Making Laws for a Christian Society: The Hibernensis and the Beginnings of Church Law in Ireland and Britain

This book explores how texts from Britain and Ireland contributed to the development of canon law in early medieval Europe, focusing on the evolution of insular texts and their influence on continental texts. It demonstrates that the growth of church law was a result of a process of trial and error, shaped by a conversation between texts.

Format: Hardback
Length: 196 pages
Publication date: 31 March 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking work is the first comprehensive exploration of the significant contribution made by texts from Britain and Ireland to the development of canon law in early medieval Europe. The book delves into a group of insular texts of church law, notably the Irish Hibernensis, tracing their evolution through mutual influence, their debt to late antique traditions from around the Mediterranean, their reception (and occasional rejection) by clerics in continental Europe, their fusion with continental texts, and their eventual impact on the formation of a European canonical tradition.

Canonical collections, penitentials, and miscellanies of church law, as well as royal legislation, are revealed as living texts that underwent a process of trial and error, leading to the emergence of a more stable and coherent body of church laws. Roy Flechner compellingly argues that the growth of church law in Europe owes as much to a fortuitous conversation between texts as it does to any deliberate plan overseen by bishops and popes.

This pioneering study not only sheds light on the historical development of canon law but also offers valuable insights into the complex interplay between religious, cultural, and legal factors in early medieval Europe. It will be of interest to scholars and students of medieval history, theology, and law.

Weight: 462g
Dimension: 159 x 241 x 20 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781138577268