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The Bible and the Law in Carolingian Europe: Scriptural Exegesis and Royal Legislation from Charlemagne to Charles the Bald (ca. AD 780-880)

Objective

In what ways did the Bible shape the formation of political communities in early medieval Europe? This project studies the impact of biblical models on royal legislation in the Carolingian period (ca. AD 780-880). It proposes a new approach to the study of the intersection between religion and politics in a formative period of European history, during which crucial institutional and conceptual resources for the development of political and religious community, statehood and law were created. Under the Carolingian rulers from Charlemagne onwards, we can observe a steady increase of biblical quotations in legal texts issued by the ruler or by assemblies of lay and clerical advisers (so-called royal ‘capitularies’ and conciliar decrees). Biblical prescriptions and prohibitions were either directly integrated into legal norms or used to justify the establishment or modification of norms. To understand this convergence between biblical law and royal legislation, the rich material of Carolingian biblical exegesis is of crucial importance, since it provides access to the concepts and interpretative traditions associated with specific biblical texts in the minds of contemporaries. Authors and readers of exegetical commentaries were often at the same time advisers to kings and important political decision makers, and also involved in the drafting of legislative texts. The project thus proposes a comparative study of legal and exegetical texts and of their dynamic relationship. It has a twofold objective: first, to analyse the concrete impact of biblical models upon Carolingian society, and the ways in which they were used to (re)define its legal and moral framework; second, to understand the ‘social life’ of Carolingian biblical commentaries, both as a spiritual and intellectual endeavour and as a social and political practice.

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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2014

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Coordinator

FREIE UNIVERSITAET BERLIN
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 119 595,60
Address
KAISERSWERTHER STRASSE 16-18
14195 BERLIN
Germany

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Region
Berlin Berlin Berlin
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 119 595,60
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