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Agobard and Amalarius: a Comparison

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 March 2011

Allen Cabaniss
Affiliation:
Professor of History, University of Mississippi, U.S.A.

Extract

The rich diversity of thought and life in the ninth-century church may be illustrated by an inquiry concerning two dignitaries of the empire of Louis the Pious, Agobard of Lyons (769–840) and Amalarius of Metz (c. 780–c. 850). These two clerics, whose lives were virtually contemporaneous but whose careers crossed only once, during the interval 834–838, were almost as different as it is possible for two men to be; so different indeed that any contact they might have with each other would inevitably be sharply antagonistic. The single point at which their lives did meet was in effect an intellectual duel.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1952

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References

page 125 note 1 See my papers, Agobard of Lyons’, Speculum, xxvi, No. 1 (January 1951), 5076Google Scholar, and ‘The Personality of Amalarius’, Church History, xx. No. 3 (September 1951), 34–41.

page 125 note 2 Epistula vi, 7, ed. Hanssens, ii. 394 f. (see p. 127, n. 2, for full bibliographical description).

page 126 note 1 See Walafrid Strabo's poem addressed to Agobard, Monumenta Germaniae Historica (hereafter referred to as MGH): Poetae Latini Aevi Carolini (hereafter referred to as PLAC) ii. 356 f.

page 126 note 2 cf. how casually the council of Thionville (835) approved his work, and how only three years later a similar council at Kiersy with little concern condemned the same matter as heresy.

page 126 note 3 See especially the warm language of Liber Officialis, iv, 7: 16, ed. Hanssens, ii. 434 f. (see p. 127, n. 2).

page 126 note 4 Agobard's works: De Translation Reliquiarum Sanctorum Martyrum Cypriani Sperati et Pantaleonis ad Urbem Lugdunensem, c. 807/808 (MGH: PLAC, ii. 544 f.); Epitaphium Caroli Magni Imperatoris, c. 814 (MGH: PLAC, i. 407 f.); Contra Insulsam Vulgi Opinionem de Grandine et Tonitruis, c. 815 (P.L., civ. 147–158); Adversus Legem Gundobadi et Impia Certamina Quae per Earn Geruntur, c. 817 (MGH: Epistolae Karolini Aevi (hereafter referred to as EppKA), iii. 158–164); De Divinis Sententiis Digestus cum Brevissimis Adnotationibus Contra Damnabilem Opinionem Putantium Divini Judicii Veritatem Igne vel Aquis vel Conflictu Armorum Patefieri (briefly, Contra Judicium Dei), c. 817 (P.L., civ. 249–86); Adversum Dogma Felicis Urgellensis, c. 819 (P.L., civ. 29–70); Consultatio et Supplicatio de Baptismo Judaicorum Mancipiorum, c. 823 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 164–6); De Dispensatione Ecclesiasticarum Rerum, c. early 825 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 166–79); Contra Eorum Superstitionem Qui Picturis et Imaginibus Sanctorum Adorationis Obsequium Deferendum Putant, c. 825 (P.L., civ. 199–228); De Spe et Timore, c. 826 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 222 f.); Contra Praeceptum Impium de Baptismo Judaicorum Mancipiorum, c. 826 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 179–82); De Modo Regiminis Ecclesiastici, c. 826 (P.L., civ. 189–200); De Privilegio et Jure Sacerdotii, c. 826 or early 827 (P.L., civ. 127–48); De Insolentia Judaeorum, c. 827 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 182–5); De Judaicis Superstitionibus, c. 827 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 185–99); De Cavendo Convictu et Societate Judaica c. 827 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 199–201); Deploratoria de Injustitiis, c. late 827 or early 828 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 201–3); De Quorumdam Inlusione Signorum, c. 829 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 206–10); Contra Objectiones Fredigisi Abbatis, c. 830 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 210–21); Sermo, c. 829/830 (P.L., civ. 267–88); Flebilis Epistola de Divisione Imperii Francorum Inter Filios Ludovici Imperatoris, c. late 831 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 223–6); De Comparatione Regiminis Ecclesiastici et Politici, between Easter and Pentecost, 833 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 226–8); ‘Manifesto’ (Liber Apologeticus, 1–6), between Pentecost and 24 June 833 (MGH: Scriptores (cited hereafter as SS) xv. 274 f.); Chartula, November 833 (MGH: Leges, i. 369); Liber Apologeticus pro Filiis Ludovici Pii Imperatoris Adversus Patrem (chapters 7–13 only; see ‘Manifesto’ above), mid-November 833 (MGH: SS, xv. 276–9); De Divina Psalmodia, 835–8 (P.L., civ. 325–30); De Correctione Antiphonarii, 835–8 (MGH: EppKA, iii. 232–8); Contra Libros Quatuor Amalarii, 835–8 (P.L., civ. 339–50); ‘Agobardo pax sit’, 838–40 [MGH: PLAC, ii. 118 f.; Traube, L., Karolingische Dichtungen, Berlin 1888, 152–5Google Scholar].

page 127 note 1 Adversus Legem Gundobadi, 4; De Dispensatione Ecclesiasticarum Rerum, passim; the five books against the Jews, passim.

page 127 note 2 Unless otherwise indicated, Amalarius's works are to be found in J. M. Hanssens (ed.), Amalarii Episcopi Opera Liturgica Omnia (Studi e Testi, 138–40), 3 vols. (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, 1948). Those marked with an asterisk are no longer extant.

