medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
trolling through some odd volumes of the on-line Patrologia, i just came
across a rather mundane charter of Bishop Joscelin of Soissons, confirming the
property of some local monastery.
the charter [PL 186.1495ff] closes, typically, with the date and the place of
issue:
Datum est hoc anno Incarnationis Dominicae 1134, episcopatus autem nostri IX,
regnante in Francia Ludovico patre, et Ludovico filio inuncto in regem anno
IV, sicut denotavimus. Factum est hoc ***in oculis Ecclesiae***; placuit tamen
paucos de multis testes apponere.
followed by a not-too-poor witness list.
i have never seen this "in oculis Ecclesiae" and am wondering what part of the
building it might be referring to.
the expression occurs in the body of the charter as well:
Batildis quoque comitissa ejusdem Raynaudi comitis uxor...altare ipsum cum
pertinentiis suis refutavit, et refutationem sui mariti concessit et laudavit.
Nos vero sicut induti eramus ad missae celebrationem, ***in oculis totius
Ecclesiae*** excommunicavimus et anathematis sententiam promulgavimus tam in
comitem quam in comitissam....
this might suggest that the "eye of the church" was the High Altar?
but, surely the charter would not have been "made" at the High Altar??
neither DuCange nor Niemyer seem to know this usage, as best i can see.
any thoughts?
c
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