Bernard of Compostella, the Younger

views updated

BERNARD OF COMPOSTELLA, THE YOUNGER

Bishop, canonist; d. Rome, 1267. He was dean of Lisbon in 1252. He is called "the Younger" to distinguish him from Bernard of Compostella "the Elder" (early 13th century), with whom, as Joannes Andreae testifies, he was being confused as early as the first part of the 14th century.

In a very busy lifetime he found time for only three works: (1) a Margarita or analytical table to Innocent IV's Apparatus in quinque libros decretalium, (2) a commentary on Innocent's own decretalsboth of these were minor works written about 1250and (3) a Lectura or commentary on the decretals of Gregory IX (which was begun about 1260 and had reached only as far as bk. 1, tit. 6 by 1267). For all its lack of originality, the fragmentary Lectura is of value, chiefly because it is the product of a writer who not only endorsed but also was perfectly familiar in practice with Innocent IV's ideas on centralization. Thus, drawing at one point on his own experience as an auditor, Bernard adds Notabilia to Corpus iuris Canonici X 1.3.30 (De rescriptis ), which provide a fascinating glimpse of the century-old system of provisions at the very moment when the canonist-pope was giving it a juridical framework that would endure for centuries.

Bibliography: g. barraclough, "Bernard of Compostella," English Historical Review 49 (1934) 487494; Dictionnaire de droit canonique, ed. r. naz, (Paris 19351965) 2:777779. bernard of compostella, Lectura aurea, in Perillustrium tam veterum quam recentiorum in libros decretalium aurei commentarii, v. 1 (Venice 1588). g. durantis, Speculum iuris, glossed by joannes andreae et al., 4 pts. in 3 (Venice 1576) pt. 3, lib. 3, p. 28, "De inquisitione," gloss k. Schulte 2: 118120. f. gillmann, Zur Lehre der Scholastik vom Spender der Firmung und des Weihesakraments (Paderborn 1920) 8890, 226227. p. g. kessler, "Untersuchungen über die Novellen-Gesetzgebung Papst Innozenz' IV," Zeitschrift der Savigny-Stiftung für Rechtsgeschichte, Kanonistische Abteilung 32 (1943) 316354. s. kuttner, Repertorium der Kanonistik 318; "Bernardus Compostellanus antiquus," Traditio 1 (1943) 277278. a. van hove, Commentarium Lovaniense in Codicem iuris cononici 1 (Mechlin 1945) 1:477478, 480481.

[l. e. boyle]

About this article

Bernard of Compostella, the Younger

Updated About encyclopedia.com content Print Article