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Which subjects were included in Gratianās Decretum?
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canon law
Council of Nicaea in 325, depicted in a Byzantine fresco in the basilica of St. Nicholas in Demre, Turkey.
Compiled by the monk Gratian around 1140, the Decretum Gratiani is a comprehensive collection of nearly 3,800 texts covering all areas of church discipline and regulation.12
Rather than being a simple compilation, the work serves as a systematic application of the scholastic method, intended to resolve contradictions among various legal sources. The subjects addressed in the Decretum include:12
- Sources of the law
- Ordinations and elections
- Simony
- Law of procedure
- Ecclesiastical property
- Monks, heretics, and schismatics
- Marriage
- Penance
- Sacraments and sacramentals2
By organizing these diverse materials, Gratian provided a foundational text for the study of canon law in universities and established a framework that influenced ecclesiastical administration for centuries.12