medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Bill East wrote:
Marjorie Greene <[log in to unmask]> wrote: medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture In case anyone would find this useful, here is a list of popes, their dates, an indication of sainthood (or not), and a link to their bios:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12272b.htm
MG
Respondeo: a convenient book (for those who still have recourse to the old technology) is J.N.D. Kelly, The Oxford Dictionary of Popes.
Marjorie's post raises some
interesting questions which constantly arise in my classroom. The old
Catholic Encyclopedia (1907-1912), as I understand, is widely regarded
as one of the great reference works of the 20th century, firmly based
on the best 19th-century scholarship. Even a glance at representative
articles on popes will show that they are scholarly and thorough, and
for a polemical age generally quite frank and even-handed.
Nevertheless, it is still the historical scholarship of a century ago.
The accessibility of the CE via the internet has given it a remarkable
second wind, as is also the case with many other out-of-copyright
publications scanned and out on the WWW. They are sometimes cited or
recommended as though they reflect the current state of research, which
of course they do not. What are the implications for learning and
teaching research skills?
I tell my students that they should generally prefer more up-to-date
reference works reflecting advances in historical scholarship,
especially ones that reflect the broader and more multi-dimensional
perspectives that have enriched recent historiography; that the CE is
nevertheless still worth knowing, especially for its detailed factual
information, particularly on recondite topics, and as a reflection of
the scholarship of its age; but that it must be used critically and
always, but always, checked and evaluated against more recent works
(such as Kelly or Levillain or the NCE for the papacy or the relevant
monographs); and that they should think especially about the strengths
and weaknesses of the general interpretative frameworks in which, for
example, the stories of individual popes are told.
How do y'all approach the kinds of issues raised by the electronic
revival of old reference works such as the CE? -- Paul Chandler
==========
Paul Chandler, O.Carm. | Carmelite Library
214 Richardson Street | Middle Park Vic 3206 | Australia
tel: (03) 9682 8553 | fax: (03) 9699 1944 | email:
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