Letters of Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln

Frank AC Mantello author Joseph Goering author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:University of Toronto Press

Published:19th May '10

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Letters of Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln cover

Robert Grosseteste (c.1170-1253) was an English statesman, philosopher, theologian, and bishop of Lincoln, and also one of the most controversial figures in his country's episcopate. His long life coincided with the central period of institutional, intellectual, and religious consolidation in medieval Europe and his letters provide important insights into the practices and preoccupations of the English clergy and laity in the first half of the thirteenth century.

This volume contains the first complete translation of Grosseteste's collected Latin letters and shows that these were most likely chosen and arranged by Grosseteste himself. Shedding light on some of the period's crucial debates on issues of theology, law, pastoral care, and episcopal authority, Frank Mantello and Joseph Goering's richly annotated English translation makes his letters more accessible than ever for scholars and students, and for those interested in medieval history, religion, and culture.

'This is a highly readable and accurate translation. The very useful annotations help to orient the modern reader with respect to medieval concepts, reflecting a profound understanding of thirteenth-century institutional history and the social and legal context of medieval Christianity. An extraordinary piece of scholarship.' -- James Ginther, Department of Theological Studies, St Louis University
‘Mantello & Goering have made available to a broad audience a valuable primary source collection depicting thirteenth-century social, religious, and institutional developments seen through the episcopate of one of the Middle Ages' most formidable bishops… This is a wonderful piece of scholarship that is both easy and a pleasure to read. ’ -- Andrew Fogleman; Comitatus: A Journal of Medieval & Renaissance Studies: vol 42:2011
‘This accurate, stylish and thoroughly annotated translation of the letters of Robert Grosseteste will make one of the most important collections of correspondence from the Central Middle Ages accessible to new generations of students.’ -- Julian Haseldine * The Journal of Medieval Latin, vol 21:2011 *
‘This is a splendid piece of scholarship that will bring Grosseteste’s letters, and thereby Grosseteste the man, to a wider audience.’ -- Neil Lewis * The Review of Metaphysics; vol 65:04:2012 *

  • Winner of Canadian Society of Medievalists Margaret Wade Labarge Prize 2012 (Canada)

ISBN: 9780802098139

Dimensions: 236mm x 160mm x 37mm

Weight: 880g

608 pages