515
Pregledni znanstveni članek/Article (1.02)
Bogoslovni vestnik/Theological Quarterly 81 (2021) 2, 515—523
Besedilo prejeto/Received:09/2020; sprejeto/Accepted:01/2021
UDK: 27-36-1sv.Hieronim
DOI: 10.34291/BV2021/02/Koscak
© 2021 Košćak, CC BY 4.0
Silvio Košćak
Saint Jerome in Liber officialis of Amalar of Metz 
(775–850) and Rationale divinorum officiorum of 
William Durand (1230–1296)
Sv. Hieronim v delu Liber officialis Amalarja iz Metza 
(775–850) in v spisu Rationale divinorum officiorum 
Vilijema Duranda (1230–1296)
Abstract: Amalur of Metz and William Durand were medieval liturgists from the 
beginning and end of a long period during which liturgical treatises were cre-
ated and labelled expositio missae or liturgical expositions. In the early 9th cen-
tury, Amaral of Metz compiled the exposition De ecclesiastico officio, in which 
he examines liturgical celebrations by using an allegorical interpretation and 
the contribution to the Carolingian reform. He eventually became a role model 
for later authors who created more or less similar treatises following his ex-
ample. One author who considered Amaral a role model was William Durand 
the Elder, bishop of Mende in France. In the 13th century, he compiled the ex-
position Rationale divinorum officiorum. Both expositions were very influen-
tial not only in the period in which they were created but also in later periods. 
Amalar’s exposition enhanced the development of allegorical interpretations in 
the Middle Ages, while Durand’s exposition has been used up to the liturgical 
reform introduced by the Second Vatican Council. In the present paper, the au-
thor explores the reception of Saint Jerome by both authors referred to above. 
The said authors do not use the patristic ideas in their original sense; they do 
not expand on them theologically. Their purpose for using patristic sources is 
to verify doctrines or liturgical practices of their period. Introducing allegory 
in the interpretation of liturgy and compiling existing material is relevant for 
transmitting the Fathers’ beliefs to future generations.
Keywords: liturgical exposition, Jerome, reception, Rationale divinorum officiorum, 
De ecclesiastico officio
Povzetek: Amalar iz Metza in Viljem Durand, srednjeveška liturgika, sodita na 
začetek in konec dolgega obdobja, ko so se oblikovale liturgične razprave z raz-
lago obreda svete maše (expositio missae). V začetku 9. stoletja je Amalar sestavil 
516 Bogoslovni vestnik 81 (2021) • 2
delo De ecclesiastico officio, v katerem z alegorično interpretacijo razlaga bogo-
služje v odnosu do karolinške reforme. Sčasoma je postal vzor še za poznejše raz-
lagalce, med drugim tudi za Viljema Duranda, škofa francoskega mesta Mende, 
ki je v 13. stoletju pripravil Rationale divinorum officiorum. Oba spisa sta imela 
velik vpliv ne le v obdobjih nastanka, marveč tudi pozneje. Amalarjevo delo je 
okrepilo razvoj alegorične interpretacije v srednjem veku, Viljemovo pa je ostalo 
v rabi vse do liturgične reforme drugega vatikanskega koncila. V prispevku avtor 
obravnava recepcijo sv. Hieronima v navedenih delih. Avtorja se ne sklicujeta 
na patristično misel na izviren način, v smislu razvoja teološke misli, marveč z 
uporabo patrističnih virov utemeljujeta nauk in bogoslužne prakse svojega časa. 
Alegorija kot pomoč pri razlagi liturgije in za zbiranje že obstoječih besedil sta 
metodi za prenos učenja očetov na prihodnje generacije.
Ključne besede: razlaga liturgije, Hieronim, recepcija, Rationale divinorum officio-
rum, De ecclesiastico officio
1. Amalar of Metz and William Durand in the Context of 
Medieval Theology
Medievalists and theologists who explore medieval theology have recently been 
writing about the significance of medieval liturgists (Košćak 2019, 23–25). When it 
comes to liturgy, medieval theology abounds in authors who can testify about the 
context in which they created their works. Two authors referred to in the title of 
the present paper, Amalar of Metz (Amalarius Metensis, abbr. Amalar.) and Willi-
am Durand (Guillaume Durand, abbr. Guil. Dur.), primarily discuss the symbolism 
inscribed within the medieval course of liturgical celebrations. The authors also 
discuss the literary creativity of the period, primarily the role models used in the 
creation of their original works.
