The Preparation of ‘Editions’ and the Dissemination of Documentation

Abstract

On the way to the subsequent manuscript tradition of conciliar acts, the early dissemination of these texts marks the first step. The making of official, centrally sponsored, and arranged ‘editions’ is not the norm; it can be identified in the cases of the council of Chalcedon and in subsequent imperial councils. The acts of many other occasions, by contrast, frequently remained archival and owed their selective distribution to private initiatives. The archival deposition of the documents allowed access in principle for those desiring to acquaint themselves with them and to equip themselves with copies. The chapter assesses evidence for the dissemination of council documents and its mechanisms in this horizon.