Punishment in the Order of Preachers

Abstract

The paper unfolds the forms and functions of punishment in the thirteenth century Order of Preachers. For that purpose, I use the codification of statutes entitled the Liber constitutionum (1241). This source indicates the consequences of the Dominican punitive system on the brethren’s consciences, body and communal spirit, on their understanding of sin and guilt, and on cohesion, identity and stability. Additionally, the paper is concerned with the Humbert of Romans’ commentaries on the Dominican law. Ultimately, the paper aims to comprehend better which kinds of punishment were seen as normatively admissible by the community oriented towards the vita perfectionis.