Pastoral works : priests, books, and compilatory practices in the Carolingian period / Bastiaan Waagmeester

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Waagmeester, Bastiaan, author.

Series:

Utrecht studies in medieval literacy ; 64.

Utrecht Studies in Medieval Literacy ; 64

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Catholic Church--Liturgy--Texts--History and criticism.

Catholic Church.

Catholic Church--Liturgy--Manuscripts.

Catholic Church--Liturgy--History--Middle Ages, 600-1500.

Manuscripts, Medieval.

Physical Description:

xxi, 328 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Turnhout, Belgium : Brepols, [2025]

Summary:

"Much of the Christian empire established by the Carolingians in the eighth century was not only built through royal initiative, but also through the work of local priests. Living among the laity, these clerics provided pastoral care and religious instruction. Yet despite their vital contribution to the development of Christianity in Western Europe, these clergymen and the communities they served remain understudied. This book investigates the manuscripts they used, offering a glimpse into everyday life around the local church. Far from being poor and illiterate, priests had access to texts specifically adapted to their needs. By examining how these materials were compiled, this study reveals what mattered most in the early medieval countryside. Drawing on excerpts from collections of liturgy, canon law, and patristic expositions -- often preserved in the great monastic and court libraries -- it uncovers the diversity of local religious practice. These texts reflect how the efforts instigated by Carolingians to foster 'good Christianity' were interpreted and implemented outside the centres of power. In exploring these seemingly modest manuscripts, this study opens new pathways into the world of the Carolingian local church and the people who inhabited it."--Page 4 of cover.

Notes:

"This book is based on the dissertation I submitted in October 2020 to the Philosophische Fakultät of Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen. I significantly revised the first and third chapters, and the second one is new. The remaining chapters, though shortened and supplemented with important new literature published after submission, remain largely unchaged." - Acknowledgements.

Dissertation Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen 2020.

ISBN:

9782503598048

2503598048

OCLC:

1560060307