Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, UCLA – serie

From the Introduction, by Caroline Walker Bynum: The opportunity to rethink and republish several of my early articles in combination with a new essay on the thirteenth century has led me to consider the continuity - both of argument and of approach - that underlies them. In one sense, their interrelationship is obvious. The first two address a question that was more in the forefront of scholarship a dozen years ago than it is today: the question of differences among religious orders. These two essays set out a method of reading texts for imagery and borrowings as well as for spiritual teaching in order to determine whether individuals who live in different institutional settings hold differing assumptions about the significance of their lives. The essays apply the method to the broader question of differences between regular canons and monks and the narrower question of differences between one kind of monk - the Cistercians - and other religious groups, monastic and nonmonastic, of the twelfth century.The third essay draws on some of the themes of the first two, particularly the discussion of canonical and Cistercian conceptions of the individual brother as example, to suggest an interpretation of twelfth-century religious life as concerned with the nature of groups as well as with affective expression. The fourth essay, again on Cistercian monks, elaborates themes of the first three. Its subsidiary goals are to provide further evidence on distinctively Cistercian attitudes and to elaborate the Cistercian ambivalence about vocation that I delineate in the essay on conceptions of community. It also raises questions that have now become popular in nonacademic as well as academic circles: what significance should we give to the increase of feminine imagery in twelfth-century religious writing by males? Can we learn anything about distinctively male or female spiritualities from this feminization of language?The fifth essay differs from the others in turning to the thirteenth century rather than the twelfth, to women rather than men, to detailed analysis of many themes in a few thinkers rather than one theme in many writers; it is nonetheless based on the conclusions of the earlier studies. The sense of monastic vocation and of the priesthood, of the authority of God and self, and of the significance of gender that I find in the three great mystics of late thirteenth-century Helfta can be understood only against the background of the growing twelfth - and thirteenth-century concern for evangelism and for an approachable God, which are the basic themes of the first four essays. Such connections between the essays will be clear to anyone who reads them. There are, however, deeper methodological and interpretive continuities among them that I wish to underline here. For these studies constitute a plea for an approach to medieval spirituality that is not now - and perhaps has never been - dominant in medieval scholarship. They also provide an interpretation of the religious life of the high Middle Ages that runs against the grain of recent emphases on the emergence of "lay spirituality."I therefore propose to give, as introduction, both a discussion of recent approaches to medieval piety and a short sketch of the religious history of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, emphasizing those themes that are the context for my specific investigations. I do not want to be misunderstood. In providing here a discussion of approaches to and trends in medieval religion I am not claiming that the studies that follow constitute a general history nor that my method should replace that of social, institutional, and intellectual historians. A handful of Cistercians does not typify the twelfth century, nor three nuns the thirteenth. Religious imagery, on which I concentrate, does not tell us how people lived. But because these essays approach texts in a way others have not done, focus on imagery others have not found important, and insist, as others have not insisted, on comparing groups to other groups (e.g., comparing what is peculiarly male to what is female as well as vice versa), I want to call attention to my approach to and my interpretation of the high Middle Ages in the hope of encouraging others to ask similar questions.

This book is a reference volume and a digest of more than a century of scholarly work on troubadour poetry. Written by leading scholars, it summarizes the current consensus on the various facets of troubadour studies. Standing at the beginning of the history of modern European verse, the troubadours were the prime poets and composers of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries in the South of France. No study of medieval literature is complete without an examination of the courtly love which is celebrated in the elaborately rhymed stanzas of troubadour verse, creations whose words and melodies were imitated by poets and musicians all over medieval Europe. The words of about 2,500 troubadour songs have survived, along with 250 melodies, and all have come under intense scholarly scrutiny. This Handbook brings together the fruits of this scrutiny, giving teachers and students an overview of the fundamental issues in troubadour scholarship. All quotations are given in the original Old Occitan and in English. The editors provide a list of troubadour editions and an index, and each chapter includes a list of additional readings.

This collection of nineteen essays, their previous publication dates scattered over a long career, is designed to indicate the velocity and variety of the inventiveness visible in medieval engineering and also to explore the relation of technology to the values of western medieval culture. During the Middle Ages, values and the motivations springing from them—even those underlying many activities that to us today seem purely secular—were often expressed in religious presuppositions. Hence this book's title. The conceptual unity of the collection is brought forth in the author's Introduction, "The Study of Medieval Technology, 1924–1974: Personal Reflections." This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1978 and reissued as a paperback in 1986.

