Curator’s Talk in the Vatican Film Library for “The Rule of Law” — An Exhibition of Medieval Legal Manuscripts

A Curator’s Talk with Daniel Webb, Department of History, for the Exhibit

The Rule of Law: Righting Wrongs and Writing Rights in Medieval Europe

Vatican Film Library
Pius XII Memorial Library, Rm 105
29 April 2014, 4:00 p.m.  

Curated by Daniel Webb, doctoral candidate in the Department of History and CMRS Research Assistant in the Vatican Film Library of the Saint Louis University Libraries Special Collections during the academic year 2013–14, this exhibition focuses attention on two aspects of the Western legal tradition: theory and practice.

In presenting the theory of law, the exhibition presents three representative texts: one examining Roman law; one looking at canon law; and the last demonstrating an effort to combine the first two fields into a grand, unified theory of all law. These works of theory address discrepancies in interpretation and precedent and attempt to evaluate, to find harmony, and to demonstrate that contradictions were more apparent than real.

The second aspect presented, that of practice, illustrates specific ways in which law was used, challenged, and preserved. By means of contracts, official receipts, and court proceedings, we catch glimpses into how law was both utilized and valued. By examining these documents, laboriously hand-written in an age before print, we can come to understand the brilliance and variety of medieval legal thought, so often ignored in discussions of modern jurisprudence, and, by doing so, can more fully appreciate the depth of our legal heritage.

The curator’s talk will be followed by a reception. The exhibition will be on display Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, through 31 July 2014 in the Vatican Film Library of Pius XII Memorial Library. For further information, contact Susan L’Engle, Assistant Director of the Vatican Film Library, at 314-977-3084, lengles@slu.edu.