Order in the church: understanding councils and performing ordines in the Carolingian world
Rutger Kramer
This article takes a fresh look at Carolingian councils through the prism of Ordines de Celebrando Concilio. Presenting themselves as instructions on how to hold councils, such ordines in part act prescriptive texts aimed ensuring that liturgical framework around these meetings would guarantee credibility their conclusions – thus creating an image ecclesiastical unity reflected both and written records. By probing beyond directions, it is here argued also maintaining open, safe climate for holding debates could actually push agenda effectuate useful correctio. The nature not only enlarged scale which participants individual saw operate, but served ensure purity pastoral authority discussants remained inviolate.
Early Medieval Europe