Amalar of Metz, who introduced the allegorical method into the interpretation 
of liturgical celebration during the Carolingian era, was born in the late 8th century 
in Burgundy. He was appointed the Archbishop of Trier around 809. He started writ-
ing his well-known liturgical works around 813. Following Charlemagne’s death, 
he was demoted from the position of bishop. He was back in the king’s good graces 
in 825. In 835, he was assigned the position of the Archbishop of Lyon. He spent 
his whole life discovering the symbolism in liturgical celebrations (Knibbs 2014, 
vii–xxx). He is the first author in the long line of writers of the medieval literary 
form entitled liturgical exposition.1 This literary form reached its pinnacle in the 
works of William Durand the Elder. Works of authors who succeeded him were 
much less successful, while Durand himself remained an authority up to the Sec-
ond Vatican Council.
1 Liturgical exposition is a medieval literary form used by liturgists of the period to teach the clergy on 
the symbolism of liturgical celebrations and everything related to it (church architecture, gestures, li-
turgy times, sacraments, church services in liturgy etc.).
517Silvio Košćak - Saint Jerome in Liber officialis of Amalar of Metz...
William Durand was born in 1230 or 1231 in the French town of Puymission 
near Béziers. He held various positions and honours in the French church hierar-
chy. He was named a clergyman in Miquelon in 1251, while in 1254, he became 
the spiritual leader of a church in Narbonne. From 1255, he studied canonical law 
at Modena. During the pontificate of Pope Clement IV (1256‒1268), he was ap-
pointed priest of the Roman Curia. He was named the general auditor at the Holy 
See court of appeals (audientia causarum sacri palatii). He also held the position 
of captain and prefect of the Papal State. In 1285, he was appointed bishop of 
the French town of Mende. In 1295, Pope Bonifacius VIII offered him the Ravenna 
Diocese. However, Durand declined this position. He died on 1 November 1926. 
The epitaph on his grave in the Roman basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva testi-
fies his significance in the Church ranks and the significance of his works. (Košćak 
2019, 25–26)
2. The Use of Patristic Ideas in Liturgical Expositions by 
Amalar of Metz and William Durand the Elder
The present paper explores the reception of Saint Jerome’s ideas by both authors 
mentioned in the title. Medieval authors do not use the patristic ideas in their ori-
ginal sense; in other words, they do not expand on the Fathers’ ideas in a theologi-
cal sense. The goal of using patristic sources is to verify the teachings or liturgical 
practices of the recent period. Compilatory methods of the subject authors are 
used to transmit the Fathers’ ideas to following periods, but a touch of originality 
characteristic of the context under research is also evident.
Amalar’s best-known work, Liber officialis or De ecclesiastico officio (On the 
Liturgy), is the subject of research.2 This work reached a broad medieval audi-
ence. Jean-Michel Hanssens discovered seventy-four manuscripts in circulation 
throughout the centuries (Knibbs 2014, xi), while the manuscript underwent three 
redactions (xv‒xvi).
In the work’s Prologue, Amalar introduces the testimony on the reasons behind 
his writing, which are, in his words, »desiderio ut scirem rationem aliquam de or-
dine nostrae Missae« (Knibbs 2014, 18–19). He writes that his comment would 
present »necnon etiam et iterare quod a scripto sancti Ambrosii et sancti Augus-
tini didici de ordine orationum in Missa et in aliis officiis« (2014, 2). Even though 
he claims that he would be transmitting the ideas of the most prominent patristic 
authors from the Middle Ages, he uses other sources of the Church fathers. For 
this reason, in the primary stage of the research, we created a list of all citations 
of the patristic works within Liber officialis. When it comes to the other patristic 
sources, as well as those of his contemporaries, he cites the works of Saint Jerome, 
Saint Bede the Venerable, Saint Cyprian, Saint Gregory the Great, Saint Gregory 
2 For the critical edition of Amalar’s works, see Hanssens 1948–1950. It is published in three volumes: 
Tomus I - Introductio, Opera minora; Tomus II - Liber officialis; Tomus III - Liber de ordine antiphonarii, 
Eclogae de ordine romano; Appendix Tomi I et II - Indices.
518 Bogoslovni vestnik 81 (2021) • 2
of Nazianzus, Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Saint John Chrysostom, Rabanus Maurus, 
Saint Isidore of Seville, Boetius and Gregory of Tours. 
