UvA-DARE is a service provided by the library of the University of Amsterdam (https://dare.uva.nl)
UvA-DARE (Digital Academic Repository)
Reading between the lines: Old Germanic and early Christian views on abortion
Elsakkers, M.J.
Publication date
2010
Link to publication
Citation for published version (APA):
Elsakkers, M. J. (2010). Reading between the lines: Old Germanic and early Christian views
on abortion.
General rights
It is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of the author(s)
and/or copyright holder(s), other than for strictly personal, individual use, unless the work is under an open
content license (like Creative Commons).
Disclaimer/Complaints regulations
If you believe that digital publication of certain material infringes any of your rights or (privacy) interests, please
let the Library know, stating your reasons. In case of a legitimate complaint, the Library will make the material
inaccessible and/or remove it from the website. Please Ask the Library: https://uba.uva.nl/en/contact, or a letter
to: Library of the University of Amsterdam, Secretariat, Singel 425, 1012 WP Amsterdam, The Netherlands. You
will be contacted as soon as possible.
vii
CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iii
PREFACE v
ABBREVIATIONS xi
LIST OF TABLES xiii
INTRODUCTION 1
PART 1 ARTICLES 9
Article I “Genre Hopping: Aristotelian Criteria for Abortion in Germania,” in: Germanic
Texts and Latin Models; Medieval Reconstructions, K. E. Olsen, A. Harbus & T.
Hofstra (eds.), Leuven: Peeters, 2001 (Germania Latina IV), pp. 73-92. [Elsakkers 2001]
11
Article II “Inflicting Serious Bodily Harm; the Visigothic Antiquae on Violence and
Abortion,” Tijdschrift voor Rechtsgeschiedenis - The Legal History Review 71 (2003), pp. 55-63. [Elsakkers 2003a]
33
Article III “Gothic Bible, Vetus Latina and Visigothic Law: Evidence for a Septuagint-based
Gothic Version of Exodus,” Sacris Erudiri 44 (2005), pp. 37-76. [Elsakkers 2005]
45
Article IV “Abortion, Poisoning, Magic and Contraception in Eckhardt’s Pactus Legis
Salicae,” Amsterdamer Beiträge zur Älteren Germanistik 57 (2003), pp. 233-267.
[Quod vulgo dicitur; Studien zum Altniederländischen, Willy Pijnenburg, Arend Quak & Tanneke Schoonheim (Hrsg.)] [Elsakkers 2003b]
87
Article V “Raptus Ultra Rhenum: Early Ninth-Century Saxon Laws on Abduction and
Rape,” Amsterdamer Beiträge zur Älteren Germanistik 52 (1999), pp. 27-53. [Elsakkers 1999]
125
Article VI “Her anda Neylar: an Intriguing Criterion for Abortion in Old Frisian Law,”
Scientiarum Historia 30 (2004), pp. 107-154. [Elsakkers 2004]
155
Article VII “En Kind andere Bobbaburg, a Reconsideration of the Word Bobbaburg,” Us
Wurk 52 (2003), pp. 105-119. [Elsakkers 2003c]
205
Article VIII “Anglo-Saxon Laws on Poisoning: an Invitation to Further Investigation,” to be
published in: Anglo-Saxon Secular Learning in the Vernacular, Sandor Chardon-nens & Bryan Carella (eds.), special issue of Amsterdamer Beiträge zur Älteren
Germanistik, 2010, forthcoming. [Elsakkers 2010, forthcoming]
219
Article IX “The Early Medieval Latin and Vernacular Vocabulary of Abortion and
Embryology,” in: Science Translated; Latin and Vernacular Translations of
Scientific Treatises in Medieval Europe. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, May 27-29, 2004, Pieter De Leemans, Michèle Goyens & An Smets (eds.), Leuven:
Universitaire Pers, 2008 (Mediaevalia Lovaniensia), pp. 377-413. [Elsakkers 2008]
231
Article X “Late Antique and Early Medieval Remnants of the Hippocratic Oath: Early
General Prohibitions of Abortion,” unpublished. [Elsakkers, unpublished]
viii
Article XI “Proicit, Purgat et Sanat: Emmenagogues and Purgatives for Women’s Diseases in
Early Medieval Recipe Books,” unpublished. [Elsakkers, unpublished]
281
Errata 325
PART 2 OLD GERMANIC AND EARLY CHRISTIAN VIEWS ON ABORTION 327
Chapter 1 OLD GERMANIC LAW ON ABORTION: an overview 329
ROMAN HERITAGE 329
Codex Theodosianus, Lex Romana Visigothorum (LRV) or Breviarium Alarici
(BA) and Lex Romana Burgundionum (LRV)
VISIGOTHIC LAW (fifth - seventh centuries) 331
Leges Visigothorum (LV)
BURGUNDIAN AND OSTROGOTHIC LAW (early sixth century) 333
Lex Burgundionum (LB), Lex Romana Burgundionum (LRB), Edictum Theoderici, Ostrogothic law (ETh)
LOMBARD LAW (mid-seventh - mid-ninth centuries) 334