More than just an expression of religious authority or an instrument of social control, the Inquisition was an arena where cultures met and clashed on both shores of the Atlantic. This pioneering volume examines how cultural identities were maintained despite oppression.Persecuted groups were able to survive the Inquisition by means of diverse strategies—whether Christianized Jews in Spain preserving their experiences in literature, or native American folk healers practicing medical care. These investigations of social resistance and cultural persistence will reinforce the cultural significance of the Inquisition.Contributors:Jaime Contreras, Anne J. Cruz, Jesús M. De Bujanda, Richard E. Greenleaf, Stephen Haliczer, Stanley M. Hordes, Richard L. Kagan, J. Jorge Klor de Alva, Moshe Lazar, Angus I. K. MacKay, Geraldine McKendrick, Roberto Moreno de los Arcos, Mary Elizabeth Perry, Noemí Quezada, María Helena Sanchez Ortega, Joseph H. SilvermanThis title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1995.

The Song of Roland: Formulaic Style and Poetic Craft by Joseph J. Duggan offers a groundbreaking reevaluation of one of medieval Europe’s most celebrated epics. Long regarded as a touchstone of French literary tradition, the Chanson de Roland has fueled debates over whether its artistry reflects a single authorial genius or a collective oral inheritance. Duggan brings to this problem a rigorous analysis of formulaic language, employing computer-assisted concordances and statistical study to measure repetition, diction, and compositional patterns. His findings situate the Roland not as an anomalous masterpiece isolated from its tradition, but as a work deeply rooted in the oral-formulaic techniques shared by Old French epic poetry.By integrating close literary analysis with methods adapted from Homeric and Anglo-Saxon studies, Duggan illuminates how the poem’s structure, motifs, and verbal artistry emerge from the dynamics of oral performance. He demonstrates that even Roland’s most famous episodes—his death, his refusal to sound the horn, and the climactic trial of Ganelon—are marked by a density of formulaic expression that links them unmistakably to oral tradition while revealing their poetic power. This study not only reshapes our understanding of the Roland but also advances broader questions about medieval literary culture, authorship, and the relationship between orality and writing.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1973.

The Transformation of the Roman World: Gibbon’s Problem after Two Centuries, edited by Lynn White, Jr., revisits one of the most enduring questions in historical scholarship: how to understand the decline and transformation of the Roman Empire. Sparked by Edward Gibbon’s monumental The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, this volume gathers leading historians to reflect on what has changed in two centuries of research, interpretation, and historical consciousness. By juxtaposing what we now know of the late Roman world with Gibbon’s own intellectual framework and with our modern perspectives, the collection creates a dialogue across time about the nature of historical inquiry itself. The essays address the interplay between fact, interpretation, and self-understanding, showing how each generation rewrites the fall of Rome in its own image.The volume moves across three distinct but interwoven layers: first, a reassessment of what actually occurred in the centuries of Rome’s transformation, illuminated by modern scholarship in archaeology, social history, and late antiquity studies; second, an exploration of Gibbon himself, examining how Enlightenment rationalism, personal temperament, and eighteenth-century assumptions shaped his account; and third, a consideration of the present, reflecting on why contemporary historians perceive the past differently. In combining these vantage points, The Transformation of the Roman World demonstrates that the study of Rome’s decline is not simply an antiquarian pursuit but a mirror through which we see our own intellectual traditions and cultural anxieties. This book will appeal to scholars, students, and readers of Gibbon alike, offering both an updated account of late antiquity and a meditation on history as a discipline of self-discovery.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1966.

Jordanus de Nemore's De Numeris Datis stands as a groundbreaking text, marking the advent of advanced algebra in Western Europe. Written in the 13th century, the work assumes mastery of basic algebra and progresses to develop a systematic approach to quadratic, simultaneous, and proportional equations, many of which had not been previously articulated in European mathematics. By providing sophisticated techniques for numerical analysis, Jordanus not only addressed the needs of his contemporary mathematical community but also laid a foundational stone for the algebraic advancements that followed. The text bridges a gap between the classical mathematical traditions of the Greeks and the revolutionary algebraic methods emerging in the medieval Islamic world, showcasing Jordanus’s role as an intellectual conduit in a period of vibrant cross-cultural exchange.Despite scant biographical information about Jordanus himself, his contributions resonate through the depth and structure of his work. De Numeris Datis combines theoretical rigor with practical application, offering propositions and methods that are both abstract and directly applicable to real-world problems. The text's influence is underscored by its enduring presence in medieval and Renaissance scholarship, with numerous surviving manuscripts and commentaries attesting to its relevance. By formalizing algebraic analysis in a way that prefigures later works like Viète's Introduction to the Analytical Art, Jordanus elevated algebra from a computational tool to a discipline of logical inquiry, cementing his legacy as one of the seminal figures in the history of mathematics.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.