Considering the initial thought on Saint Augustine and Saint Ambrose and with 
the preliminary research into the presence of citations of the Fathers unveiling 
many citations by Saint Jerome, two research questions were asked in the con-
text of our research: 1. What is the reason behind Amalar’s use of Saint Jerome’s 
ideas? 2. Does Amalar of Metz use Saint Jerome’s works to base a new method 
for interpreting liturgy on the Fathers’ foundations?
We researched the reception of Saint Jerome in Rationale divinorum officiorum 
by William Durand the Elder, in an equal manner (Košćak 2019, 26–28). At the 
very end of Rationale divinorum officiorum Durand acknowledges that they used 
various sources for assembling the treatise (Thibodeau 2007, xx).
2.1 The Reception of Saint Jerome in Liber officialis by Amalar of Metz
Below we provide a list of all sections where Amalar of Metz cited Saint Jerome. 
After the title of the cited work, numbers within slashes provide information on 
the citation location in Saint Jerome’s work. The reference to Saint Jerome’s work 
is followed by the location of the citation in Amalar’s work. Saint Jerome was cited 
in sixty-five places throughout four books of Liber officialis (Lib. off.). Amalar refe-
rences various works by Saint Jerome, mostly his Commentaries on the Scripture.
Of Saint Jerome’s commentaries on the Books of the Old Testament, the most 
cited is the Hier., In Is., which was cited in nine places (In Is.14.53 – Lib. off. 1.11.8; 
In Is. 17.63 – Lib. off. 1.11.11; In Is. 17.61 – Lib. off. 1.12.45; In Is. 3.7 – Lib. off. 
1.12.47; In Is. 2 – Lib. off. 1.19.7–8; In Is. 15 – Lib. off. 1.19.12; In Is. 1.1 – Lib. off. 
3.3.6; In Is. 4.11 – Lib. off. 4.12.6; In Is. 4.12 – Lib. off. 4.12.7). The other Old Tes-
tament-related commentaries Amalar cites are the In Zach. (In Zach. 1.1 – Lib. off. 
1.1.7–8), In Ioel (In Ioel 2 – Lib. off. 1.2.2; 3.1.3), In Ezech. (In Ezech. 11.36 – Lib. 
off. 1.8.6; In Ezech. 13.44 – Lib. off. 1.16.5; In Ezech. 3.9 – Lib. off. 3.5.2), In Hab. 
(In Hab. 2 – Lib. off. 2.13.4; In Hab. 2.3 – Lib. off. 4.16.2), In Hos. (In Hos. 2 – Lib. 
off. 1.13.8) and In Dan. (In Dan. 6 – Lib. off. 4.3.1; In Dan. 12 – Lib. off. 4.10.13).
Of Saint Jerome’s commentaries to the Books of the New Testament, Amalar 
uses the In Matth. (In Matth. 4 – Lib. off. 1.16.3; In Matth. 1.9 – Lib. off. 1.36.6–7; 
In Matth. 2.2 – Lib. off. 2.20.1; In Matth. 6.26 – Lib. off. 3.23.14; In Matth. 4.26 – 
Lib. off. 3.23.25), In Tit. (In Tit. 1 – Lib. off. 2.3.2–4; In Tit. 1 – Lib. off. 2.13.4–6), In 
Eph. (In Eph. 3.5 – Lib. off. 1.1.21; 3.2.12; 4.3.15–16; In Eph. 2 – Lib. off. 1.14.4; In 
Eph. 2.4 – Lib. off. 1.27.27; In Eph. 3.6 – Lib. off. 3.4.4) and In Gal. (In Gal. In Gal. 
2.4 – Lib. off. 4.37.2–5).
Of the other texts written by Saint Jerome, Amalar cites his Epistles (Epistulae), 
more specifically Ep. 78 (Ep. 78.2 – Lib. off. 1.4.5; 1.18.2–3), Ep. 77 (Ep. 77.4 – Lib. 
off. 1.12.40), Ep. 108 (Ep. 108.9 – Lib. off. 1.14.7; Ep. 108.19 – Lib. off. 4.9.20), Ep. 
41 (Ep. 41.3 – Lib. off. 1.36.4; 1.37.10), Ep. 71 (Ep. 71.6 – Lib. off. 1.36,5), Ep. 52 
(Ep. 52.5 – Lib. off. 2.4.1–2), Ep. 146 (Ep. 146.2 – Lib. off. 2.12.7; Ep. 146.1 – Lib. 
off. 2.13.11; 2.13.15) and Ep. 64 (Ep. 64.20 – Lib. off. 2.15.2; Ep. 64.2 – Lib. off. 
