Hagiography, Historiography, and Identity in Sixth-Century Gaul: Rethinking Gregory of Tours by Tamar Rotman (review)

Abstract

in front of the transactions are the work of a later period, described in the last part. In Part Five, Graumann describes the edition of the final acts, the inclusion of additional documents, their dossierization, and afterlife. Conciliar acts were not widely distributed but stored, typically in Constantinople. Only a few key bits of information—often produced after the closure of the council as a final letter—were sent out. The discrepancies between the acts and the short summaries provided in such final letters could be considerable. On this point, Graumann is somewhat brief, although the relationship between the voluminous acts and the short notifications or edicts, which were sent out and shaped the official image and reception of a council for a large public, seems to be an important issue, especially as council resolutions were often controversial. Another point to keep in mind is that Graumann elaborates an ideal version of the process of producing acts by drawing on elements from many different councils. Overall, despite the bureaucratic subject matter, the book provides a vivid picture of the needs, challenges, and expectations of the actors at early church councils towards the documentation and remembrance of councils in the form of acts. Sandra Leuenberger-Wenger, University of Zurich