@phdthesis{01JMSGAFYFWWJQ09PKCFFETCX0,
  abstract     = {{This dissertation investigates how mission and pastoral care among the Carantanians 
occurred during the episcopate of Abraham of Freising (957–993/4). The starting point 
for the research is the well-known Codex Latinus Monacensis 6426 that holds the oldest 
known written Slavic texts. These so-called Freising Monuments or Brižinski Spomeniki
in Slovene, consist of an exhortation to penance and two confessional formulae 
probably used among the Carantanians. During the past two centuries, much research 
has been conducted on the language of the Freising Monuments and how they fit into a 
missionary context. However, little attention has been paid to the broader context of 
these texts. The immediate context of the manuscript and the broader historical 
context have mostly been understudied. The search for connections with other 
manuscripts from Freising was even non-existent. Since we were aware the Freising 
Monuments and, by extension, Clm 6426 were potentially surrounded by unexplored 
material in the form of other codices and manuscript fragments, we wanted to overcome 
these purely constructed barriers to provide a clearer image of how mission and 
pastoral care among the Carantani during the second half of the 10th century was 
conducted. 
 In addition to attempting to reconstruct the overall manner of providing mission and 
pastoral care among the Carantanians during the episcopate of Abraham, we were eager 
to find answers to some very specific questions. We wanted to know which textual and 
linguistic choices were made to respond to the religious needs of the Carantanians. To 
answer these questions, multiple research strategies were applied. First, we explored 
the historical background of the missionary activities in Carantania and the influence 
that major political events had on these activities. We also wanted to learn more about 
the use of language in mission and pastoral care, so we searched for evidence of 
strategies applied by missionaries and other clergy to overcome language barriers 
during the Middle Ages. To discover which texts were selected to serve in pastoral care 
and, to some extent, mission in an area that was at least still growing in faith, we wanted 
to determine whether there were some sort of guidelines for mission and pastoral care 
that could have been followed. We needed actual manuscripts and manuscript 
fragments from the time of Abraham that could be linked to use in Carantania to draw 
conclusions about which textual choices were made. We discovered the text choices 
were not based on preset standards but were consciously adapted to this region. 
However, it is evident the prescriptions regarding the practical side of pastoral care and 
religious education from the Admonitio Generalis were borne in mind. In general, we can 
say we have the spiritual texts (sermons and sayings of the Church Fathers) that 
contribute to basic soul care. Furthermore, we have texts that form a jurisdictional 
(canon law, creeds and other decisions) and practical (blessings, ordines) framework. 
 Regarding the language barrier, we were rather focused on why the Freising 
Monuments were written in Alpine Slavic, whereas other important texts were not. 
After thorough research, we assumed the Freising Monuments were created as 
“lifelines” for priests who did not fully master the Alpine Slavic language (yet) but were 
confident enough to speak it. Especially in the three texts from Freising, a priest, or 
even a bishop, could not afford to make mistakes in confessional formulae and an 
exhortation to penance, as the intended audience should be able to understand 
everything very clearly without room for interpretation. This point could also explain 
why these texts in particular were translated and transcribed. In principle, other types 
of texts, mostly sermons, could have been translated more freely on the spot with or 
without help from a translator. The texts that were clearly relevant for a community 
that was still growing in faith – basically every sermon in Clm 6426 – were written in a 
quite direct manner and, therefore, were fairly easy to translate and adapt on the spot 
when necessary. 
 At the end of the research, we were able to draw a general conclusion about how 
mission and pastoral care occurred among the Carantani during the episcopate of 
Abraham. Abraham was a man with good contacts, and he enjoyed great prestige, from 
which we can deduce he was certainly capable of exercising his power successfully. By 
the time he became bishop, the decades-long military threat of the Magyars had 
subsided, so there was a more favourable climate to invest more in religious support. It 
became clear that Abraham did invest in a more qualitative and better defined pastoral 
care and possibly, to some extent, mission compared with his predecessors.}},
  author       = {{Lenssens, Anke}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{XXVI, 294}},
  publisher    = {{Ghent University. Faculty of Arts and Philosophy}},
  school       = {{Ghent University}},
  title        = {{Freising and the Slavs under bishop Abraham : a text-based approach to mission and pastoral care among the Carantanians in the 10th century}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}