In Medieval Secular Literature: Four Essays, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at UCLA captures the vibrant intellectual and social spirit of its inaugural colloquium held in April 1964. This event brought together a diverse group of scholars from across disciplines—spanning literature, history, art, and music—to explore the richness of medieval secular traditions. Rather than adhering to a single thematic thread, the conference embraced a variety of topics and perspectives, akin to the eclectic approach of a Welsh sermon meant to spark individual reflection. The resulting essays reflect this interdisciplinary and dynamic exchange, capturing the essence of the lively discussions and camaraderie that defined the gathering. This collection stands as both a testament to the colloquium’s success and a source of inspiration for scholars and enthusiasts of medieval studies.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1965.

Marius: On the Elements is a groundbreaking exploration of twelfth-century scientific thought, revealing the remarkable intellectual rigor and experimental focus of its time. Written by the enigmatic figure Marius, this treatise delves into the nature of matter, the composition of elements, and their interactions, employing a dialogue format between teacher and student to engage readers in a systematic inquiry. The text is significant for its advanced treatment of material theory, presenting a quantitative framework for understanding how the diversity of the natural world arises from four fundamental elements. Through experiments, observations, and the rejection of magical explanations, Marius establishes a naturalistic and methodical approach that challenges contemporary accounts of medieval science as overly mystical or unstructured.Despite the scarcity of biographical details about Marius, the text’s connections to both Arabic and Greek influences underscore the dynamic exchange of knowledge in medieval Europe. Marius synthesizes insights from sources such as Isaac Israeli, pseudo-Aristotelian works, and emerging Latin translations of Arabic texts, while also incorporating his own innovative perspectives on substance and composition. His work stands as a testament to the intellectual vitality of the period, pushing the boundaries of understanding while shaping the course of medieval natural philosophy. This treatise remains a vital resource for scholars studying the evolution of scientific methodologies and the cultural exchanges that defined the intellectual landscape of the Middle Ages.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1976.

The 1965 conference at the University of California, Los Angeles, commemorating the four-hundredth anniversary of Galileo Galilei's birth, brought together leading scholars to exchange ideas on his multifaceted legacy. Sponsored by the university's Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the Department of Italian, and the Italian Quarterly, the event explored diverse aspects of Galileo’s work, including his engagement with literature (discussed by Professor Delia Terza), his integration of theoretical studies and technology (Professor White), his religious convictions (Professor Spini), and the intellectual and philosophical contexts shaping his thought (Professor Moody). Professor Westfall further examined the concept of force in Galileo's physics, delving into his scientific contributions. This collection of papers reflects Galileo's wide-ranging interests and underscores his enduring influence across science, philosophy, literature, and culture.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1966.

The Song of Roland: Formulaic Style and Poetic Craft by Joseph J. Duggan offers a groundbreaking reevaluation of one of medieval Europe’s most celebrated epics. Long regarded as a touchstone of French literary tradition, the Chanson de Roland has fueled debates over whether its artistry reflects a single authorial genius or a collective oral inheritance. Duggan brings to this problem a rigorous analysis of formulaic language, employing computer-assisted concordances and statistical study to measure repetition, diction, and compositional patterns. His findings situate the Roland not as an anomalous masterpiece isolated from its tradition, but as a work deeply rooted in the oral-formulaic techniques shared by Old French epic poetry.By integrating close literary analysis with methods adapted from Homeric and Anglo-Saxon studies, Duggan illuminates how the poem’s structure, motifs, and verbal artistry emerge from the dynamics of oral performance. He demonstrates that even Roland’s most famous episodes—his death, his refusal to sound the horn, and the climactic trial of Ganelon—are marked by a density of formulaic expression that links them unmistakably to oral tradition while revealing their poetic power. This study not only reshapes our understanding of the Roland but also advances broader questions about medieval literary culture, authorship, and the relationship between orality and writing.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1973.

The Transformation of the Roman World: Gibbon’s Problem after Two Centuries, edited by Lynn White, Jr., revisits one of the most enduring questions in historical scholarship: how to understand the decline and transformation of the Roman Empire. Sparked by Edward Gibbon’s monumental The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, this volume gathers leading historians to reflect on what has changed in two centuries of research, interpretation, and historical consciousness. By juxtaposing what we now know of the late Roman world with Gibbon’s own intellectual framework and with our modern perspectives, the collection creates a dialogue across time about the nature of historical inquiry itself. The essays address the interplay between fact, interpretation, and self-understanding, showing how each generation rewrites the fall of Rome in its own image.The volume moves across three distinct but interwoven layers: first, a reassessment of what actually occurred in the centuries of Rome’s transformation, illuminated by modern scholarship in archaeology, social history, and late antiquity studies; second, an exploration of Gibbon himself, examining how Enlightenment rationalism, personal temperament, and eighteenth-century assumptions shaped his account; and third, a consideration of the present, reflecting on why contemporary historians perceive the past differently. In combining these vantage points, The Transformation of the Roman World demonstrates that the study of Rome’s decline is not simply an antiquarian pursuit but a mirror through which we see our own intellectual traditions and cultural anxieties. This book will appeal to scholars, students, and readers of Gibbon alike, offering both an updated account of late antiquity and a meditation on history as a discipline of self-discovery.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1966.

