Canons of the Third Lateran Council of 1179: Their Origins and Reception

The 1179 Lateran Council was the first of the great papal councils of the central Middle Ages, gathered to demonstrate the renewed unity of the Latin Church. Danica Summerlin demonstrates how conciliar decrees emerged from local disputes and were subjected to sifting and gradual integration into the local and scholarly consciousness, rather than papal mandates.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 330 pages
Publication date: 03 June 2021
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

The 1179 Lateran Council, convened by Alexander III, holds a significant place in the annals of medieval history. It was regarded as the inaugural of a series of pivotal papal councils that marked the central Middle Ages. The gathering of hundreds of bishops and other ecclesiastical dignitaries aimed to showcase the renewed solidarity of the Latin Church, a goal that resonated deeply among contemporaries. Within the confines of this council, profound discussions and debates unfolded, addressing the laws and challenges that the church faced at the time. In her comprehensive evaluation of the conciliar decrees issued during that era, Danica Summerlin sheds light on the intricate process through which these decrees emerged. Contrary to the perception of them as sweeping mandates imposed by papal authority, Summerlin reveals that they originated from local disputes that underwent a meticulous sifting and gradual integration into the local and scholarly consciousness. This process mirrors the way in which other contemporary legal texts were developed and disseminated. Instead of being automatically obeyed due to the inherent papal authority, conciliar decrees should be understood as representative of the ongoing dialogues between the papacy, its representatives, local bishops, clerics, and scholars. Through this lens, Summerlin unveils the nuanced and complex nature of the church's legal and theological developments during the central Middle Ages.

Weight: 468g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781108813846