Amalarius's works: De Scrutinio et Baptismo, c. 811/812 (Hanssens, i. 236–251);. Eclogae de Ordine Romano, c. 813/814; 2nd ed., c. 836/837 (Hanssens, iii. 229–265); Missae Expositionis Geminus Codex, c. 814 (Hanssens, i. 255–281); Canonis Missae Interpretatio, c. 814 (Hanssens, i. 284–338); Versus Marini, 813/814 (MGH: PLAC, i. 426–8); letter to Peter of Nonantula, 814 (Hanssens, i. 229–31); De Institutione Canonicorum and De Institutione Sanctimonialium, c. 817 (P.L., cv. 821–972); letters to Jeremy of Sens, Jonas of Orleans, and Rantgar of Noyon, 817–22 (Hanssens, ii. 386–91); letter to Hilduin of Saint Denis, 819–22 (Hanssens, i. 341–58); Liber Officialis, 1st ed., 820–2; 2nd ed., 827/828; 3rd ed., 832/833; 4th (?) ed., 835 (Hanssens, ii); letters to Hetdo and Guntard, 825–8 (Hanssens, ii. 391–9); letter to an unknown bishop (MGH: EppKA, iii. 266 f.); prologue to the Antiphonary, 836/837 (Hanssens, i. 361–3); *an Antiphonary, 836/837; *a prologue to the Lectionary, 836/837; *De Ordine Cantatorii, 836/837; *Embolis, 836/837; *De Diurnali Officio, 836/837; De Ordine Antiphonarii, 836/837 (Hanssens, iii. 13–109); *De Praescientia et Praedestinatione, 849/850.

page 127 note 3 De Grandine et Tonitruis, passim; De Quorumdam Inlusione Signorum, passim; Sermo, 2; De Spe et Timore, ad init.; De Dispensatione Ecclesiasticarum Rerum, 24.

page 128 note 1 Consultatio et Supplicatio, ad init.

page 128 note 2 De Scrutinio et Baptismo, 10.

page 128 note 3 See his Versus Marini.

page 128 note 4 De Judaicis Superstitionibus, 9 f.

page 128 note 5 Liber Officialis, i. 31, 7; i. 32, 3; iv. 2, 13; De Ordine Antiphonarii, 57, 19.

page 128 note 6 Opuscula Adversus Amalarium, i. 10 (P.L., cxix. 79 A).

page 128 note 7 Consultatio et Supplicatio, ad init.

page 128 note 8 ‘Manifesto’ (Liber Apologeticus, 1–6).

page 128 note 9 Liber Officialis, praefatio ‘Gloriosissime’, 7.

page 129 note 1 See p. 128, n. 5.

page 129 note 2 De Tribus Epistolis (among the works of Remigius of Lyons, but probably written by Florus), 40 (P.L., cxxi. 1054).

page 129 note 3 Contra Judicium Dei, ad fin.

page 130 note 1 De Scrutinio et Baptismo, 55 f.

page 130 note 2 Liber Officialis, ii. 13, 12–16.

page 130 note 3 Liber Officialis, iii. 35, 1.

page 130 note 4 Contra Libros Quatuor Amalarii, 9.

page 130 note 5 De Grandine et Tonitruis, 2, 16; De Quorumdam Inlusione Signorum, 11 f.

page 130 note 6 Agobard, Adversum Dogma Felicis, 2; Amalarius, Eclogae de Ordine Romano, prooemium, 1; Missae Expositionis Geminus Codex, i. prooemium, 1.

page 131 note 1 Agobard, De Dispensatione Ecclesiasticarum Rerum, 30; Amalarius, De Scrutinio et Baptismo, 39; Liber Officialis, i. 11, 12.

page 131 note 2 Agobard, Contra Objectiones Fredigisi, 15; Amalarius, Liber Officialis, i. 40, 10.

page 131 note 3 Agobard, Contra Praeceptum Impium, ad med.; Amalarius, Liber Officialis, i. 13, 17.

page 131 note 4 For a consideration of manuscript-traditions, see Bressolles, Mgr., Saint Agobard Évêque de Lyon (Paris, 1949), 32–4Google Scholar, and Hanssens, op. cit., i. 95–224.