Tradition in Revolution: Harold J. Berman and the Historical Understanding of the Papacy

Rechtsgeschichte - Legal History, Rg. 21, pp. 219 – 223, 2013

U of St. Thomas (Minnesota) Legal Studies Research Paper No. 14-07

6 Pages Posted: 16 Jan 2014

See all articles by Charles J. Reid

Charles J. Reid

University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minnesota)

Date Written: 2014

Abstract

Is tradition a living, vital force guiding us steadily through our contemporary crises? Or is it merely the dead hand of the past? This is the dilemma Harold Berman continually confronted in his magisterial work on the Western Legal Tradition. In his historiography, Berman decisively favored the first view. The Papacy, he made clear in his seminal work Law and Revolution: The Formation of the Western Legal Tradition, has, like all institutions, gone through stages of growth. In my evaluation of his work, I consider this historiography and its implications for contemporary Catholicism and Pope Francis's impending reform of the Church.

Keywords: legal history, papacy, tradition, western legal tradition, Pope Francis, Catholic Church

Suggested Citation

Reid, Charles J., Tradition in Revolution: Harold J. Berman and the Historical Understanding of the Papacy (2014). Rechtsgeschichte - Legal History, Rg. 21, pp. 219 – 223, 2013, U of St. Thomas (Minnesota) Legal Studies Research Paper No. 14-07, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2379741

Charles J. Reid (Contact Author)

University of St. Thomas School of Law (Minnesota) ( email )

MSL 400, 1000 La Salle Avenue
Minneapolis, MN Minnesota 55403-2005
United States

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