Overview

The miscellaneous corpus of texts commissioned by Bishop Gerard I of Cambrai (1012-1051) constitutes one of the primary means of accessing substantial parts of the Low Countries' political, cultural, and religious history in the early eleventh century. Encompassing historiography, hagiography, dogmatic treatises, correspondence, and other texts, it also constitutes a defense of episcopal prerogatives, and reflects Gerard's concerns and ambitions as bishop of Cambrai, an imperial bishopric wedged between Western Frankish territories, and lord of the Cambresis. The programmatic nature of this discourse is revealed particularly in a group of seemingly unrelated narratives and documents, presented here in versions thought to best approximate those edited during Gerard's lifetime. In the Acts of the Synod of Arras, a lengthy treatise presented as the report of the inquisition of heretics in 1025, Gerard provided, via an anonymous author, a detailed insight into his views on Christian dogma, religious practice, and bishops' roles in society. Although they belong to a different textual genre, the Lives of St Aubert and St Gery, both predecessors of Gerard at Cambrai, reveal the coherence and persistence of Gerard's views on the aforementioned subjects. Twelve miscellaneous documents (letters, treaties, and one Peace decree), each of which touches upon issues addressed in the three previous texts, complete the corpus.

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9782503552552

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