The Liber pontificalis ecclesiae Ravennatis is written by Andreas Agnellus in the early ninth century. The text consists of introductory verses and a prologue, followed by a series of Lives of the forty-six bishops of Ravenna from the founding of the church of Ravenna by St. Apolenaris, supposedly a disciple of St. Peter, to Agnellus’ own day. The introduction includes the following sections: “I. Background”; “II. The Text and its Sources”, and “III. Manuscripts, History of the Text, and Editions”. There are also two appendices: “Animadversiones in seriem archiepiscoporum ecclesiae Ravennatis” and “Descriptio nominum ecclesiarum et locorum in LPR laudatorum”. The Liber pontificalis ecclesiae Ravennatis is an essential source for the study of Italian history from the fourth to the ninth centuries. Agnellus seems to have been a well-born priest in the church of Ravenna, and his work is strongly colored by his personal experiences. He wrote it to demonstrate two strongly-held opinions. One of these was the apostolicity and independence of the Ravennate archbishopric; the other was the moral decline of recent bishops, and their erosion of clerical rights. Using the framework of a series of biographies of the bishops of his see, he presents his highly idiosyncratic view of history. The work is full of anecdotes, miracle stories, and mini-sermons, as well as information about historical events and artistic and architectural patronage, all of which have made it an invaluable source to scholars who study early medieval Italy.
- ISBN:
- Editorial: BREPOLS PUBLISHERS N.V./S.A.
- Encuadernacion: Tela
- Páginas: 393
- Fecha Publicación: 01/01/2006
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: