Lex: A Study on Medieval Terminology for Religion
Medieval Christian authors frequently employed the Latin word lex ("law") and its vernacular cognates to mean something akin to the modern notion of "religion." Like a religion, a lex was the collection of observances that marked a particular people-group, such as Christians or M...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Wiley-Blackwell
[2019]
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In: |
Journal of religious history
Year: 2019, Volume: 43, Issue: 4, Pages: 531-548 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Latin
/ Noun
/ lex (Word)
/ Religion
/ Christian literature
/ History 500-1500
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RelBib Classification: | AA Study of religion KAC Church history 500-1500; Middle Ages |
Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | Medieval Christian authors frequently employed the Latin word lex ("law") and its vernacular cognates to mean something akin to the modern notion of "religion." Like a religion, a lex was the collection of observances that marked a particular people-group, such as Christians or Muslims. This article examines the category of lex in its historical context revealing both its similarities and differences from modern "religion." It argues that the category of lex borrowed on Roman ethnography and Patristic exegesis and was inseparable from larger Christian ideas about society, human nature, and political order. |
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ISSN: | 1467-9809 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religious history
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1111/1467-9809.12628 |