519
2.18.1; Ep. 64.21 – Lib. off. 2.22.1). Below we provide some of the citations of 
Saint Jerome’s texts referred to above.
Hier., In Is. 14.53  
Amalar., Lib. off. 1.11.8
»Si posuerit pro peccato animam suam – ille quem Dominus conterere 
voluit sive mundare – videbit semen longevum quod seminavit in bona 
terra. De quo et in Evangelio scriptum est: Exiit qui seminat seminare se-
men bonum.«
Hier., In Ezech. 11.36  
Amalar., Lib. off. 1.8.6
»Creator enim omnium sum; peperci eis et sanctificavi illos et gloriae pris-
tinae restitui, ita ut super credentes et ab errore conversos effunderem 
aquam mundam baptismi salutaris, et mundarem eos ab abominationi-
bus suis et ab universis erroribus quibus fuerant occupati, et darem eis 
cor novum, ut crederent in Filium Dei.«
Hier., In Dan. 6  
Amalar., Lib. off. 4.3.1
»Tria autem tempora quibus Deo flectenda sunt genua: tertiam horam et 
sextam et nonam, ecclesiastica traditio intelligit. Denique tertia hora des-
cendit super apostolos Spiritus Sanctus; sexta volens Petrus comedere, ad 
orationem ascendit in caenaculum; nona Petrus et Iohannes pergebant 
ad templum.«
Hier., In Matth. 4 
Amalar., Lib. off. 1.16.3
»Traditio Iudeaorum est Christum in media nocte venturum in similitu-
dine Aegyptii temporis. Quando Pascha caelebratum est, exterminator 
venit et Dominus super tabernacula transiit, et sanguine agni postes nos-
trarum frontium consecrati sunt. Unde reor et traditionem apostolicam 
permansisse, ut die vigiliarum Paschae ante noctis dimidium populos di-
mittere non liceat, expectantes adventum Christi, et, postquam illud tem-
pus transierit, securitate praesumpta, festum cuncti agunt diem.«
Hier., In Eph. 3.5  
Amalar., Lib. off. 1.1.21
»Significare absconditam cogitationem, cum inflammatur sensus noster 
ad libidinem, et carnis titillationibus anima ignita succenditur; et nihilomi-
nus Dei timore et mentis iudicio refrenatur.«
Hier., In Gal. 2.4  
Amalar., Lib. off. 4.37.2–5
»Si dies observare non licet, et menses, et tempora, et annos, nos quoque 
similiter crimen incurrimus, quartam sabbati observantes et Parasceven 
et diem Dominicam et ieiunium Quadragesimae et Paschae festivitatem 
et Pentecostes laetitiam et, pro varietatem regionum, diversa in honore 
martyrum tempora constituta… Nos enim non azymorum pascha celebra-
mus, sed resurrectionis et crucis. Nec septem iuxta morem Israel numera-
mus ebdomadas in Pentecoste; sed Spiritus Sancti veneramur adventum. 
Et ne inordinate congregati populi fides minueretur in Christo, propterea 
dies aliqui constituti sunt, ut in unum omnes pariter veniremus – non 
quod celebrior sit dies illa qua convenimus, sed quacumque die conve-
niendum sit, ex conspectu mutuo laetitia maior oriatur.«
Hier., Ep. 78.2  
Amalar., Lib. off. 1.4.5
»Nec mirum si in illo numeri sacramento perveniamus ad regna caelo-
rum, sub quo Dominus atque salvator a primo patriarcha pervenit ad vir-
ginem – quasi ad Iordanem, qui pleno gurgite fluens, Spiritus Sancti gratiis 
redundabat.«
Hier., Ep. 41.3  
Amalar., Lib. off. 1.36.4
»Nos unam Quadragesimam secundum traditionem apostolorum tempo-
re nobis orbe congruo ieiunamus; illi tres in anno faciunt quadragesimas, 
quasi tres passi sint salvatores. Non quod et per totum annum, excepta 
Pentecoste, ieiunare non liceat, sed quod aliud sit necessitate, aliud vol-
untate munus offerre.«
Hier., Ep. 64.20  
Amalar., Lib. off. 2.15.2
»Legimus in Levitico iuxta praeceptum Dei Moysen lavisse Aaron et filios 
eius. Iam tunc purgationem mundi et rerum omnium sanctitatem bap-
tismi sacramenta signabant. Non accipiunt vestes nisi loti prius sordibus, 
nec ornantur ad sacra nisi in Christo novi homines renascantur.«
Table 1: The selected quotations of St. Jerome (part 1).
