260 FOURTH PERIOD. A. D. 590-1049.
It is not mentioned till four hundred years later by Stephen, a French Dominican (who died 1261).1 It was unknown to Photius and the bitter Greek polemics during the ninth and tenth centuries, who would not have missed the opportunity to make use of it as an argument against the papacy. There is no gap in the election of the popes between Leo and Benedict, who, according to contemporary historians, was canonically elected three days after the death of Leo IV. (which occurred July 17th, 855), or at all events in the same month, and consecrated two months after (Sept. 29th). See Jaffe, JKegesta, p. 235. The myth was probably an allegory or satire on the monstrous government of women (Theodora and Marozia) over several licentious popes — Sergius III., John X., XL, and XII. — in the tenth century. So Heumann, Schrockh, Gibbon, Neander. The only serious objection to this solution is that the myth would be displaced from the ninth to the tenth century.
Other conjectures are these : The myth of the female pope was a satire on John VIII. for his softness in dealing with Photius (Baronius) ; the misunderstanding of a fact that some foreign bishop (pontifex] in Rome was really a woman in disguise (Leibnitz) ; the papess was a widow of Leo IV. (Kist) ; a misinterpretation of the stella stercoraria (Schmidt) ; a satirical allegory on the origin and circulation of the false decretals of Isidor (Henke and Gfrorer) ; an impersonation of the great whore of the Apocalypse, and the popular expression of the belief that the mystery of iniquity was working in the papal court (Baring-Gould).
David Blondel, first destroyed the credit of this mediaeval fiction, in his learned French dissertation on the subject (Amsterdam, 1649). Spanheim defended it, and Mosheim credited it much to his discredit as an historian. See the elaborate discussion of DOLLINGER, Papst-Fabdn des Mittelalters, 2d ed. Munchen, 1863 (Engl. transl. N. Y., 1872, pp. 4-58 and pp. 430-437). Comp. also BiANCHi-GioviNi, Esame critico degli atti e documents della papessa Giovanna, Mil. 1845, and the long note of GIE- SELEB, II. 30-32 (N. Y. ed.), which sums up the chief data in the case.
§ 60. The Pseudo-Isidorian Decretals.
I. SOURCES.
The only older ed. of Pseudo-Isidor is that of JACOB MERLIN in the first part of his Collection of General Councils, Paris, 1523, Col. , 1530, etc., reprinted in Migne's Patrol. Tom. CXXX., Paris, 1853.
1 The oldest testimony in the almost contemporary " Liber Pontificalis " of Anastasius is wanting in the best manuscripts, and must be a later interpola tion. Dollinger shows that the myth, although it may have circulated earlier in the mouth of the people, was not definitely put into writing before the middle of the thirteenth century.
I 60. THE PSEUDO-ISIDORIAN DECRETALS. 2G7
Far superior is the modern cd. of P. Hixscilius: Dccretalc* Pscudo-Mdoriance et Capitula Angilramni. Lips. 1863. The only critical ed.* taken from the oldest and best MSS. Comp. his Commentatio dc Collectione Mdori Mercatoris in this ed. pp. xi-ccxxxviii.
II. LITE R AT U It E.
DAV. BLOXDEL : Pseudo-Isidorus et Turrianus vapulantes. Genev. 1628.
F. KNUST: De Fontibus et Consilio Pseudo-Isidoriantc col lection Is. Gott.
1832. A. MOIILER (R. C.) : Fragmcnte aus und iiber Isidor, in his " Vermischte
Sehriften" (ed. by Dollinger, Regensb. 1839), I. 285 sqq. H. WASSERSCHLEBEN : Beitrage zur Gesch. der fahchen Decret. Breslau,
1844. Comp. also his art. in Herzog. C. Jos. HEFELE (R. C.): Die pseudo-mdor. Fragc, in the "Tiibinger
Quartalsehrift," 1847. GFRORER : Alter, Ursprung, Zwcck der Decrctalcn des falschcn Isidorus.
Frcib. 1848. JUL. WEIZSACKER : Hinkmar und Pseudo- Isidor, in Niedner's " Zeitschrift
fiir histor. TheoL," for 1858, and Die pseudo-isid. Fraye, in Sybel'a
"Hist. Zeitschrift," I860. C. vox NOORDEX: Ebo, Hinkmar und Pseudo-Isidor, in Sybel's "Hist.
Zeitschrift," 18G2.
DOLLIXGEU in Janus, 1869. It appeared in several editions and languages. FEUD. WALTER (R. C.) : Lrhrbuch deft Kirchenrechts aller christl. Con-
fc^ioncn. Bonn (1822), 13th ed. 1861. The same traiisl. into French,
Italian, and Spanish. J. W. BICKELL: Geschichte des Kirchenrechts. Giessen, 1843, 1849.
G. PHILLIPS (R. C.): Kirchcnrccht. Ilcgcnsburg (1845), 3rd ed. 1857
sqq. G vols. (till 18G4). His Le/irbuch, 1859, P. II. 18G2. Jo. FR. vox SCHULTE (R. C., since 1870 Old Cath.) : Das Katliolische
Kirchcnrccht. Giessen, P. I. I860. Lehrbuch, 1873. Die Gcschlchte
der Quellen und Literatur des Canonisc/ien Rechts von Gratian bis auf
die Gegenwart. Stuttgart, 1875 S(jq. 3 vols. AEM. L. RiCHTER: Lehrbuch des J:<ith. und evang. Kirchenrechts. Leip/.,
sixth ed. by Dove, 1807 (on Pseudo-Isidor, i>p. 102-133). HENRY C. LEA : Hudl<'« in Church History. Philad. 1869 (p. 43-102 on
the False Decretals). FRIEDR. ]\[AASSEX (R. C.) : Geschichte der Quellcn und d. Literatur des
canonic/ten Rc<'ht* i/n Abendlande. 1st vol., Gratz, 1870. Comp. also for the whole history the great work of F. C. vox SAVIGXY: Geschichte des Jin in. Itechts im Mittelalter. Heidelb. 2nd ed. 1834-'51,
7 vols. See also the Lit. in vol. II. \ 67.
the chaotic confusion under the Curolinirians, in the
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