medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
The locus classicus for English pastoral care, and by extension preaching, is Archbishop John Peckham’s (perhaps a distant relative, Bob?) canon 9, “Ignorantia sacerdotum,” from the Council of Lambeth of 1281. It is the backbone for much pastoral legislation and pastoral handbooks of the 13th century onward. Here’s my translation of the relevant passage from Powicke and Cheney’s _Council and Synods_ (pp. 900-905) :
“To remedy this dangerous situation [of ignorant priests passing on their ignorance to parishioners] we order that four times during the year, that is once in every quarter on one or several solemn days, each priest in charge of a parish should personally explain or have someone else explain to the people in their mother tongue, without any fancifully woven subtleties, the fourteen articles of faith, the ten commandments of the Decalogue, the two precepts of the Gospel (namely the twin laws of charity), the seven works of mercy, the seven capital sins and their fruits, the seven principal virtues, and the seven grace-giving sacraments. And lest anyone, claiming ignorance, should try to excuse himself from knowledge of these things, which all ministers of the church are required to know, we have outlined them here in a brief summary.”
Best,
John
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Peckham" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Sunday, August 5, 2012 5:26:34 PM
Subject: [M-R] a question about the history of preaching in English
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
While vernacular preaching what you might expect, even when stripture in in Latin, and while there is texctual evidence of vernacular preaching in medieval English, I must, as a rank amateur in the religious history of England, ask if the church as an institution gave some formal sign of concern that the laity understand what was in homilies by formally stating that they should be delivered in the language of the people. This was the case with the Councils of Tours and Mainz in 813. Did anything like this happen in England during the Middle Ages?
TBob
Robert D. Peckham, Ph.D.
Professor of French
University of Tennessee at Martin
Chair, AATF Commission on Advocacy
Director, Globe-gate Intercultural Web Project
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John Shinners
Professor, Schlesinger Chair in Humanistic Studies
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
Phone: 574-284-4494 or 574-284-4534
Fax: 284-4855
www.saintmarys.edu/~hust
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