It has already been said that Amalar’s originality lies in the use of the allegorical 
method of interpretation. The existing works claim that »the allegorical significance 
of liturgical words and actions reflects, for Amalar, the divine inspiration of those 
who devised the liturgy« (Knibbs 2014, xviii). However, based on the citations 
Silvio Košćak - Saint Jerome in Liber officialis of Amalar of Metz...
520 Bogoslovni vestnik 81 (2021) • 2
used that interpret the Scripture in an allegorical manner, we can say that liturgy 
for Amalar has allegorical meanings in the same manner as the Scripture does.
Many of Amalar’s interpretations and the selected citations of the Fathers’ work 
may seem arbitrary. However, the amount of Jerome’s citations used in which he 
interprets lines from the Scripture in an allegorical manner provides the answer 
to why Amalar specifically uses those interpretations and why he uses Jerome’s 
interpretations. Jerome used the allegorical method in the interpretation of the 
Scripture. On the other hand, Amalar used allegory for interpreting liturgy to 
prove that the ,architects‘ of liturgical celebrations are equal to the writers of the 
Scripture books. Just like Scripture writers were guided by divine inspiration, the 
same applied to those who modelled liturgy. Hence, it is no surprise that he used 
the Fathers’ texts drafted as commentaries on the Old Testament for verifying 
the allegorical interpretation of individual liturgical celebrations. This is also the 
reason why he often cites texts written by Saint Jerome.
Of all the Fathers’ texts, Saint Jerome is the most represented author in the 
Liber officialis corpus. Contemporary authors claim that Saint Jerome’s theologi-
cal insights are not as deep as Saint Augustine’s (Bratulić 2018, 221–222). The 
fame he acquired by translating the Holy Bible and writing his commentaries has 
not diminished even after the ecclesiastical and political changes of the Middle 
Ages until Amalar’s period. In Liber officialis, he is not dependent on Jerome’s 
interpretations. Jerome’s citations conveyed in Liber officialis demonstrate that 
Amalar based his allegorical method specifically on Jerome’s allegorical interpre-
tation of the Scripture.
It should also be added that Saint Augustine’s theology is far more represented 
in Liber officialis than that of Saint Jerome. The explored citations of Saint Augus-
tine demonstrate that Amalar used texts that are theologically more developed. As 
stated by Amalar himself, Augustine’s theology is his teacher, and he wants it to be 
transferred to the priests. Our exploration of the reception of Saint Jerome by Ama-
lar of Metz leads us to the conclusion that he inherited theological insights from 
Saint Augustine and new methodologies for interpreting liturgy from Saint Jerome.
2.2 The Reception of Saint Jerome by William Durand
Our research also includes the reception of Saint Jerome by William Durand du-
ring his most productive period of writing liturgical expositions. He is Amalar’s 
late medieval successor. Even though he is not the last ever compiler of liturgical 
exposition, he is the most successful one – the quality of texts decreased after his 
demise. The number of later editions of Durand’s exposition Rationale divinorum 
officiorum (Rat. div.) shows the relevance of this work in later periods. In addition, 
Durand’s exposition is the second-ever printed book.
Our recent research was conducted to write the doctoral thesis on Rationale 
divinorum officiorum by William Durand (1230‒1296) as an example of medieval 
pre-treatise ecclesiology. It unveiled a large number of patristic texts that Durand 
used for creating his expositions. Even a superficial analysis shows that he is en-
521
tirely dependent on his literary role models. In other words, the process of creat-
ing his exposition primarily consisted of compiling sources. Since the author was 
an expert in canon law, the majority of sources included medieval legal literature. 
Concerning methodology, the structure of the work, liturgical topics included or 
interpretation of liturgy, Durand is entirely dependent on previous authors of ex-
positions based on the Fathers’ sources, beginning from Amalar of Metz to Pope 
Innocent III and Johannes Beleth (Thibodeau and Davril 2000, 229–247 [Appara-
tus in margine]; 248–269 [Apparatus fontium]).
