The Manuscripts of Leo the Great’s Letters. The Transmission and Reception of Papal Documents in Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages. By Matthew J.J.Hoskin. Instrumenta patristica et mediaevalia 83. Turnhout: Brepols. 2022. 516 pp. ISBN 987 2 503 58966 4; e‐ISBN 978 2 503 58967 1.
Rosamond McKitterick
The Life of Pope Leo I (440–61) in the sixth-century serial biography popes known as Liber pontificalis notes that ‘despatched many letters on faith which are kept safe today archive’ (‘multas epistolas fidei misit . quae hodie reconditae archivo tenentur’), and goes to explain a number these confirmed synod Chalcedon – twelve Marcian, thirteen Emperor Leo, nine Bishop Flavian, eighteen bishops throughout east. As Matthew Hoskin explains, it was not just Leo’s theology were treasured, but also those responding matters church life discipline. From sixth century onwards, letters, along with other early popes, can be found variety contexts, least compilations appear have been prepared dossiers relating particular arguments or for occasions, commonly regarded canon law collections. There has spate attention such recent years, volumes epistolography, formation letter collections author anthologies, didactic literary collections, groupings based recipients, third-party take their own, archival is ‘shift genre’ focus, when papal one individual issue became ‘decretal’ wider application, well studies tackle manuscripts codicology, asking who did compiling, when, where, what purpose resources hand. Hoskin’s important book complements all this work by scholars Bronwen Neil, Pauline Allen, Geoffrey Dunn, Ralph Mathisen, Ian Wood, Dominic Moreau, Klaus Herbers Achim Thomas Hack. achieves precisely he sets out do, namely, provide an analysis containing way mapping letters’ transmission reception Middle Ages. His intended Prolegomena new critical edition replace provided Ballerini brothers 1750s (reprinted J.P. Migne’s Patrologia Latina). generously acknowledges, good, more come light, produced within death, editions add letters. indicate complex pattern reception, may included participation officials Rome, only earliest centuries even under fifteenth-century popes. exposes multitude contexts read, copied, reorganized, augmented excerpted period from fifth fifteenth centuries. He documents interweavings groups interrelated manuscripts. able expose dual legacy theological discussions preservation his pronouncements pastoral, disciplinary clerical tradition. highlights assemblies particularly influential history, late (some nevertheless extant eighth- ninth-century manuscripts), notably Quesnelliana, Sanblasiana, Corbeiensis, Dionysiana, Dionysio-Hadriana, Hispana, pseudo-Isidorean ‘Decretals’ descendants. occurrence singly, principal manuscripts, gives welcome role Codex Grimanica (Paris, Bibliothèque Mazarine, 1645) contains 104 arranged chronologically, Ratisbonensis 72 (Munich, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Clm 14540). In addition study career major printed divides survey into sections analysing identifies pre-Carolingian canonical (even though most cases manuscript eighth later), Chalcedonian Greek transmission, abundant Carolingian tradition post-Carolingian (which include both twelfth-century expansion copies made context papacy) Conciliar movement. further indication information any subsequent will need record, provides tables accompany textual variants diverse witnesses, using control, comments shared. addition, there invaluable conspectus (pp. 406–64) each 173 (the figure includes 30 whose authorship doubted), note lost spuria. array admirable clarity methodical consistency. Like so texts Rome Ages, peculiarity I’s Frankish and, indeed, Carolingian. degree himself successors had distinct recipients heirs needs considered further, does interesting observation bifurcation primarily branches how relate dissemination sermons. notion ‘proto’ useful. enterprise designed pursue codicological described. Indeed, single-minded respect rarely indicating else contains. Nor space consider motivation behind rationale selection. focus text suggest about links connections history. Nevertheless, exposition means, amply meticulously documented, others investigate manner, example, Remensis recently investigated M. Eber, S. Esders, D. Ganz T. Stuber (‘Selection Presentation Texts Early Medieval Canon Law Collections: Approaching Remensis, Berlin Staatsbibliothek Phillipps 1743’, Scholz G. Schwedler (eds), Creative Selection between Emending Forming Memory (Berlin 2020), pp. 105–36). One oddity presentation index. It bizarre arrangement shelf marks, apparently done automatic ‘sort’ without adjustment, sequence beginning 1 given priority. Munich list five-figure marks ‘1’ before four-figure ones, Paris gr. 1115 comes 415, etc. Further, could perhaps consideration categorization problem ‘canon law’ itself. has, however, covered impressive amount ground present useful compendium information. knowledge understanding
Early Medieval Europe