This a very good study of the use of elective procedures in the Church from Late Antiquity to the end of the Middle Ages. The book minimizes interpretation and analysis in favour of providing hundreds of texts with references to election, and letting them speak for themselves. The author chimes in when it is necessary to explain how a particular word or concept might have a different meaning in a medieval context, or a religious context. Overall interpretation, and that very cautious, is saved for the end of the book. Two basic groups of documents are covered: those relating to election within the Clergy, and those relating to election within the monastic system. The monastic documents are of greater interest to a historian of democracy.
It’s important for us to understand that democratic, or quasi-democratic procedures appear in most cultures, regions, and historical eras (This has been the thrust of collaborative work between myself and Steve Muhlberger over the last couple of decades). The Church and the monastic system directly impinged on the life-experience of many millions of people in Latin Christendom, thus providing yet another setting, along with village life, town governance, and guild membership, by which ordinary people were exposed to the core concepts of democracy. This book is yet another useful source for those of us who are uncovering the deep and broad human roots of the democratic idea. [see related review of Llull’s Writings On Electoral Systems]
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