Unlike Amalar’s methodological originality, Durand is entirely dependent on his 
predecessors. Both authors studied in this paper attempt to penetrate the sym-
bolism of liturgical celebration to educate the clergy of their times. The 13th‒cen-
tury clergy Durand addresses the people who were mainly uneducated about the 
meaning of celebrations. However, Timoty Thibodeau considers the compilation 
method as Durand’s original contribution (1992). Of all the Fathers’ texts used by 
Durand, no author stands out in terms of quantity. All authors have been used 
relatively equally to present his conclusions as accurate.
In our exploration of Durand’s use of the Fathers’ theology, Saint Jerome’s in 
particular, we found citations used about the Church symbolism. In other words, 
Durand is a compiler of liturgical exposition and the creator of pre-treatise eccle-
siology incorporated into the liturgical treatise (Holmes 2011). As stated in the 
literature, before the publication of the Bull by Pope Bonifacius VIII Unam sanctam 
in 1302, Durand reflected on the Church in the context of sacrament life, worship 
within the sacred space.
Here we present the works of Saint Jerome that have ecclesiological implica-
tions in Durand’s exposition. These elements bear the same implications in its 
original context. Durand’s Rationale divinorum officiorum contains fifteen such 
citations. The majority of these citations have been incorporated into larger units 
of canonical-legal literature used by Durand. This conclusion is brought forward 
by Timothy Thibodeau and Anselm Davril, editors of the critical edition of our 
reference source. The cited sections are presented in the same manner as for 
Amalar of Metz.
It can be concluded that Durand uses Saint Jerome’s texts of the commentaries 
to the Scripture in order to verify his statements on the Church or to talk about 
ecclesiological topics to his contemporaries by using the patristic arguments. The 
sources include: In Am. (In Am. 2.4 – Rat. div. Pr. 9), In Mich. (In Mich. 1.2 – Rat. 
div. 1.1.22), In Is. (In Is. 3.2 – Rat. div. 2.10.5), In Ezech. (In Ezech. 13.44.20 – Rat. 
div. 3.1.1), In Dan. (In Dan. 2.6.10 – Rat. div. 5.1.7), In Eph. (In Eph. 3.5.9 – Rat. 
div. 2.2.3) and In Tit. (In Tit. 1 – Rat. div. 2.11.16). In the ecclesiological context, he 
also uses Saint Jerome’s work Liber interpretationis hebraicorum nominum (Nom. 
hebr. – Rat. div. 1.5.11; 1.1.4; 5.4.23). Other texts used by Durand in the context 
of speaking on the Church are Saint Jerome’s Epistula Ad Rusticum monachum 
(Ep. 125.11 – Rat. div. 1.9.17; Ep.125.19 – Rat. div. 2.1.29), Ad Euangelum pres-
byterum (Ep. 156 – Rat. div. 2.10.5), Ad Nepotianum (Ep. 52.5 – Rat. div. 2.1.30) 
Silvio Košćak - Saint Jerome in Liber officialis of Amalar of Metz...
522 Bogoslovni vestnik 81 (2021) • 2
and Adversus Iovinianum (Adv. Iovin. 1.4 – Rat. div. 1.5.11). Below we present the 
citations of Saint Jerome’s texts referred to above.
