Indigo Grimoire: The Smithfield Decretals

In my researching of ancient manuscripts, I came across a real gem.  There was a story circulating in several of the British online news sources about a discovery that would make most Star Wars fans salivate (Telegraph, 2015). In a Medieval compilation of Decretals from the 14th century, Papal letters that are used to formulate Roman Catholic ecclesiastical law (Decretal, 2016),

(Telegraph, 2015)

there appears to be a strange figure, familiar to us all: Yoda. Buried deep within what are now referred to as the Smithfield Decretals, this uncanny resemblance to the Jedi master is indeed quite striking.  Within this Folio, 1971 papal letters and other documents were ornately decorated with images that would have inspired and terrified the medieval reader (Finishing, 2012). We are told that the image in question is from a section concerning the Biblical story of Samson, but no one is quite sure what the green robed look alike is meant to depict (Telegraph, 2016).

 

Famous Jedi look-alikes aside, the history of the decretals is rather fascinating in and of itself. In the year 1230, Pope Gregory IX ordered his confessor,

(Penafort)

St. Raymund of Penafort to compile all of his writings into a single groups to replace existing church documents (Decretales, 2016). Carrying the full weight of the Pope’s authority, these decretals were considered binding, and sought to reemphasize the Papal authority over the universal church (2016). What ever the motives for such a collection, one thing is certain, the Decretals provide a unique perspective into medieval life, and the beautiful methods they used to preserve their history, even if it leaves us making strange connections centuries later 🙂

 

Works Cited

“Decretales Gregorii IX.” Wikipedia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decretales_Gregorii_IX&gt;. 13 Jul. 2016. Web. 3 Aug. 2016.

“Decretals.” Wikipedia. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decretal&gt;. 30 Mar. 2016. Web. 3 Aug. 2016.

“Finishing the Smithfield Decretals.” British Library. <http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts/2012/08/finishing-the-smithfield-decretals.html&gt;. 13 Aug. 2012. Web. 3 Aug. 2016.

Penafort, Raymund. “Decretals of Gregory IX.” British Library. <http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/record.asp?MSID=6549&gt;. No date. Web. 3 Aug. 2016.

Telegraph Reporters. “Young Yoda Turns up in Medieval Manuscript.” The Telegraph. 18 Apr. 2015.Web. 3 Aug. 2016.