Leges Langobardorum (LLa)
SALIC LAW (sixth - ninth centuries) 336
Pactus Legis Salicae (PLS), Lex Salica (LS), Lex Salica Karolina (LSK)
RIPUARIAN LAW (seventh century) 338
Lex Ribuaria (LRib)
ALAMANNIC LAW (early seventh - eighth centuries) 340
Pactus leges Alamannorum (PLA), Lex Alamannorum (LA)
BAVARIAN law (eighth century) 342
Lex Baiuvariorum (LBai)
GENTES ULTRA RHENUM (early ninth century) 346
Lex Francorum Chamavorum (LCham), Lex Saxonum (LSax), Lex Thuringorum
(LThur), Lex Frisionum (LFri)
OLD GERMANIC LAW IN THE VERNACULAR 348 Anglo-Saxon Law (late sixth to tenth centuries) 348 Late Medieval Old Frisian Law 350
SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION 353
Terms for ‘fetus’ 353
Fetal development 355
Punishment 356
Punishment for poisoning, supplying and using abortifacients 357 Punishment for violent abortion 358
Motives - Intentionality 362
Methods 363
Actors, accomplices and women’s business 366 Roman and Christian influences 367
Status of the fetus 367
Reinterpretations 367
ix
Chapter 2 EARLY CHRISTIAN VIEWS ON ABORTION 373
THE BIBLE - THE OLD TESTAMENT 373 DIDACHE - DOCTRINA APOSTOLORUM 375
CHURCH FATHERS 377
EARLY CHURCH COUNCILS 382
SERMONS 386
Chapter 3 ABORTION IN THE EARLY MEDIEVAL LATIN PENITENTIALS 393
INTRODUCTION 393
IRISH PENITENTIALS 394
P. Vinniani (2nd quarter 6th century), P. Columbani (late 6th century)
THEODORIAN PENITENTIALS 395
Iudicia Theodori (late 7th century)
FRANKISH PENITENTIALS 397
P. Burgendense (8th century), P. Floriacense (late 8th - early 9th century), P. Martenianum (2nd quarter 9th century), P. Hubertense (1st half 9th century)
TRIPARTITE PENITENTIALS 399
P. Remense (1st quarter 8th century), Excarpsus Cummeani (1st half 8th
century), P. Sangallense (2nd half 8th century), P. Capitula Iudiciorum (2nd half 8th century), P. Merseburgense A (late 8th - early ninth century), P.
Vallicellianum I (MS E.15) (late 9th century), P. Oxoniense II (8th century), P. Casinense (late tenth - early 11th century)
BEDAE-EGBERTI PENITENTIALS 407
P. Ps. Bedae (late 8th century), P. Ps. Egberti (early 9th century), P. Additivum
(825-850) Excarpsus Cummeani (early 8th century), P. Mixtum (850-875), P. Ps.
Theodori (early 9th century)
HALITGAR, P. Ps. ROMANUM, HRABANUS MAURUS, P. Ps. GREGORII 414 Halitgar (early 9th century), P. Ps. Romanum (late eighth - early ninth century),
Hrabanus Maurus (mid 9th century), P. Ps. Gregorii (mid 9th century)
REGINO OF PRÜM (late 9th - early 10th century) 417 BURCHARD OF WORMS (first quarter 11th century) 423 P. FULBERTI and P. PARISIENSE COMPOSITUM 426
P. Fulberti (late 10th - early 11th century), P. Parisiense Compositum (mid 11th
century)
SPANISH PENITENTIALS 428
P. Vigilanum (2nd half 9th century), P. Cordubense (early 11th century), P. Silense (mid 11th century)
ITALIAN PENITENTIALS 431
P. Casinense (late 10th - early 11th century), P. Vaticanum (late 10th - early
11th century), P. Vallicellianum E.62 (11th century), P. Vallicellianum C.6 (late 11th century)
IVO OF CHARTRES (late 11th - early 12th century) 434
SUMMARY AND DISCUSSION 439
Terms for ‘fetus’ 439
Fetal development 444
Punishment - penance 448
x
Intentional and involuntary abortion 451
Violent abortion 452
Accomplices 452
Methods of abortion, maleficia and superstition 454
Actors 458
Women’s business 458
Chapter 4 EARLY MEDIEVAL ABORTION: some final considerations 461
QUESTIONS AND MISCONCEPTIONS 461 THE FETUS, FETAL DEVELOPMENT AND THE STATUS OF THE FETUS 463 INTENTIONAL ABORTION AND ABORTION BY ASSAULT 465
PUNISHMENT 467
MOTIVES 469
Sexual promiscuity 470
Economic reasons: poverty 471 Economic reasons: prosperity 472
Gender selection 472
Divorce 473
Sexual violence: rape and incest 473
The fetus’s health 474
The mother’s health 475
Preservation of the woman’s beauty 475
Other motives 475
METHODS OF ABORTION 476
Abortifacient potions and maleficia 476 Pessaries, suppositories and infusions 478 Cataplasms, poultices, plasters, ointments, salves, creams and pills 480
Fumigation 480
Bathing 481
Bloodletting 482
Surgical abortion and other invasive abortion techniques 482
Miscellaneous methods 485
Violence 486
Et per artem aliquem - ‘and by any other method’ 487
Suggestion for reinterpretation 488 ABORTION AND WOMEN’S BUSINESS 494
DANGERS - EFFICACY 496
CONCLUDING REMARKS 502
BIBLIOGRAPHY 509
SUMMARY IN ENGLISH 531
