Recent scholarship concerning parish priests in medieval England, their professional training, and their daily pastoral work has produced a more complex and realistic picture of parish clergy in the High and Late Middle Ages which dispels many of the durable myths and stereotypical images that emerged from popular studies written almost a century ago.

In this source book, John Shinner and William Dohar bring together a large, varied selection of medieval documents on pastoral care. These materials from a wide range of sources -administrative, theological, legal, historical, and literary-are grouped thematically and prefaced by introductions to each chapter which set the context provide basic background information, and offer a concise summary of the recruitment, training, occupations, and circumstances of the parish clergy during the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries. Included in the readings are excerpts from pastoral manuals, bishops' registers, diocesan legislation, financial accounts, and records of parish visitations that when combined offer a vivid picture of daily parish life.

The readings in this volume focus first of all on the multifaceted lives and responsibilities of those men who engaged in the pastoral care of souls in medieval England. What emerges is not the old view of these priests as a fairly anonymous and homogeneous mass entity but rather as a richly diverse group-from noble to baseborn, from academically brilliant to barely lettered, from deeply pious to grossly opportunistic, and from utterly committed to despicably derelict in carrying out their pastoral duties.

Selected documents go on to illuminate the elaborate systems of support created to help parish clergy: the administrative divisions of the institutional church; the methods of formulating and disseminating instruction on theological, canonical, and liturgical subjects; and the legal apparatus formed to direct the cure of souls.

By highlighting the wider social and religious milieu in which the medieval pastor worked, the author/editors intend to guide the reader to richer appreciation of the Christian religion's inextricable bond to nearly every facet of life in the High and Late Middle Ages. Suitable for a number of classroom applications and academic disciplines, this book offers those interested in pastoral care, medieval studies, and church history a unique sourcebook, the only collection of translated documents specifically devoted to the lives and mission of the parish clergy in medieval England.

About the Author

John Shinners is the Bruno P. Schlesinger Chair in Humanistic Studies at Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana.

William J. Dohar, C.S.C., is an adjunct associate professor in the Religious studies department at Santa Clara University and a courtesy appointment to Jesuit School of Theology.

Reviews

"...among these prefatory remarks the student will find a particularly helpful discussion of the medieval meaning of the word 'literate' and a succinct guide through the canonical and confessional material which was addressed to the priest. The flavor of the selection and the variety of sources raided is evident from the first chatper, which embraces excerpts from the sixth-century Cura Pastoralis of Gregory the Great to the late medieval play, Everyman; between time." -*The Catholic Historical Review *

"Nevertheless, the range of sources that this collection brings together shows the rich diversity of clerical experiences... This collection present a rich portrait of the late medieval English clergy, making it harder to fall back on old stereotypes." -The Medieval Review

"Even those long aquainted with the medieval English church will find something here to ponder. Wide-ranging in its concerns, but throughout maintaining its focus on pastoral care, this volume fills a significant gap in the range of materials available for students and should prove extremely useful." -Heythrop Journal

"This is a rich volume of translated and modernized excerpts from texts that take the reader from the contemporary images of the pastor to his education, ordination, and admission to cure his relationships with superiors and inferiors, his work, his income, and a mixed bag of topics under the heading of life and manners. The introductions to each chapter are lucid and the editors have provided a useful glossary for students. The volume is extremely well-designed for classroom use. One can but hope that the strenths of this volume will highlight the pressing need for a companion volume." -Church History

"[T]he editors have performed an invaluable service by making such a varied selection of translations available.... [T]hey present a well rounded picture of the life and work of the medieval English priest.... It opens up this important and neglected area of medieval life to a new generation and should have a place on every medievalist's shelf." -Medieval Sermon Studies

"This research benefits more than medieval scholars and students, for, like all compelling historical accounts, it draws the reader out of his own age and into another." -Concordia Theological Review

Book Information
ISBN 9780268038502
Author John Shinners
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint University of Notre Dame Press
Publisher University of Notre Dame Press
Weight(grams) 472g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 19mm