On the Cessation of the Laws

278 Pages·2012·1.077 MB·English

by  Robert Grosseteste, Stephen M. Hildebrand

THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
MEDIAEVAL CONTINUATION
VOLUME 13
THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
MEDIAEVAL CONTINUATION
EDITORIAL BOARD
Gregory F. LaNave
Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception
Dominican House of Studies
Editorial Director
Regis J. Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap. Joseph Goering
The Catholic University of America University of Toronto
Peter Casarella Frank A. C. Mantello
DePaul University The Catholic University of America
John Cavadini Jan Ziolkowski
University of Notre Dame Harvard University
Trevor Lipscombe
Director
The Catholic University of America Press
Carole Monica C. Burnett
Staff Editor
ROBERT
GROSSETESTE
ON THE CESSATION
OF THE LAWS
Translated by
STEPHEN M. HILDEBRAND
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS
Washington, D.C.
Copyright @ 2012
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements
of the American National Standards for Information Science—
Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI z39.48-1984.
∞
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Grosseteste, Robert, 1175?–1253.
[De cessatione legalium. English]
On the cessation of the laws / Robert Grosseteste ; translated
by Stephen M. Hildebrand.
p. cm. — (The fathers of the church, mediaeval continuation ; v. 13)
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 978-0-8132-1964-6 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Law (Theology) 2. Law and gospel. I. Title.
BT96.3.G7613 2012
241.5—dc23
2011039838
For my Mother and Father

CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Abbreviations xi
Select Bibliography xiii
INTRODUCTION
Grosseteste’s Life 3
Grosseteste’s Works 10
On the Cessation of the Laws 13
Outline of On the Cessation of the Laws 22
A Note about the Translation 23
ON THE CESSATION
OF THE LAWS
Part One 27
Part Two 109
Part Three 155
Part Four 194
APPENDIX
Figure 1: The cruciform figure created by
Rabanus Maurus 249
Figure 2: The “circular period of human 250
generation”
INDICES
General Index 251
Index of Holy Scripture 255

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have incurred many debts in the course of this project. I am
very grateful to the St. Paul Center, its president, Scott Hahn, and
its director, Rob Corzine. Without its generous grant, this transla-
tion would have taken many years to complete. The St. Paul Cen-
ter, founded by Scott Hahn, promotes the study of Scripture in
the Catholic tradition. I think that this translation will help in the
accomplishment of that mission. I must thank Scott also for the
generous use of his personal library and, finally, for his encour-
agement and enthusiasm for this work.
This work simply would not have taken place without the
support of Alan Schreck and Max Bonilla. At a University that
focuses on teaching, they carved out resources for this project,
and I am very grateful to them.
When I encountered particularly difficult passages, I called
on the help of a few friends. I thank Patrick Lee, Joseph T. Lien-
hard, S.J., Richard Smith, and Roland Teske, S.J. I am grateful
too for the editorial assistance of my graduate student, Brad
Gholston.
Gregory LaNave and Carole Monica Burnett at the Catholic
University of America Press have been a delight to work with.
The otherwise obscure name Robert Grosseteste has become
a household name in our home. I am grateful to my wife, Sara,
and my children, Lucy, Peter, Elizabeth, Paul, and Anthony, for
welcoming him into the common life that is so dear to me. Fi-
nally, I wish to thank my parents, Pat and Larry, to whom I dedi-
cate this work. I owe them more than I can say.
ix