The Limits of Philology: Antonio Agustín and Textual Criticism of Canon Law in Tridentine Europe

This article examines Antonio Agustín's (1517–86) philological and historical treatise “De Emendatione Gratiani” (1587). Canon law became a key controversial issue in Catholic-Protestant confessional arguments in the sixteenth century, but its convoluted history also posed a challenge within Ca...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inRenaissance quarterly Vol. 76; no. 4; pp. 1340 - 1388
Main Author Falkowski, Mateusz
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge Cambridge University Press 01.01.2023
Subjects
15th century
16th century
Agustin, Antonio (1517-1585)
Canon law
Catholicism
Catolicismo
Crítica textual
Filología
Humanism
Humanismo
Humanities
Louis XIV, King of France (1638-1715)
Philology
Popes
Protestantism
Protestantismo
Public domain
Religion
Religious orthodoxy
Siglo XVI
Textual criticism
Traditions
France
Europe
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:This article examines Antonio Agustín's (1517–86) philological and historical treatise “De Emendatione Gratiani” (1587). Canon law became a key controversial issue in Catholic-Protestant confessional arguments in the sixteenth century, but its convoluted history also posed a challenge within Catholic orthodoxy itself. This essay discusses how Agustín, working to improve the text of Gratian's “Decretum” (ca. 1140), navigated between his own scholarly integrity and the requirements of Tridentine reforms. The focus on canon law uncovers rarely acknowledged connections between Renaissance philology and ecclesiastical scholarship, and opens a new perspective on the entanglement of humanism and religion, confessional conflicts, and erudition.
ISSN:0034-4338
1935-0236
DOI:10.1017/rqx.2023.545