Amalarius of Metz (c775-c850) was the most inventive and influential of early medieval commentators on the liturgy. His Liber officialis and other works popularized the use of allegory to discover deeper, spiritual meanings in the rituals of the church. About the sources of Amalarius's thought, however, and the early shaping of his methods, many questions persist. New light is shed on these problems by recently discovered remnants of a hitherto unknown text. The fragments, apparently all that survive of a longer work treating the Divine Office and the last three days of Holy Week, show many hallmarks of Amalarius's early writing. The present book presents an edition of the Latin texts, accompanied by a full English translation and apparatus of sources. A detailed introduction discusses the contents of the fragments, the evidence of their authorship, and their contribution to present knowledge of Amalarius's career and early medieval liturgical history.
CHRISTOPHER A. JONES is assistant professor of English, Ohio State University.