Folia Theologica et Canonica 11. 33/25 (2022)

Sacra theologia

102

SZABOLCS ANZELM SZUROMI, OPraem.

doctrine that has been handed down from the apostles, and obviously about the specific authority of the Pope.17 Among these writings can be found his fundamental work on the unity of the Church (De ecclesiae unitate). Its content must necessarily be supplemented by his letters 55 and 66.18

Besides St. Cyprian, the second most important author to provide an ecclesiological foundation is St. Jerome. He deals in depth with the authority within the Church, the ecclesiastical hierarchy and with the exercise of sanctifying power.19 The Bishop is presented in his letter 52 as the person who, by the grace of God, has been found worthy of the clergy to exercise in the Church, as the successor of the Apostles, the pastoral mission, with a fraternal spirit, and in a special way.20 Despite the fact that the hierarchy of deacon — presbyter -bishop is found in a non-settled form within St Jerome’s writings21, it is clear from his letter 41 that he considers the bishop as the successor of the apostles and from this he derives his authority within the Church. For him too, the communion with the Chair of St. Peter means the faithfulness to the doctrine of the Church, in other words, to the Christian faith.22

II. The Ecclesiological Standpoint as Reflected

within the Canonical Collections of the High Middle Ages

Several influential canon law collections were composed in the 11th and 12th centuries23, in which the ecclesiological position was fundamentally influenced by the afore-mentioned patristic authors, among them St Jerome. These collections were rooted in the nature of canon law as ‘sacred law’ (ins sacrum), and therefore intended to summarize the entire discipline of the Church24,

17 Cf. Grossi, V., Episcopus in Ecclesia: The importance of an ecclesiological principle in Cyprian of Carthage, in The Jurist 66 (2006) 8-29, especially 21-29.

18 Epist. 66, 8. 3: Corpus scriptorum ecclesiasticorum latinorum, III/2. Vindobonae 1871. 732- 733.

19 In detail, cf. Szuromi, Sz. A., Authority and sacramentality in the Catholic Church (A Canonical-Theological Schema), in Arrieta, J. I. (a cura di), Jus divinum (XIII Congresso Intemazionale di Diritto Canonico, 17-21 settembre 2008, Venezia), Venezia 2010. 1143-1163.

20 San Jeronimo: Epistolaria I (Biblioteca de autores cristianos 530), Madrid 1993. 473M75.

21 Cf. Szuromi, Sz. A., The Clarification of the Different Degrees of Holy Orders up to the 5'* Century, in Raad. E. (dir.), Systeme juridique canonique et rapports entre les ordonnancements juridique (XII Congrés International de Droit Canonique, 20-25 septembre 2004, Adma [Libán]), Beyrouth 2008. 711-725.

22 Cf Epist. 15,2: San Jeronimo, Epistolario (Biblioteca de autores cristianos 530), Madrid 1993. 126-127.

23 Gilchrist, J., Was there a Gregorian Reform Movement in the Eleventh Century, in Gilchrist, J., Canon Law in the Age of Reform, lllh-12'h Centuries (Collected Studies Series CS406), Aldershot 1993. VII, 1-10.

24 In detail, cf Szuromi, Sz. A., Törekvés a régi egyházi kánonok összegyűjtésére, mint a középkori egyetemes kánonjoggyűjtemények sajátossága (8-12. század) [Bibliotheca Instituti Post-