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IMC 2019: Sessions

Session 1224: Oaths, I: Trust and Community

Wednesday 3 July 2019, 14.15-15.45

Organisers:Isabelle Beaudoin, Magdalen College, University of Oxford
Tom Lambert, Faculty of History, University of Oxford
Moderator/Chair:Conor O'Brien, Churchill College, University of Cambridge
Paper 1224-a'None greater by which to swear': Oaths and Biblical Covenants in Early Medieval Thought
(Language: English)
Robert A. H. Evans, Sidney Sussex College / Christ Church, University of Cambridge
Index terms: Biblical Studies, Religious Life, Theology
Paper 1224-bOaths, Promises, and Household in Early Medieval Gaul: Case Studies from Vita Columbani
(Language: English)
Sukanya Raisharma, St John's College, University of Oxford
Index terms: Monasticism, Social History
Paper 1224-cThe Decline of the Oath of Denial in 11th and 12th-Century England
(Language: English)
Tom Lambert, Faculty of History, University of Oxford
Index terms: Law, Social History
Abstract

Oaths could be a fundamental aspect of medieval life, the substance upon which all manner of social goods (e.g. legal processes, mutual trust and cooperation, personal loyalty) were imagined to depend. Their ubiquity across a range of contexts, from high politics to biblical exegesis, makes them a good focus for productive discussion across specialisms. This session, the first of two, examines the themes of trust and community. It explores the way oaths could shape and express collective identities ranging from households to entire peoples, and their role in manufacturing mutual trust and harmony in tense or uncertain circumstances.