Table Of ContentKATERN 1
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C S
ONVERSING WITH THE AINTS
UTRECHT STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL LITERACY
15
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UTRECHT STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL LITERACY
General Editor
Marco Mostert (University Utrecht)
Editorial Board
Gerd Althoff (Westfälische-Wilhelms-Universität Münster)
Michael Clanchy (University of London)
Peter Gumbert (University of Leiden)
Mayke de Jong (University Utrecht)
Rosamond McKitterick (University of Cambridge)
Arpád Orbán (University Utrecht)
Armando Petrucci (Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa)
Richard H. Rouse (UCLA)
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CONVERSING WITH THE SAINTS
COMMUNICATION IN PRE-CAROLINGIAN
HAGIOGRAPHY FROM AUXERRE
by
Wolfert S. van Egmond
H
F
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Egmond, W. S. van, 1970-
Conversing with the saints : communication in
pre-Carolingian hagiography from Auxerre. - (Utrecht
studies in medieval literacy ; 15)
1.Constantius, of Lyons, fl. 480. Vita Germani
2.Communication - Social aspects - France - Auxerre -
History - To 1500 3.Learning and scholarship - France -
Auxerre - History - To 1500 4.Christian hagiography
5.Auxerre (France) - Church history - Sources
I.Title
302.2'2'0944412'09021
ISBN-10: 2503517609
© 2006, Brepols Publishers n.v., Turnhout Belgium
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publisher.
D/2006/0095/89
ISBN 2-503-51760-9
Printed in the E.U. on acid-free paper.
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Contents
Preface vii
Abbreviations ix
Map of Auxerre in the early Middle Ages x
Chapter 1. Introduction 1
Hagiography and historiography: a problem of genre 6
The Carolingian authors 11
Alagus and Rainogala 12
Heiric 13
Relationships between the Carolingian texts 22
Chapter 2. Constantius’ Vita Germani: An Author and His Text 25
The author 26
Distribution of the Vita Germani 29
Purposes of the Vita Germani 33
Historiography 35
Conclusion 36
Chapter 3. Communication in the Vita Germani 37
Written communication 38
Oral communication 44
Non-verbal communication 53
Conclusion 63
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vi Contents
Chapter 4. The Merovingian Sources 65
The historical background 65
The Martyrologium Hieronymianum 71
The Vita sancti Amatoris episcopi Autissiodorensis 74
The Vita sancti Peregrini episcopi Autissiodorensis 81
The Passio sancti Prisci et sociorum eius 85
The Passio sancti Albani 90
The Revelatio Corcodemi seu conversio Mamertini 97
The Vita sancti Germani interpolata 107
The Vita sancti Aunarii episcopi Autissiodorensis 128
The Vita sancti Mariani monachi 131
A lost Vita sancti Marsi? 134
Conclusion 136
Chapter 5. Communication in the Merovingian Texts 137
Education, literacy and Holy Scripture 138
Exorcisms and other communication with the supernatural 145
Gesture and ritual 157
Early medieval liturgy and its sources 162
The marriage of Amator and Martha 169
Baptism 182
Conclusion 193
Chapter 6. Preliminary conclusions 195
Bibliography 203
Printed sources 203
Literature 208
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Preface
This book is in essence a translation of a PhD-thesis supervised by Marco
Mostert and Mayke de Jong and submitted to the Universiteit Utrecht on
22 November 2001. The research for the thesis was done as part of a
project sponsored by the NWO (the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific
Research) on the development of literacy in the early Middle Ages, Verschrifte-
lijking van de vroeg-middeleeuwse samenleving (ca. 500 - ca. 1200). This
project was based at the Onderzoekinstituut voor Geschiedenis en Cultuur
(Research Institute for History and Culture) of the Universiteit Utrecht.
Originally the intention was to study descriptions of communication in the
early medieval hagiographical texts written in three dioceses within the territory
of the Carolingian empire, namely Auxerre, Utrecht and Würzburg. It soon
became clear that a lot of preliminary work on the different texts was required
before the descriptions of communicative acts could actually be analysed. For
this reason I decided to limit the scope of the study to the pre-Carolingian
hagiography from Auxerre, whereby the Carolingian texts from this diocese
were used as a framework for the study of the earlier ones.
No study of this length can be completed without the support of many
people. I cannot mention everybody here. My friends and family have
supported me through the years, I wish to thank all of them.
Doing my research as a member of a larger project has made the work on
the thesis a less lonely task than is often the case. All members of the project
deserve my gratitude for their support and advise. In alphabetical order they
were: Anna Adamska, Marie-Thérèse Bos, Mary Garrison, Mariëlle Hageman,
Karl Heidecker, Marco Mostert, Janneke Raaijmakers and Irene van Rens-
woude.
Other medievalists in Utrecht that I wish to thank include Albrecht Diem,
Adriaan Gaastra, Bram van den Hoven van Genderen, Rob Meens, Arpád
Orbán, Els Rose and Gerard Rouwhorst.
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viii Preface
Michel Trigalet and François De Vriendt have given invaluable support in
the selection of the source material. Rosamond McKitterick, Anne-Marie
Helvétius and Yitzhak Hen gave important advice and comments on various
issues and passages. I owe Peter Verbist and Jacqueline van Leeuwen thanks for
information on medieval chronology, for copying and sending articles which
were not available in Dutch libraries and above all for generous hospitality.
Mayke de Jong was not involved in the day-to-day running of the project
but nevertheless kept a sharp look-out on my research and instigated some
important decisions concerning its direction.
More than anyone else, Marco Mostert has contributed to the completion of
the thesis and this book. He initiated the project and has supervised it
throughout in a critical yet optimistic manner. Having given me ample
opportunity to wander away from the original intentions of both project and
thesis, he also pointed out ways of including the results found in these
wanderings. Assisted by Anna and Jan he has been a good friend and guide
during and after this project.
The translation was made by Betsy van der Hoek, who simply did a great
job. The map of Auxerre was prepared by Maria Juran of the Institute for the
Historical Geography of the Church in Poland (Catholic University of Lublin).
The translation was made possible thanks to a grant by the NWO.
Needless to say, all faults and mistakes remain entirely my own.
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