Donation of Constantin

the donation of Constantin (Latin: Donatio Constantini ) is a false by which the emperor Constantin I {{er}} would have given to the pope Sylvestre the primacy on the Churches of the East and the imperium (imperial capacity) on the Occident. Although the motivations of this trickery remain speculative, force is to note that they defend the papal interests.

The demonstration of its character apocryphal book in 1442 by the humanistic Lorenzo Valla is generally regarded as the founding document of the textual Critique.

Contents

It includes/understands two parts, the first ( confessio ) wrongfully dated from the fourth consulate of Constantin (315) and the second ( donatio ) wrongfully also gone back from the consulate to Ouinius Gallicanus (317).

The confessio gives a report on the faith which was transmitted to Constantin by the pope Sylvestre Ier. It also describes how this last cured it Lèpre (episode taken again with the Actus Silvestri of the 5th century) before it converts.

The donatio is an enumeration of territories and privileges that Constantin gives the pope:

  • primacy on the Churches of the East;
  • churches of the Lateran, Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul-out-the-Walls;
  • of the goods in various provinces of the Empire;
  • the Palate of Lateran;
  • imperial badges, and senatorial badges with the entourage of the pope;
  • Rome, the Italy and in a general way Occident.

She concludes herself by a declaration from withdrawal from the Emperor towards the East, thus leaving the Occident to the capacity ( potestas ) of the pope.

The existence of the text is not attested before the middle of the 9th century. It is integrated into the Décrétales pseuso-isidoriennes and is spread in Gaulle Carolingian. In Rome even, its vogue is later. The donation is quoted for the first time in a pontifical act in 979. It is not used as argument before 1053, in a text of the cardinal Humbert de Silva Candida. It is then integrated into the Decretum of Gratien.

Update of trickery

As of the 12th century, criticisms are done day. Into the East, the Donation is translated into Greek and is criticized by the theologist Jean Kinnamos, secretary of the Byzantine emperor, Manuel Ier Comnène. The argumentation is legal: according to Kinnamos, Constantin gave the Imperium to the pope, which gave to Charlemagne, considered as an impostor. However, for Kinnamos, the pope did not have the right to demolish himself of his capacity. A little later, this thesis is taken again by Theodore Balsamon, Patriarche of Antioche and protected from the emperor Isaac II Angel. In a letter addressed to Innocent III, Balsamon explains why the transfer of the Empire of Rome to Constantinople sign the forfeiture of the first.

In Occident, Arnaud de Brescia sees in the Donation the hand of the Antéchrist, reason which Luther will take again thereafter: according to him, only the laic ones can have goods. It thus calls into question the Donation at the same time as it calls into question any ecclesiastical possession. With the 14th century, Marsile de Padoue shift the direction of the text: if the Emperor granted to the pope temporal powers, that proves the superiority of the first well on the second. Guillaume d' Occam puts as for him doubts it the authenticity of the text. In 1440, humanistic the Lorenzo Valla undertakes a work of textual Critique of the document. Initially intended for the Council of Florence, its text is printed in 1506. It proves the character apocryphal book of the document, of which it estimates the drafting at the 8th century. However, it does not call into question the contents of the Donation, which encourages the Protestant polemic to violently attack it during the Réforme. The Catholic church does not recognize the character apocryphal book of the text (and pseudo-isidoriennes Décrétales) only at the 19th century.

Interpretation

The exact origin of the Donation is prone to controversy.

The obvious distortion between the publicity of the text as a Gaulle Carolingian and the darkness of its statute in Rome can plead in the favor of a false Carolingian. In fact, the kings then frank emperors see themselves readily as a Constantin when they grant or confirm privileges with papacy:

However, the tone, the vocabulary and the objective of the text return rather to the papacy of the 8th century: the Donation intends to feed the claim of the bishop of Rome at the time when it builds a pontifical capacity intended to supplant the other patriarchates.

Sources

  • editions of the text:

    • H. Fuhrmann, Das Constitutum Contantini , MGH , Pig iron and cast iron juris , 10, Hanover, 1968;
    • K. Zeumer, DER älteste Text of Constitutum Constantini. Festgabe für R. von Gneist , 1888;

  • the analysis criticizes of Valla

    • Lorenzo Valla, On the donation of Constantin, with him wrongfully allotted and untrue. (transl. and Com. Giard, 1993), ED. beautiful Letters, coll the wheel with books , Paris. ISBN 2-251-33920-5 (text French only…)
    • Lorenzo Valla, the falsa donazione di Costantino (ED. bilingual Latin-Italian , 1994), ED. BUR, coll BUR Classici, ISBN 88-17-16876-9

See too

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