Hier., In Am. 2.4  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. Pr. 9
»debemus divinam scripturam in ethica scrutari: primo iuxta litteram; se-
cundo iuxta allegoriam, id est spiritualem intelligentiam; tertio secundum 
futurorum beatitudinem.«
Hier., Ep. 125.11  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 1.9.17
»Semper aliquid operis facito, ut dyabolus inveniat te occupatum.«
Hier., Adv. Iovin. 1.44  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 1.5.11
»tres patriarche sepulti sunt in civitate Ebron in spelunca duplici cum tribus 
uxoribus suis.«
Hier., In Mich. 1.2  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 1.1.22
»Vae dormientibus, exsurge qui dormis«
Hier., Quaest. hebr. in Gen.  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 1.5.11
»tres patriarche sepulti sunt in civitate Ebron in spelunca duplici cum tribus 
uxoribus suis.«
Hier., Nom. hebr. Litt. 1  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 1.1.4
»Ierusalem vocatur, nam Ierusalem visio pacis interpretatur.«
Hier., Ep. 156  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 2.10.5
»Presbyter ergo /…/ nomen est aetatis, episcopus vero dignitatis.«
Hier., Ep. 52.5  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 2.1.30
»sunt reges et sacerdotes, id est regales sacerdotes; et sunt reges, id est, se 
et alios in virtutibus regentes, et ita in Deo regnum habent.«
Hier., Ep. 125.19  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 2.1.29
»veritas angulos non amat«
Hier., In Is. 2.3.2  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 2.10.5
»Canities hominum prudentia est.«
Hier., In Eph. 3.5.19  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 2.2.3
»Audiant, inquit, adulescentuli, audiant hii quibus officium est in ecclesia 
psallendi, Deo non voce tantum sed corde esse cantandum, nec in tragedo-
rum modum guttur et fauces medicamine liniende sunt ut in ecclesia thea-
trales moduli et cantica audiantur.«
Hier., In Ezech. 13.44.20 
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 3.1.1
»Religio divina alterum habitum in ecclesiasticis officiis, alium in communi 
usu.«
Hier., In Dan. 2.6.10  
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 5.1.7
»Hinc habet ecclesiastica traditio quod ter in die genua sunt flectenda, scili-
cet in tertia, sexta et nona.«
Hier., Nom. hebr. Litt. S 
Guil. Dur., Rat. div. 5.4.23
»Syon interpretatur speculatio sive contemplatio.«
Table 2: The selected quotations of St. Jerome (part 2).
3. Conclusion
The use of the Fathers’ theology in the Middle Ages is not only a verification of 
the rigid attitudes of the Church but is also used to develop original theological 
methods. Amalar of Metz founded the allegorical method for interpreting liturgy 
on Saint Jerome’s allegorical interpretation of the Scripture. Throughout medieval 
times, liturgical expositions were written using this method, thereby transmitting 
the Fathers’ ideas to future periods. William Durand achieved in transmitting the 
Fathers’ ideas. He managed to transmit a wide variety of the Fathers’ works by 
using the allegorical method and successfully compiling sources. A particular va-
lue of Durand’s liturgical exposition lies in his integration of ecclesiological topics, 
whereby he defines the ecclesiological treatise form before the arrival of the ori-
ginal de ecclesia treatises. Regardless of their frequent allegorical simplification to 
523
find a deeper meaning behind liturgical celebrations, both authors influenced the 
comprehension of liturgy up to the last liturgical reform in the mid-20th century.
Both authors can be labelled teachers of what had then been a largely undered-
ucated clergy. Their most outstanding contribution is the transmission of patristic 
ideas on liturgy to the Middle Ages. Amalar of Metz builds his allegorical method 
on the interpretation method used in the Fathers’ period. Using the allegorical 
method for interpreting liturgy, Church jurist William Durand is original in using 
existing theological material. The majority of his sources of patristic theology are 
legal texts. His creation of the unique medieval liturgical treatise Rationale divi-
norum officiorum makes him a compiler of legal literature.
Abbreviation
 CCCM – Corpus Christianorum Continuatio Mediaevalis.
References
Primary sources
Davril, Anselm and Timothy Thibodeau, eds. 
1995–2000. Guillelmi Duranti Rationale divino-
rum officiorum. 3 vols. CCCM 140, 140A, 140B. 
Turnhaut: Brepols. 
Hanssens, Jean Michel, ed. 1948–1950. Amalarii Epi-
scopi Opera liturgica omnia. Studi e testi 138–
140. Vatican: Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana.
Secondary sources
Bratulić, Josip. 2018. Svetost i čovječnost: Ra-
sprave o hrvatskoj hagiografiji [Holiness and 
humanity: Discussions on hagiography]. Split: 
Književni krug.
Holmes, Stephan. 2011. William Durandus and a 
New Approach to the History of Ecclesiology. 
Ecclesiology 7:29–49.
Knibbs, Eric, ed. 2014. On the Liturgy: Amalar of 
Metz. Vol. 1. Cambridge; London: Harvard Uni-
versity Press.
Košćak, Silvio. 2019. Teološko-alegorijsko 
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naglaskom na antifone i psalmodiju [Theo-
logical-allegorial interpretation of the Holy 
Office nocturnal service in William Durand’s 
liturgical exposition (1230–1296) with a focus 
on antiphones and psalmody]. Slovo: časopis 
Staroslavenskoga instituta u Zagrebu 70, no. 
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Thibodeau, Timothy. 1992. William Durand: 
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Silvio Košćak - Saint Jerome in Liber officialis of Amalar of Metz...