Abelard's Mockery of St Anselm Clanchy, M. T.
The Journal of ecclesiastical history,
01/1990, Letnik:
41, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Every reader of Abelar's Historia Calamilatum, the ‘story of his misfortunes’, knows how he mocked histnaster, Anselm of Laon. What has not been made clear is that he mocked in a comparable way a ...master of even greater standing, St Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury. The reason why this latter attack has not been emphasised is that it appears in one version only of Abelar's Theologia, and its interpretation as mockery depends on detailed scrutiny. Abelard delighted in jokes, particularly when they were dangerous. ‘He cannot restrain his laughter,’ St Bernard warned, ‘listen to his guffaws.’ Jokes depend so much for their effect upon tone and context that it is difficult for an historian to keep an ear out for them when he only has formal texts as evidence; furthermore, a joke loses its cutting edge once it has been laboriously explained. Nevertheless, Abelar's mockery of St Anselm does have to be explained step by step if it is to be appreciated at all. The circumstances are as follows.
Among the earliest English parliamentary petitions is one from the abbot of St. Mary's at York in 1290 which complains of the “subtlety of the moderns” (subtilitas modernorum). This striking phrase ...stands out from the mass of common form and circumscribed claims of the other parliamentary petitions. Who were these “moderns,” how were they “subtle,” and why did the abbot complain to Edward I about them? The idea of being modern, which gained currency in the twelfth century, indicates the beginnings of historical awareness. Walter Map for example describes “this modern period” (modernitatem hanc) as the course of the preceding century up to c. 1190. He likewise appreciates the relativity of historical periods, as he notes that he himself will be considered ancient by future generations. Medieval ideas of modernity and historical periodization will not be discussed here in general, however, as they comprise an enormous area over which scholars have already drawn consistent guide-lines. The abbot's petition is remarkable in associating the moderns with subtlety in particular, and also in incorporating a literary and academic “topos” into a routine legal document with the practical purpose of criticizing the king's government. In looking for explanations for the peculiar terms of the abbot's petition, this essay considers what sort of changes in education and government in England may have caused him to associate the moderns with his own grievances and, more tentatively, it suggests some origins for his use of the phrase subtilitas modernorum. The abbot's petition establishes links between the growth of scholasticism in the twelfth century (usually treated as intellectual and cultural history) and the bureaucratic government of thirteenth-century England (usually treated as legal and constitutional history).
Documentary culture and the making of medieval English literature, by Emily Steiner, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003. Pp. xvi + 266. $60 (ISBN 0-521-82484-2).
The Franchise of Return of Writs Clanchy, M. T.
Transactions of the Royal Historical Society,
12/1967, Letnik:
17
Journal Article
Return of writs has been considered an essential privilege of the greater liberties in medieval England, because it entitled liberty-holders to exclude the sheriff and hence to execute royal writs ...through their own bailiffs. Maitland construed it thus when discussing borough privileges, and again when he included it among the powers of lords exercising ‘the highest justice’. Although return of writs had acquired this meaning by the time Edward I died, neither the king's lawyers nor liberty-holders understood it in this way in the thirteenth century. Each side interpreted it differently. The conflict which ensued has attracted little attention hitherto, yet return of writs can only be understood in its context. This struggle has also a wider significance, as it illuminates the attempts of Henry III and Edward I to impose a new definition of royal sovereignty on libertyholders. The present paper will argue that the franchise of return of writs was the product of conflict between king and magnates.
...those (like myself) who are interested in the theological contribution of the arts are encouraged by the role given to them, especially to painting, within the argument from the outset to the nal ...chapter Art as revelation, but we too are brought up short when he reminds us that on the basis of Scripture the iconoclasts were right, and that if forced into accepting the absolute authority of Scripture, we may also be forced into what amounts to special pleading: ...Browns arguments concerning the artistic and theological development of images of the Nativity, the Magi and the Crucixion bear interesting comparison with recent art-historical research and analysis, especially Neil MacGregors Seeing salvation. The article on Islam and Christianity stresses the dialogue between the two faiths and growing nineoldstylenineoldstyle RsmallEsmallVsmallIsmallEsmallWsmallSsmall tolerance and does not mention the ongoing persecution of Christians by fundamentalist Muslims. ...the growth of fundamentalism among Muslims is not adequately covered considering the signicance of this movement in the modern world.
