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The Lenitas of Bishop Samuel Maciejowski: The Synodal Speech (December 9, 1549) of Marcin Kromer
Abstract
One of three synodal speeches by Marcin Kromer, the oration on December 9th 1549, inaugurating the synod in Kraków, is an interesting example of criticism of the Polish clergy, whose faults contributed to the departure of the faithfuls from the Catholic Church and thus to the successes of the Reformation. This speech deserves special attention, because at some point the speaker switches from attacking the Catholic clergy, who are neglecting their duties, to evaluating the attitude of his superior, the Bishop of Kraków, Samuel Maciejowski. He accuses him of lenitas or gentleness, which does not work in the fight against the Reformation. This apostrophe to the hierarch required Kromer to rise to the heights of rhetorical art. Using subtle allusion, understatements, examples from the Bible, and the history of Europe and Poland, Kromer tries to convince Maciejowski to radically change his attitude and to firmly fight the Reformation. Kromer’s speech is an excellent example of a rebuke (vituperatio), which, on the first et cursory reading of the text, may even be considered as an example of praising (laus) a hierarch – an erudite and a man open to dialogue.
Keywords:
Marcin Kromer, Bishop Samuel Maciejowski, speech, Catholic Church, Reformation, rhetoric, vituperatioDetails
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
