Collectio canonum Hibernensis

Collectio Canonum Hibernensis (English: Irish Collection of Canon law) (or CCH) is an Irish ecclesiastical work written in Latin before 725. It is the work of two Irish scholars working in 8th century Europe, Cú Chuimne of Iona (d. 747) and Ruben of Dairinis (d.725). Its title reflects its origin as a compilation of over two hundred years worth of canon law and synodal decrees.

Subjects

The CCH was the first canon law collection in Europe which organized its material by subject. It was not until the 12th century that Gratian created another such collection. Of course, the CCH is primarily dedicated to Canons important in Ireland and gives an important place to synods which took place in Ireland.

The CCH includes not only Canon Law regarding the church, but there are also a number of provision about secular legal matters such as contracts, oaths, and sureties, as well as general information about the shape of the law.

The CCH was not the only form of law available in medieval Ireland. A secular law, more commonly known as the Brehon Laws, existed and is often at variance with the CCH, although perhaps more surprising is their tendency to overlap.

Sources for the Collection Canonum Hibernensis

The CCH was an attempt to make available diverse authorities for use by Canon Jurists. Among the sources included are:

• ecclesiastical histories
• a definition by Virgil Maro Grammaticus
• a compusticial tract by Pseudo-Theophilus
• spurious 'Acts' of the council of Caesarea
• several quotes from all but one of the works of Isidore of Seville
• so-called dicta of Saint Patrick.

Notes

Sources

• "Hiberno-Latin Literature to 1169", Dáibhí Ó Crónín, "A New History of Ireland", volume one, 2005.
• Die irische Kanonensammlung, ed. Hermann Wasserschleben, Leipzig, 1885.
• Some seventh-century Hiberno-Latin texts and their relationships, Aidan Breen, Peritia, iii, pp. 204-14, 1984.