or second millennium (twenty of them)—no matter how different it may have been in its style and orientation. It had its human moments in conflicts and compromises, but ul- timately it was an intensely creative period in faith seeking (and finding!) understanding—fides quaerens intellectum. The day of its closing, December 8, 1965, was both a conclusion and a be- ginning. The bishops went home; their special task ended. Now the people must continue the search for understanding, reach new insights, proclaim the message in a fresh way so as to bring light to the nations and to bring hope to those who are sitting in the shadow of death. In this venture, the people are no less assisted by the Spirit than was the Council. Of course, the human struggles continue: dissonant voices are heard and fierce fights are fought—just as it happened among the bishops assembled. But ultimately the Spirit of God “hovers over this world” and does not—will not—fail to assist God’s servants. Our times are the times for the reception of the Council. No less is asked from us, both individuals and communities, than to enter into the dynamics of the Council and to undergo a conversion to a new vision and new practices. xi xii Receiving the Council My intent for this book is to speak about this fresh vision and then to point to new and needed practices that correspond to the vision. Reflective as my chapters may be, experience played its part in their conception. I had the op- portunity to witness the event of the Council and to follow its development from its convocation to its end.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Just As the Priests Have Their Wives”: Priests and Concubines in England, 1375-1549
    “JUST AS THE PRIESTS HAVE THEIR WIVES”: PRIESTS AND CONCUBINES IN ENGLAND, 1375-1549 Janelle Werner A dissertation submitted to the faculty of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History. Chapel Hill 2009 Approved by: Advisor: Professor Judith M. Bennett Reader: Professor Stanley Chojnacki Reader: Professor Barbara J. Harris Reader: Cynthia B. Herrup Reader: Brett Whalen © 2009 Janelle Werner ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT JANELLE WERNER: “Just As the Priests Have Their Wives”: Priests and Concubines in England, 1375-1549 (Under the direction of Judith M. Bennett) This project – the first in-depth analysis of clerical concubinage in medieval England – examines cultural perceptions of clerical sexual misbehavior as well as the lived experiences of priests, concubines, and their children. Although much has been written on the imposition of priestly celibacy during the Gregorian Reform and on its rejection during the Reformation, the history of clerical concubinage between these two watersheds has remained largely unstudied. My analysis is based primarily on archival records from Hereford, a diocese in the West Midlands that incorporated both English- and Welsh-speaking parishes and combines the quantitative analysis of documentary evidence with a close reading of pastoral and popular literature. Drawing on an episcopal visitation from 1397, the act books of the consistory court, and bishops’ registers, I argue that clerical concubinage occurred as frequently in England as elsewhere in late medieval Europe and that priests and their concubines were, to some extent, socially and culturally accepted in late medieval England.
    [Show full text]
  • Religiousbookclub
    pg0164_RBC Lent Easter2021 12/15/2020 9:46 AM Page 65 Selection • Savings • Service • Inside & Online Lent/Easter 2021 ReligiousThe BookClub SAVE $ Study with one of the most popular theologians! 57 SAVE Systematic Theology, Second Edition— $58 Video Lecture Bundle The New Testament in Its World— Wayne Grudem Video Lecture Bundle Keeping technical terms to a minimum, Grudem serves up a thorough overview of Chris tian beliefs. Blending el- N.T. Wright & Michael F. Bird ements of intellectual and spiritual formation, this best- “Highly readable. Brings together decades of ground- selling text illuminates the knowing and doing of theology. breaking research into one volume that will open readers’ Features cross-referenced bibliographies. Now all quotations eyes to the larger world. It presents the New Testament are taken from the ESV. Includes 1,718-page hardcover, books as historical, literary, and social phenomena located DVDs, workbook, and laminated study sheet. Zondervan. in the world of Second Temple Judaism, amidst Greco- Roman politics and culture,”—Englewood Review of Books. SY0119883 Retail $149.99 . .RBC $92.99 Includes 992-page hardcover, DVDs, and workbook. Words of Life— SY0119906 Retail $139.99 . .RBC $81.49 DVD Curriculum Hope in Times Adam Hamilton of Fear Hamilton, senior pastor of one of the fastest Timothy Keller growing churches “Keller’s work belongs on in the country, the bookshelf of every se- brings us an as- rious Bible student. It is tounding con- not a quick read, but, in- temporary reflec- stead, should be savored tion on the Ten like fine wine, one sip at Commandments. a time, to glean the full Juxtaposing scientific impact of his life-changing research and psychology message,”—Examiner.
