Chapter six. The ‘Right Order of the World’ According to the Liber de Unitate Ecclesiae Conservanda

Abstract

This chapter, stressing the theme of unity, opens one of the most famous and important tracts in the polemical literature, the Liber de unitate ecclesiae conservanda (Ldu) from the early 1090s. Moreover, the Ldu has been considered representative of the royal chancery's view of the church. The Ldu is a tremendous showcase of learning, employing a vast variety of patristic, canonistic, and historical sources. The importance of Cyprian in the political ecclesiology has received due attention in previous research, particularly in relation to the moral theological scheme and the episcopalism of the treatise. The Ldu has repeatedly been hailed as the most important polemic, largely due to the quality of the historical reasoning, but also on the basis of other noteworthy aspects such as the treatment of the oath, the political ecclesiology, and the vast amount of learning displayed by the author.Keywords: Cyprian; Liber de unitate ecclesiae conservanda (Ldu); polemical literature; political ecclesiology