IMC 2015: Sessions

During its heyday, the twin concepts of 'reform' and 'renewal' were key terms for the self-understanding of the Carolingian intellectual elites. The reigns of Charlemagne and Louis the Pious were characterised by almost continuous efforts to extend and improve the state of the Frankish Church, which in turn drove the bishops, abbots and other notables to re-interpret the sources they had at their disposal to actually effectuate the improvements they envisaged, and to embed them in the newly created political framework of the late 8th and early 9th centuries. The three papers in this session provide key examples of how this would work in practice. First, Claire Tignolet will show the impact of the works of Isidore of Seville on Carolingian thought by taking a closer look at the way his Sententiae were appropriated by a key player at Charlemagne's court, Theodulf of Orléans. Gerda Heydemann will then continue looking at Theodulf, focusing on his dual role as a lawmaker and an exegete and the different ways he would use the Bible for each of these functions. Finally, Matthieu van der Meer will draw a connection between these episcopal modes of thought and their monastic counterparts by showing how Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel used pastoral texts to interpret the Regula Benedicti in order to overcome the discrepancies between the norm of the Regula and the everyday practice of the world he lived in.