Expositiones Missae in MS Corbie 230 Three Commentaries on the Mass in a Carolingian Pastoral Compendium
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Expositiones Missae in MS Corbie 230 Three commentaries on the Mass in a Carolingian pastoral compendium Marian de Heer 3871142 Master thesis Ancient, Medieval and Renaissance Studies (track Medieval Studies) 11 June 2018 Supervisors: Dr. Carine van Rhijn, Universiteit Utrecht Prof. Dr. Els Rose, Universiteit Utrecht List of contents 1. Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Introduction to Corbie 230 ........................................................................................................... 5 1.2 Status quaestionis ......................................................................................................................... 6 1.3 Questions ...................................................................................................................................... 8 1.4 Theoretical framework ................................................................................................................. 9 1.4.1 Manuscripts for pastoral care? ............................................................................................... 9 1.4.2 The social logic of texts ....................................................................................................... 11 1.5 Contents of this thesis ................................................................................................................. 12 2. Corbie 230 ....................................................................................................................................... 14 2.1 Corbie 230 .................................................................................................................................. 14 2.1.1 Short description and historiography of the manuscript ....................................................... 15 2.1.2 Dating and Provenance ........................................................................................................ 16 2.1.3 Contents ............................................................................................................................... 19 2.3 Intended use and users ................................................................................................................ 20 2.4 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................. 22 3. Expositiones Missae ........................................................................................................................ 24 3.1 Expositiones Missae ................................................................................................................... 24 3.1.1 Pre-Carolingian Mass commentaries ................................................................................... 25 3.1.2 Carolingian Expositiones Missae ......................................................................................... 27 3.2 Three Mass commentaries in Corbie 230 ................................................................................... 29 3.2.1 Dominus vobiscum............................................................................................................... 29 3.2.2 Primum in ordine ................................................................................................................. 32 3.2.3 Missa celebrare ................................................................................................................... 35 3.3 The Manuscript tradition ............................................................................................................ 37 3.3.1 Manuscripts ......................................................................................................................... 38 3.3.2 Flexibility of the “genre” ..................................................................................................... 39 3.4 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................. 42 4. Mass commentaries in Corbie 230 ................................................................................................ 43 4.1 Appearance and usability............................................................................................................ 43 4.1.1 Layout and appearance ........................................................................................................ 43 4.1.2 The canon missae ................................................................................................................ 45 4.1.3 Usability .............................................................................................................................. 47 4.2 Education of the priest ................................................................................................................ 49 2 4.2.1 Explaining the Te igitur in the Mass commentaries ............................................................. 51 4.2.2 What should a priest know about the Mass? ........................................................................ 54 4.2.3 “Nescio a quo doctore” ........................................................................................................ 57 4.3 The priest’s flock ........................................................................................................................ 59 4.3.1 Laity and the Mass in the early middle Ages ....................................................................... 59 4.3.2 Vox fidelium et credentium .................................................................................................. 62 4.4 Conclusion.................................................................................................................................. 65 5. Conclusion....................................................................................................................................... 67 Bibliography ....................................................................................................................................... 69 Appendix A: Corbie 230 .................................................................................................................... 75 Appendix B: List of manuscripts ...................................................................................................... 79 Appendix C: Headings and titles in Corbie 230 ............................................................................... 81 Appendix D: Visual aids and legibility ............................................................................................. 87 3 1. Introduction “Let a priest never celebrate Mass alone, because as it cannot be celebrated without the salutation of a priest, the response of the people, the admonition of the priest, and, again the response of the people, thus it ought never to be celebrated by one man alone. For there should be people to stand around him, to receive his salutation, to give responses to him, and to recall to him that saying of the Lord: “Wherever two or three shall be gathered in my name, there also am I in their midst.” Theodulf of Orléans, first capitulary, cap. 7.1 The ritual of the Mass, including the receiving of the communion, is one of the most important sacraments of the Christian church. Hence, when the Carolingian scholar Theodulf of Orléans (ca. 750- 821) wrote instructions for the priests in his diocese, several of his precepts concerned the ritual of the Mass; priests should educate their lay communities – referred to as “the people” – and admonish them to attend Mass regularly in a correct manner.2 In the seventh chapter of his precepts, Theodulf emphasized that both priest and laity should attend Mass and that Mass cannot be celebrated without the response of the people. The Admonitio generalis, an important capitulary issued by Charlemagne in 789, underlined the importance of the sacrament and encouraged bishops to examine priests in their diocese on the celebration of the Mass to see whether they properly understand the prayers of the Mass.3 This raises the following question: how were priests educated on the Mass during the Carolingian era? 1 Theodulf of Orléans, Capitula I, cap. 4: “Sacerdos missam solus nequaquam celebret, quia sicut illa celebrari non potest sine salutatione sacerdotis, responsione plebis, admonitione sacerdotis, responsione nihilominus plebis, ita nimirum nequaquam ab uno debet celebrari. Esse enim debent, qui ei circumstent, quos ille salutet, a quibus ei respondeatur. Et ad memoriam illi reducendum est illud dominicum: Ubicumque fuerint duo vel tres in nomine meo congregati, et ego in medio eorum.” (Matth. 18,20) P. Brommer ed., MGH Capitula Episcoporum I (Hanover 1984) 108. I used the translation of Theodulf’s first episcopal statute by G.E. McCracken and A. Cabaniss: The library of Christian Classics, Vol. IX: Early Medieval Theology (Philadelphia 1957) 95. 2 Chapters in Theodulf’s first episcopal statute that are concerned with Mass are cap. 5 (about the baking of the bread used in the Mass), cap. 6 (about women attending Mass), cap. 7 (the priest has to celebrate Mass with the people, not alone), cap. 11 (Mass should take place alone in churches), cap. 24 (on the celebration of Mass on Sundays), cap. 41 (on the celebration of Mass on Sundays in Lent), cap. 44 (people should take Mass regularly, except those who are excommunicated), cap. 45