Folia Theologica et Canonica 4. 26/18 (2015)

IUS CANONICUM - Szabolcs Anzelm Szuromi. O.Praem., Interpretation of the Church's discipline without the former sources?

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SZABOLCS ANZELM SZUROMI, O.PRAEM.

hand, numerous positive ecclesiastical laws merely formulate the divine law, the force of which no hierarchical level is able to dispense with. On the other hand, even in relation to merely ecclesiastical laws, it must be noted that these have a singular bond with divine law as the means of the observance and application of its contents.’ These meanings were crystallized during the Church's life, first in the customary law of administering the sacraments and proclaiming the Gospel, and then in written form. The entire canonical system is one, united logical structure - if you like: a pyramid -, gradually built on the doctrine of the Church, in order to protect that, in close connection to natural law dus naturale) which statement is enlightened well by Zenon Grocholewski.4

Not a long time ago was possible to make distinction of validity and effect within canon law system only regarding few determined fields. If a canonical norm was validly created - by the competent ecclesiastical authority, based on the valid canonical legislative process and form, in harmony with the doctrine of the Church, addressed for determined group of faithful -, that had come into force without any expiring time-limit. This makes us to understand the theoretical background of the most important forgeries which arose in the canon law history. Without the developed form of juridical interpretation, the canonical norms which literally kept the earlier ecclesiastical conditions, only by textual transformation, changing of attribution, or by simple forgery could be actualized the old canons, because those were still in force. For this technic the best example is the Decretales Pseudo-Isidorianae ( 847-852).’ More than half of the canonical material of this collection is false or interpolated.'1 Those canoniallicit, naturae humanae ad bonitatem stimulos addit, et calcaria subditur demum cum quaedam benigne indulgere, permittit, vei tolérât, habenas laxat. Sed tarnen tam cohibendo, quam incitando, quam etiam indulgendo ad unicum tantum, ac certum finem genus humánum dirigit, nempe ad bene, beateque vivendum (...). Lancelotti, J. P., Institutiones luris Canonici, quibus ius pontificami singulari methodo, Coloniae 1609. 1050.

3 Cf. Erdő, P., Metodo e storia del diritto nel quadro delle scienze sacre, in De León. E. - Alvarez de las Asturias, N. (a cura di), La cultura giuridico-canonica Medioevale premesse per un dialogo ecumenico (Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Monografie giuridiche 22), Milano 2003. 3-22, especially 15-16. Errázuriz, J. C. M., Lo studio della storia nella metodologia canonistica: la rilevanza della nozione di diritto, in De León, E. - Àlvarez de las Asturias, N., (a cura di), La cultura giuridico-canonica Medioevale, 109-121, especially 114.

4 Grocholewski, Z., La legge naturale nella dottrina della Chiesa, Roma 2008. 41 -49.

5 Hinschius, P. (ed.), Decretales Pseudo-Isidorianae et Capitula Angilramni, Lipsiae 1863 (repr. Aalen 1963).

6 Erdő, P., Die Quellen des Kirchenrechts. Ein geschichtliche Einführung (Adnotationes in lus Canonicum 23), Frankfurt am Main 2002. 74-79. Schon, K.-G., Unbekannte Texte aus der Werkstatt Pseudoisidors. Die Collectio Danieliana (MGH Studien und Texte 38), Hannover 2006. Zechieleckes, K„ Auf Pseudoisidors Spur. Oder: Versuch, einen dichten Schleier zu lüften, in Hartmann, W. - Schmitz, G. (ed.), Fortschritt durch Fälschungen? Ursprung, Gestalt und Wirkungen der pseudoisidorischen Fälschungen (Beitrage zum gleichnamigen Symposium an der Universität Tubingen vom 27. und 28. Juli 2001 ; MGH Studien und Texte 31) Hannover