The reform and correction of liturgy was a central plank of the broader programs of Carolingian reform in the late-eighth and ninth centuries. Among the books produced to effect these reforms were liturgical handbooks containing rubrics (ordines), as well as instructions, commentaries, and prayers, among other texts. These composite collections, sorts of how-to guides to the liturgy, were paramount in accomplishing the goals of a reformed liturgy and an educated clergy, and they manifest what I argue are the twin pillars of the Carolingian liturgical project: ordo and ratio. In the context of contemporary discussions of the liturgy by both theologians and in legislation it is evident that Carolingian liturgical reform was both concerned to correct how the liturgy was celebrated (ordo) and how it was understood (ratio). I will discuss several of these manuscripts that were compiled with different liturgical communities in mind to demonstrate the ways in which creativity, adaptation, and appropriation were hallmarks of early medieval liturgical life.
This event is free, but registration is required. Lunch will be provided.
Open to Yale Community only.
Speaker Bio:
Tyler Sampson holds a Ph.D in liturgical studies from The Catholic University of America. He was most recently a lecturer at CUA and a senior lecturer and affiliate professor at Virginia Theological Seminary. His research focuses on the history and theology of Christian liturgy in the first millennium, particularly the developments and adaptations of the liturgy of the city of Rome. While at the ISM, he will expand on his dissertation research with a project entitled, “Ordo et Ratio: Ordering, Explaining, and Celebrating Liturgy in the Early Medieval West.” With this project he aims to deepen our understanding of this critical period of liturgical history by placing manuscripts of liturgical handbooks at the center. These understudied books, with instructions, commentaries, and other texts, were central to enacting the liturgical reform of the Carolingians and reveal the creativity and diversity of its implementation.