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Studien zur literarischen Wirksamkeit des Petrus Damiani. Anhang: Johannes von Lodi: Vita Petri Damiani. By STEPHAN FREUND. Hannover, Germany: Hahnsche Buchhandlung, 1995. xxii + 305 pp. DM 80.
The career of Peter Damian (1007-1072) was remarkable. Indeed it seems almost unbelievable. Cardinal of the Roman church and papal diplomat, hermit and monastic reformer, fierce controversialist and defender of the validity of holy orders conferred by simoniacs, rigorous Gregorian and hammer of clerical concubinage, prolific scribbler and critic of all clerical worldliness, he stood for a time at the center of European affairs. This book, originally a German doctoral dissertation, makes a contribution to understanding his importance. It covers the period from his own century to the sixteenth.
Most of Peter's surviving works have been published in modern editions, and their sources have also been studied. The author of this volume realized that a different approach was required. He therefore...