Liber decretorum Dionysii

From Clavis Canonum


Title Liber decretalium Dionysii
Key DX
Alternative title Sammlung der Decretalen (Maassen)
Alternative title Dekretalensammlung des Dionysius (Wurm)
Size Small (100 to 500 canons)
Terminus post quem 496
Terminus ante quem 523
Century saec. VI
Place of origin Rome
European region of origin Central Italy
General region of origin Southern Europe and Mediterranean
Main author User:Christof Rolker


Dionysius compiled a collection of decretals, using previous collections (not papal registers). Importantly, he distinguished between different kinds of papal letters and selected only "legal" (as opposed to "dogmatic") letters, a distinction that had a profound impact on Western canon law (d'Avray). The Liber decretalium began with a dedicatory letter to a certain priest Julian followed by a capitulatio in the form of a numbered list of all rubrics of the decretals (Wurm p. 62).

Contents

The Liber decretalium does not have an independent manuscript tradition; it has to be reconstructed from later collections. According to Wurm's analysis, it originally contained 38 decretals and one imperial rescript (see Wurms pp. 62-81):

  1. Siricius, JK 255
  2. Innocent I, JK 311
  3. Innocent I, JK 286
  4. Innocent I, JK 293
  5. Innocent I, JK 314
  6. Innocent I, JK 315
  7. Innocent I, JK 316
  8. Innocent I, JK 304
  9. Innocent I, JK 317
  10. Innocent I, JK 313
  11. Innocent I, JK 297
  12. Innocent I, JK 302
  13. Innocent I, JK 301
  14. Innocent I, JK 309
  15. Innocent I, JK 306
  16. Innocent I, JK 308
  17. Innocent I, JK 305
  18. Innocent I, JK 310
  19. Innocent I, JK 307
  20. Innocent I, JK 318
  21. Innocent I, JK 299
  22. Innocent I, JK 303
  23. Zosimus, JK 339
  24. Zosimus, JK 345
  25. Boniface, JK 353
  26. Honorius see Maassen 320 / Wurm p. 71
  27. Boniface, JK 349
  28. Boniface, JK 362
  29. Celestine, JK 381, followed by a short florilegium
  30. Celestine, JK 369
  31. Celestine, JK 371
  32. Leo I, JK 402
  33. Leo I, JK 405
  34. Leo I, JK 414
  35. Leo I, JK 416
  36. Leo I, JK 544
  37. Leo I, JK 411
  38. Leo I, JK 536
  39. Leo I, JK 410
  40. Gelasius I, JK 363
  41. Anastasius, JK 744

The latter three are additions not found in the "reine Dionysiana" according to Wurm p. 75:

The Collectio Dionysiana adaucta contains further additions from the letters of Leo I (Wurms p. 77)

The manuscripts

There are 2 manuscripts containing the Liber decretalium described in this Wiki. See Category:Manuscript of DX and the individual entries. Kéry p. 21 lists two complete manuscripts (decretal collection including praefatio) plus two more containing "small collections of excerpts":

Excerpts

Editions and Literature

For Justel's problematic edition, and scholarly literature, see Collectio Dionysiana II. In addition, see

Categories

  • key is DX
  • belongs to: Dionysiana group
  • very small collection (i.e. 38 letters - not canons!)
  • from Rome
  • saec. VI
  • entries based on Migne