Jordanus de Nemore's De Numeris Datis stands as a groundbreaking text, marking the advent of advanced algebra in Western Europe. Written in the 13th century, the work assumes mastery of basic algebra and progresses to develop a systematic approach to quadratic, simultaneous, and proportional equations, many of which had not been previously articulated in European mathematics. By providing sophisticated techniques for numerical analysis, Jordanus not only addressed the needs of his contemporary mathematical community but also laid a foundational stone for the algebraic advancements that followed. The text bridges a gap between the classical mathematical traditions of the Greeks and the revolutionary algebraic methods emerging in the medieval Islamic world, showcasing Jordanus’s role as an intellectual conduit in a period of vibrant cross-cultural exchange.Despite scant biographical information about Jordanus himself, his contributions resonate through the depth and structure of his work. De Numeris Datis combines theoretical rigor with practical application, offering propositions and methods that are both abstract and directly applicable to real-world problems. The text's influence is underscored by its enduring presence in medieval and Renaissance scholarship, with numerous surviving manuscripts and commentaries attesting to its relevance. By formalizing algebraic analysis in a way that prefigures later works like Viète's Introduction to the Analytical Art, Jordanus elevated algebra from a computational tool to a discipline of logical inquiry, cementing his legacy as one of the seminal figures in the history of mathematics.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.

In Medieval Secular Literature: Four Essays, the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at UCLA captures the vibrant intellectual and social spirit of its inaugural colloquium held in April 1964. This event brought together a diverse group of scholars from across disciplines—spanning literature, history, art, and music—to explore the richness of medieval secular traditions. Rather than adhering to a single thematic thread, the conference embraced a variety of topics and perspectives, akin to the eclectic approach of a Welsh sermon meant to spark individual reflection. The resulting essays reflect this interdisciplinary and dynamic exchange, capturing the essence of the lively discussions and camaraderie that defined the gathering. This collection stands as both a testament to the colloquium’s success and a source of inspiration for scholars and enthusiasts of medieval studies.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1965.

Marius: On the Elements is a groundbreaking exploration of twelfth-century scientific thought, revealing the remarkable intellectual rigor and experimental focus of its time. Written by the enigmatic figure Marius, this treatise delves into the nature of matter, the composition of elements, and their interactions, employing a dialogue format between teacher and student to engage readers in a systematic inquiry. The text is significant for its advanced treatment of material theory, presenting a quantitative framework for understanding how the diversity of the natural world arises from four fundamental elements. Through experiments, observations, and the rejection of magical explanations, Marius establishes a naturalistic and methodical approach that challenges contemporary accounts of medieval science as overly mystical or unstructured.Despite the scarcity of biographical details about Marius, the text’s connections to both Arabic and Greek influences underscore the dynamic exchange of knowledge in medieval Europe. Marius synthesizes insights from sources such as Isaac Israeli, pseudo-Aristotelian works, and emerging Latin translations of Arabic texts, while also incorporating his own innovative perspectives on substance and composition. His work stands as a testament to the intellectual vitality of the period, pushing the boundaries of understanding while shaping the course of medieval natural philosophy. This treatise remains a vital resource for scholars studying the evolution of scientific methodologies and the cultural exchanges that defined the intellectual landscape of the Middle Ages.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1976.

The 1965 conference at the University of California, Los Angeles, commemorating the four-hundredth anniversary of Galileo Galilei's birth, brought together leading scholars to exchange ideas on his multifaceted legacy. Sponsored by the university's Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, the Department of Italian, and the Italian Quarterly, the event explored diverse aspects of Galileo’s work, including his engagement with literature (discussed by Professor Delia Terza), his integration of theoretical studies and technology (Professor White), his religious convictions (Professor Spini), and the intellectual and philosophical contexts shaping his thought (Professor Moody). Professor Westfall further examined the concept of force in Galileo's physics, delving into his scientific contributions. This collection of papers reflects Galileo's wide-ranging interests and underscores his enduring influence across science, philosophy, literature, and culture.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1966.

This collection of nineteen essays, their previous publication dates scattered over a long career, is designed to indicate the velocity and variety of the inventiveness visible in medieval engineering and also to explore the relation of technology to the values of western medieval culture. During the Middle Ages, values and the motivations springing from them—even those underlying many activities that to us today seem purely secular—were often expressed in religious presuppositions. Hence this book's title. The conceptual unity of the collection is brought forth in the author's Introduction, "The Study of Medieval Technology, 1924–1974: Personal Reflections." This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1978 and reissued as a paperback in 1986.