    [Show full text]
  • Stages of Papal Law
    Journal of the British Academy, 5, 37–59. DOI https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/005.037 Posted 00 March 2017. © The British Academy 2017 Stages of papal law Raleigh Lecture on History read 1 November 2016 DAVID L. D’AVRAY Fellow of the British Academy Abstract: Papal law is known from the late 4th century (Siricius). There was demand for decretals and they were collected in private collections from the 5th century on. Charlemagne’s Admonitio generalis made papal legislation even better known and the Pseudo-Isidorian collections brought genuine decretals also to the wide audience that these partly forged collections reached. The papal reforms from the 11th century on gave rise to a new burst of papal decretals, and collections of them, culminating in the Liber Extra of 1234. The Council of Trent opened a new phase. The ‘Congregation of the Council’, set up to apply Trent’s non-dogmatic decrees, became a new source of papal law. Finally, in 1917, nearly a millennium and a half of papal law was codified by Cardinal Gasparri within two covers. Papal law was to a great extent ‘demand- driven’, which requires explanation. The theory proposed here is that Catholic Christianity was composed of a multitude of subsystems, not planned centrally and each with an evolving life of its own. Subsystems frequently interfered with the life of other subsystems, creating new entanglements. This constantly renewed complexity had the function (though not the purpose) of creating and recreating demand for papal law to sort out the entanglements between subsystems. For various reasons other religious systems have not generated the same demand: because the state plays a ‘papal’ role, or because the units are small, discrete and simple, or thanks to a clear simple blueprint, or because of conservatism combined with a tolerance of some inconsistency.
    [Show full text]
  • Moral Theology and Canon Law: the Quest for a Sound Relationship Ladislas Orsy, S.J
    Theological Studies 50 (1989) MORAL THEOLOGY AND CANON LAW: THE QUEST FOR A SOUND RELATIONSHIP LADISLAS ORSY, S.J. The Catholic University of America HE PROBLEM: alienation. For all disinterested observers, it is a well- Tknown fact that at present the relationship between canon law and moral theology is at best disturbed, at worst downright nonexistent. Yet there should be an organic unity between the two. After all, moral theology defines many of the values canon law is promoting, and canon law creates obligations which have far-reaching consequences in the field of morality. Thus mutual understanding and a well-balanced relationship should be in the interest of both parties. The origins of this present-day alienation are found in the past history of the two sciences. To listen to the moralists, their theology has suffered badly at the hands of the canonists: they tried to make it into a thinly disguised branch of jurisprudence.1 To listen to the canonists, the nature of their rules and regulations has been misunderstood by the moralists: they tended to make them into divine precepts with appropriate sanc­ tions, including eternal damnation.2 All such accusations are, of course, simplifications. Nonetheless, among the unfair generalizations there is a grain of truth. Many times in history the two sciences encroached on each other's field, and by the introduction 1 The historical development of moral theology—certainly in the last 400 years—was closely tied to the administration of the sacrament of penance. Its main aim was to give guidance to confessors, especially for the purpose of assessing the right amount of penance.
    [Show full text]
  • Stability and Development in Canon Law and the Case of "Definitive" Teaching
    Georgetown University Law Center Scholarship @ GEORGETOWN LAW 2001 Stability and Development in Canon Law and the Case of "Definitive" Teaching Ladislas M. Örsy Georgetown University Law Center, [email protected] Vol. 76 Notre Dame Law Review, Page 865 (2001). Reprinted with permission. © Notre Dame Law Review, University of Notre Dame. This paper can be downloaded free of charge from: https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub/569 76 Notre Dame L. Rev. 865-879 (2001) This open-access article is brought to you by the Georgetown Law Library. Posted with permission of the author. Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.georgetown.edu/facpub Part of the Religion Law Commons STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT IN CANON LAW AND THE CASE OF "DEFINITIVE" TEACHING Ladislas Orsy, SJ!:~ The beginning of knowledge is wonder, wonder provoked by a puzzle whose pieces do not seem to fit together. We do have such an on-going puzzle in canon law; it is the prima facie conflict between the demand of stability and the imperative of development. Stability is an essential quality of any good legal system because a community's lav{s are an expression of its identity, and there is no identity without permanency. Many times we hear in the United States that we are a country held together by our laws. Although the statement cannot be the full truth, it is obvious that if our laws ever lost their stability, the nation's identity would be imperiled. In a relig­ ious community where the source of its identity is in the common memory of a divine revelation, the demand for stability is even stronger.
