Theodulf of Orléans

Theodulf of Orléans (Latin Theodulfus Aurelianensis, * to 750/60; † 821 at Le Mans or Angers ) was a Visigothic scholar and a poet, advisor of Charlemagne, Bishop of Orléans and abbot of Fleury.

Theodulfs posthumous fame rests mainly on his poems, of which around 80 are still standing. About its origin, probably from Visigothic nobility of Spain, and about his training, but would be included legal knowledge and singles out him in his linguistic- stylistic abilities of the contemporaries, no precise information. Theodulf promoted at the court of Charlemagne, and was appointed by him before July 798 Abbot of Fleury and the Bishop of Orléans. 798 he had in common with Leidrad of Lyon as missus dominicus, ie judicial representative of the king, in southern France, visitierte there Septimania and served mainly in Narbonne. He describes the journey in his Carmen contra judices, which criticized the conditions in the southern Frankish Empire and in his exhortations is a kind of mirror of princes to the judges and leaders of the region. Also hit 798 Alcuin Karl right to participate Theodulf in the examination of the Bishop Felix of Urgell writings against the Adoptionism, a font Theodulfs this is not retained. The long debated question of whether he was involved in the development of the Libri Carolini in which Charles had draft an opinion against the decisions of the second Council of Nicaea ( 787) to the iconoclastic controversy should be decided with the edition by Ann Freeman to his favor. Regardless of Alcuin organized Theodulf 800 own revision of the Latin Bible text of the Vulgate of Jerome. This work, which is available in six codices are awarded by modern research remarkable qualities. However, in contrast to Alcuin's text remained largely inconsequential.

800 received Theodulf Karl in Orléans and accompanied him to Rome, where he Pope Leo III. defended against his Roman prosecutor and took part in the coronation of Charles. To 800 and 800-813 he had to reorganize his diocese to draw up two capitularies, one of which became the first major influence in the medieval capitularies and canons, and was also translated into Old English. Among the churches he had built in his diocese, is the consecrated on January 3, 805 or 806 Church of Germigny -des- Prés, now one of the oldest surviving churches of France, built on the plan of a Greek cross on the model of Aachen Cathedral. In Germigny -des- Prés, one can still consider the re-discovered in 1820 and has since been restored mosaics Byzantine style, which are likely to include a company commissioned by Theodulf image program.

Theodulf wrote an opinion for Karl De processione spirit sanctu to the dispute over the " filioque ", which was discussed at the Synod of Aachen of 809, 812 likewise to an opinion De ordine baptismi. When Charles died in 814, Theodulf was among the witnesses of his will. Also to Charles's son and successor, Louis the Pious he was initially in a good relationship. When Pope Stephen IV came to the coronation of Louis 816 to Reims, Theodulf belonged to the religious dignitaries who were sent to meet the Pope. Shortly thereafter, however, he fell into disgrace. He was accused of complicity in the 817 conspiracy of Ludwig's nephew Bernard of Italy, 818 condemned at a synod in Aachen and removed from his office and spent the last three years of his life in prison and exile.

His liturgical significant hymn Gloria, laus et honor that is sung on Palm Sunday, said to have been incurred during detention in Angers and sung so movingly of Theodulf on his cell window after by Jacobus de Voragine, taken from the Legenda aurea legend that Ludwig who passed under the window in the Palm Sunday procession of 821, pardoned him from prison and began again in his episcopal ministry.

Expenditure

• JP Migne, PL 105.105-380 ( reprint of the edition of the Opera omnia of Jacques Sirmond, Paris 1646)
• Theodulfi Carmina. In: poetae Latini medii aevi 1: poetae Latini aevi Carolini (I). Edited by Ernst Dümmler. Berlin 1881, pp. 437-581 ( Monumenta Historica Germaniae, digitized )
• Guido Maria Dreves, Hymnographi latini / Latin hymn poet of the Middle Ages, Second Series, Leipzig 1907 ( = Analecta hymnica medii aevi, 50), p.159 -163
• Hubert Bastgen, Libri Carolini immersive Caroli Magni Capitulare de imaginibus, Hannover 1924 [Nachdr 1979 ] ( = MGH Concilia, Suppl 2)
• Ann Freeman / Paul Meyvaert, Opus Caroli regis contra synodum ( Libri Carolini ), Hannover 1998 ( = MGH Concilia, T. 2, Suppl 1) [ replaces the issue of Bastgen ]
• Harald Will Young, The Council of Aachen 809, Hannover 1998 ( = MGH Concilia, T. 2, Suppl 2), p.313 -382 ( Libellus de lite)
• Peter Brommer, MGH Capitula episcoporum, Part 1, Hannover 1984, p.73 -184
• Arthur S. Napier, An Old English version of the capitula of Theodulf together with the Latin original, London 1916 ( = Early English Text Society, Original Series, 150)
• Hans Sauer, Theodulfi capitula in England: the Old English translations together with the Latin text, Munich 1978 ( = Texts and Studies on English Philology, 8)
• Susan A. Keefe, Water and the Word: baptism and the education of the clergy in the Carolingian empire, II: Texts and Notes, Notre Dame 2002, p.280 -321 ( De ordine baptismi )