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"This incisive, in-depth study unearths the significance of a neglected group of early medieval manuscripts, those which transmit the Ordines Romani. These texts present detailed scripts for Christian ceremonies that narrate the gestures, motions, actions and settings of ritual performance, with particular orientation to the Roman church. While they are usually understood as liturgical, and thus lacking any particular creative flair, Arthur Westwell here foregrounds their manuscript permutations in order to reveal their extraordinary dynamism. He reflects on how the Carolingian Church undertook to improve liturgical practice and understanding, questioning the accepted idea of a reform aimed at uniformity led by the monarch. Through these manuscripts, Westwell reveals a diversity of motivations in the recording of Roman liturgy and demonstrates the remarkable sophistication of Carolingian manuscript compilers"--
List of contents
Introduction; 1. The 'Roman' Collection of Ordines in Metz, Lorsch and Tours; 2. The 'Frankish' Collection in Verona, Regensburg, Nonantola and Corbie; 3. Unique Collections of the Ordines from Worms and Wissembourg, St Amand and St Gallen; 4. Liturgical 'Usefulness' and Reading the ordines romani; 5. Orders for the Stational Mass in Frankish Cities and Monasteries; 6. The Ordo Romanus of the Baptismal Scrutinies; 7. Ordines for Special Occasions, Ordination and the Ember Days: The Contribution of Arn of Salzburg; 8. Layout, Script and Language of the Ordo Romanus Manuscripts; Conclusion.
About the author
Arthur Westwell is a research assistant in the Faculty for Catholic Theology at the Universität Regensburg. His individual research project, in which he investigates Carolingian liturgical manuscripts, is supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. He has held fellowships at the Pontifical Institute for Medieaeval Studies in Toronto, funded by the Mellon Foundation, and at the Universität Trier, with the Humboldt Stiftung.
Summary
Arthur Westwell closely examines the manuscripts of the Ordines Romani and reveals the surprising creativity of their compilers. His study addresses changes and reinterpretations of ritual texts before print, using manuscripts to shed new light on how medieval churchmen read and used the scripts for religious ceremonies.