    [Show full text]
  • Catholic Clergy There Are Many Roles Within the Catholic Church for Both Ordained and Non-Ordained People
    Catholic Clergy There are many roles within the Catholic Church for both ordained and non-ordained people. A non-ordained person is typically referred to as a lay person, or one who is not a member of the clergy. One who is ordained is someone who has received the sacrament of Holy Orders. In the Catholic Church only men may be ordained to the Clergy, which sets us apart from other Christian denominations. The reasoning behind this is fairly straightforward; Since God himself, in His human form of Jesus Christ, instituted the priesthood by the formation of the 12 Apostles which were all male, The Church is bound to follow His example. Once a man is ordained, he is not allowed to marry, he is asked to live a life of celibacy. However married men may become ordained Deacons, but if their wife passes away they do not remarry. It’s very rare, but there are instances of married men being ordained as priests within the Catholic Church. Most are converts from other Christian denominations where they served in Clerical roles, look up the story of Father Joshua Whitfield of Dallas Texas. At the top of the Catholic Clergy hierarchy is the Pope, also known as the Vicar of Christ, and the Bishop Rome. St. Peter was our very first Pope, Jesus laid his hands upon Peter and proclaimed “upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” ~MT 16:18. Our current Pope is Pope Francis, formally Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina.
    [Show full text]
  • The Reception of Receptive Ecumenism
    Ecclesiology 17 (2021) 7-28 The Reception of Receptive Ecumenism Gregory A. Ryan Assistant Professor (Research), Department of Theology and Religion, Durham University, Durham, UK [email protected] Abstract Receptive Ecumenism (re) has been presented as a distinctive ecumenical approach for nearly fifteen years, and it is eight years since Paul Avis asked the critical question, ‘Are we Receiving Receptive Ecumenism?’ The main part of this essay addresses that question by surveying the different ways in which re has been received in the academy, in ecumenical bodies, and in the life of the churches. A shorter section then outlines a proposal for viewing re in a wider ecclesiological context, rather than simply as an ecumenical practice. The essay primarily focuses on resources developed since 2012 in order to assess the breadth and depth of contemporary reception of re, and potential future developments. Keywords Receptive Ecumenism – ecumenical movement – methodology – dialogue – ecclesial learning – Roman Catholic Church – arcic iii The twenty-first-century phenomenon of ‘Receptive Ecumenism’ (re)1 has been recognised at the highest levels of ecumenical endeavour. Echoing the ‘irrevocable commitment’, stated by Pope John Paul ii in Ut Unum Sint, the 1 Although a number of its intuitions and principles have recognisable roots in earlier ecumenical and ecclesiological thinking, re as a distinctive approach emerged from Paul Murray’s work at Durham University in 2004–2005 and an initial colloquium at Ushaw College in January 2006. © Gregory A. Ryan, 2021 | doi:10.1163/17455316-bja10008 This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the prevailingDownloaded cc-by 4.0 from license.
    [Show full text]
  • G:\ADULT Quizaug 2, 2020.P65
    ‘TEST YOUR FAITH ’ QUIZ FOR ADULTS August 2, 2020 “ O F P O P E S A ND C A R D I N A L S” Msgr. Pat Stilla (Scroll down to pages 2 & 3 for the correct answers ) T F 1. “The Vatican ” is an Italian City under the jurisdiction of the City of Rome. T F 2. St. Peter is buried under the central Papal altar in St. Peter’s Basilica. T F 3. “Roman Pontiff”, which is one of the Pope’s titles literally means, “Roman Bridge Builder”. T F 4. The Pope, who is sometimes called, the “Vicar of Christ”, is always dressed in white, because Christ wore a white robe when He walked the earth. T F 5. When one is elected Pope, his new name is chosen by the Cardinals. T F 6. After St. Peter, the name, “Peter” has never been chosen as a Pope’s name. T F 7. The name most frequently chosen by a Pope after his election, has been “Benedict”, used 16 times. T F 8. Since the Pope is not only the “Holy Father” of the entire world but also the Bishop of Rome, it is his obligation to care for the Parishioners, Bishops, Diocesan Priests and Parish Churches of the Diocese of Rome. T F 9. The Pope’s Cathedral as Bishop of Rome is St. Peter’s Basilica. T F 10. One little known title of the Pope is, “Servant of the servants of God”. T F 11. “Cardinal“ comes from a Greek word which means, a “Prince of the Church”.
    [Show full text]
  • Ad Limina Apostolorum
    4 PEOPLE of GOD february 2020 The Region XIII Quinquennial Visit “Ad Limina Apostolorum” the bishops will speak with When visiting the Holy See part of the whole and yet Pope Francis and with the for these canonically required a whole part. And all the various cardinals of the Curia visits, I am reminded of the “whole parts” come together to discuss matters relevant fact that the Archdiocese of to form the whole Roman to their dioceses and to the Santa Fe is a local Church Catholic Church. In short, the universal Church. These visits that is part of the universal Church is greater than the have a rich history, dating Roman Catholic Church. sum of its parts but the parts back to 1585 when Pope There is a healthy tension are not lacking in their true Sixtus V established norms here which is important to identity as Church. that are still followed today. keep in mind. All of the local As you might expect, As I mentioned above, we churches throughout the when the mystery of the bishops will meet with Pope world comprise and form the Church is looked at from Francis and then enter into entire Catholic Church with an administrative point of discussions with the various the pope as our universal view, tensions arise. Some departments, or dicasteries, pastor. At the same time, parts of our Catholic history of the Curia. These will the pope, as Bishop of have tended more toward a include the Secretary of Rome, while he enjoys the centralized Church where uring the second State, the Doctrine of the Petrine Office, is one with Rome plays a huge part in the full week of Faith, Clergy, Divine Worship, all the bishops of the world life of all the local Churches.
