The Missale in the Latin Canon Law Manuscripts of the 12th–15th Centuries

Regarding the concept, celebration, and administration of the Eucharist, we have, from the apostolic age onwards, constant and clear written sources, in which the doctrine of transubstantiation is fully expressed. During my foundational research on the original texts—manuscripts and fragmentary material—of the eleventh–twelfth-century canon law collections, conducted between 2000 and 2024, I discovered several exemplars containing additional liturgical texts. These texts presented essential details necessary for the celebration of the Holy Mass. The manuscripts of the canon law collections under study include works from the imperial reform movement of the eleventh century, the Gregorian reform period, and the methodological precursors of Master Gratian’s work. This research was complemented by an examination of the textual evidence from the various collections of the Corpus Iuris Canonici, from the Decretum Gratiani (1140) to the Extravagantes Communes (1500/1503).