Gerardus Magnus. Opera Omnia II, 1: Sermo Ad Clerum Traiectensem de Focaristis Opera Minora Contra Focaristas

During a diocesan synod held in 1383, the Dutch Church reformer Geert Grote (1340-1384) delivered a sermon in which he vigorously attacked priests living together with concubines in the Diocese of Utrecht, whom he called focarists. After he had delivered his sermon, Grote worked it out into a written treatise comprising 26 dicta or chapters in more than 3500 lines. Grote advocated a rigorous viewpoint. Thus, he pointed out in dictum 2 that anyone who attends the offices of a notorious focarist, commits a mortal sin. His strict position met with considerable opposition. This led to various minor works either summarizing the long sermon or elucidating particular points. In the end, Grotes opponents succeeded in their efforts to bring about his downfall. In the present volume the major documents in the focarists dossier are edited scientifically for the first time, replacing the earlier 1830s edition. The volume also presents an editio princeps of a Middle Dutch partial translation as well as of a recently discovered fragment elaborating on the contents of dictum 2. In unfolding his diatribe, Grote relies on a great number of authorities and predecessors. A detailed analysis of this wealth of material has resulted in a highly innovative assessment of Grotes use of sources, included among the introductory matter.