    [Show full text]
  • The Returning Warrior and the Limits of Just War Theory
    THE RETURNING WARRIOR AND THE LIMITS OF JUST WAR THEORY R.J. Delahunty Professor of Law University of St. Thomas School of Law* In this essay, I seek to explore a Christian tradition that is nei- ther the just war theory nor pacifism. Unlike pacifism, this tradi- tion teaches that war is a necessary and inescapable aspect of the human condition, and that Christians cannot escape from engaging in it. Unlike just war theory, this tradition holds that engaging in war is intrinsically sinful, however justifiable that activity may be considered to be in the light of human law, morality or reason. Mi- chael Walzer captured the essence of this way of thinking in a cele- brated essay on the problem of “dirty hands.”1 Although Walzer’s essay was chiefly about political rather than military action, he rightly observed that there was a strand in Christian reflection that saw killing, whether in a just or unjust war, as defiling or even sin- ful, even if it conformed to moral and legal standards. That tradi- tion, though subordinate, still survives in Christian, especially Lu- theran, thought. The Church’s thought about war and peace went through sever- al phases before finally settling on the just war theory. Throughout much of the Middle Ages, the Church’s approach to war was pri- marily pastoral and unsystematic. Although opinions varied widely depending on the circumstances, the early medieval Church was commonly skeptical of the permissibility of killing in warfare. Ra- ther, the Church at that time tended to the view that killing – even in a just war – was sinful and required penance.
    [Show full text]
  • Titles, Terms, Ministries
    Titles, Terms, Ministr ies And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. ~ Ephesians 4:11-12 EOPLE WHO BECOME PART of an organization after their principal cities. Each diocese is headed always have a new vocabulary to learn. The by its own bishop, who has his own authority as a Catholic Church, which is nearly 2,000 years successor to the apostles — that is, he is not a subor- Pold, has developed a tremendous number of dinate of the Pope, even though he is appointed by terms covering every aspect of its activity. This hand- him, but exercises his “pastoral office over the por- out provides a guide to some tion of the People of God of the more common ones “A bishop is the chief shepherd assigned”13 to him (CCC that might be encountered. of a diocese.” 886). Provinces are groups For the sake of simplicity, of dioceses organized un- the following refers almost der an archdiocese, head- exclusively to the Latin rite, ed by an archbishop (also to which most English-speak- called a metropolitan). ing Catholics belong. Bishops of dioceses under Most people know that an archdiocese are called the head of the Catholic suffragan bishops (that is, Church, its supreme au- they may vote in provin- thority on earth, is the Pope cial councils). The bishop (from Latin and Greek for of a diocese is often called “father”). The Pope is also the ordinary, that is, the known as the Supreme Pon- one who exercises “ordi- tiff, a term that derives from nary jurisdiction” over a the Latin title of the chief diocese.
    [Show full text]
  • Abstract BAZEMORE, JR., MICHAEL GLEN. Wellsprings of Heresy
    Abstract BAZEMORE, JR., MICHAEL GLEN. Wellsprings of Heresy: Monks, Myth and Making Manichaeans in Orléans and Aquitaine. (Under the direction of Dr. Julie Mell.) The execution of a number of clerics at Orléans in 1022 is viewed as a watershed moment in the history of heresy in the West. Five documents bear witness to the events, and each presents problems for historians. The accounts of Adémar of Chabannes and Paul of St Père de Chartres have received more attention than others, since they hint at the presence of dualist heretics in France, whom some historians have sought to link to the dualist Bogomils of Bulgaria and the Byzantine Empire. Though the consensus on the origins of heretics in France has shifted to emphasize local conditions in the emergence of heresy, recent document discoveries have revived the debate. Most prominent of these is the so-called “Letter of Héribert” describing seemingly dualist heretics in Périgord. Previously believed to a twelfth century document, it has recently been discovered in an eleventh-century version. This thesis argues that the “Letter” describes not dualist heretics, but conscientious Christians taking responsibility for their own salvation. It further contends that this group can be identified as the “Manichaeans” whom Adémar of Chabannes describes as appearing in Aquitaine in 1018, and that when he applied the same label to the heretics of Orléans, he was not truly describing the latter group. The similarities between the doctrines adduced to the heretics and those of the Bogomils are considered, and it is argued that these are due to the influence of Orthodox monks on their Western brethren.
    [Show full text]