Si nce its first appearance, The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (ODCC) has become a trusted resource for scholars and browsers alike. Despite serving what would seem an impossibly diverse readership, the book provides, as Gregory the Great said of the Scriptures, "water in which lambs may walk and elephants swim" (quoted by E. A. Livingstone, "Preface," v). Medievalists are not an atypical species of visitant, for among them the course of interdisciplinary study may quickly reduce elephants to lambs. Then, especially, the ODCC refreshes with its deep learning, clear prose, full bibliographies, and inexhaustible cross-references.
For coverage both of the medieval church and of later figures or institutions important to Medieval Studies, the Dictionary is, doubtless, already an old friend to most readers of this forum. Building on its two previous versions (1957 and 1974), the third issue (ODCC 3) incorporates and surpasses their virtues. It is a single-volume reference work of rare value, the result of collaboration among (cumulatively) over 480 scholars under the general editorship of Dr. Elizabeth A. Livingstone. Dr. Livingstone joined the ODCC in the early 1950s as assistant to the late Frank Leslie Cross (Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity, Oxford, and canon of Christ Church Cathedral). She has ever since divided her scholarly energies between original work in early church history and the tireless revision of the ODCC. And, indeed, her lifetime of scholarly and editorial judgment shows, both in the adept coordination of this increasingly collaborative work and in the thoughtfulness and balance of changes introduced for the third edition. Other than to offer unstinting praise, a review of the resulting book has little business but to describe its differences from the second edition and their possible relevance for users whose chief concern is the civilization of the Middle Ages. (All comparisons that follow are to a corrected and lightly revised 1983 reprint of the second edition.)
Readers will notice right away that the ODCC has received a completely new face and physique. This is no trivial observation; users of the second edition know too well the dense compression and narrow margins of its pages, not to mention the almost microscopic font-size of thetbibliographies. By comparison, the larger format of the ODCC 3 is far easier on the eyes. The typeface is not significantly bigger than that of the ODCC 2, but is far less cramped, with more generous margins all around. The difference is felt most strongly in the bibliographies which, though still in smaller type, can be studied without eye strain or the aid of a magnifying glass. This benefit alone justifies the new format, though it comes with a price. The resetting of the text, plus considerable changes of content (to be discussed below), has added some 250 pages to the book and increased its dimensions from approximately 6.5 x 9.5 to a more imposing 7.75 x 10 inches. Inevitable consequences are that the new edition is less wieldy (a hefty 5 lbs., 7 oz., versus 3 lbs., 13 oz. for ODCC 2) and considerably more expensive than its compact predecessor. The increased bulk and expense are, however, small cost for the greater ease of use, and smaller still in view of the many substantive improvements that keep the book current as a work of reference.
Even the most appreciative user of the first and second editions will acknowledge that their comprehensiveness has its limits. The foci of reference are clearly England and Anglicanism, and within the latter a more Anglo-Catholic than Evangelical sympathy. This does not, of itself, amount to a criticism, merely an acknowledgment that the heart of the work courses with the interests of orthodox Anglican clergy and scholars prior to the Second World War. Patristics, English ecclesiastical history, theological or jurisdictional disputes between Anglicans and Roman Catholics, and the fruits of the Liturgical Movement have naturally received lavish treatment. While coverage of other topics has always been impressively broad, perceptions of occasional imbalance have lingered. Nor has anyone been more sensitive to the charge of insularity than the editors themselves (see Cross's reprinted "Preface" from the first edition, ix). A guiding motive behind the changes to the first edition, planned by Professor Cross before his death in 1968 and continued by Dr. Livingstone through the second and, now, the third editions, has been to make the ODCC ever more inclusive. As Dr. Livingstone writes in the "Preface" to the third edition, this concern has demanded broader and deeper attention to the growth of Christianity in Africa, Asia, and South America, as well as to the impact of Marxism, Feminism, Ecumenism, and other movements at work in the modern churches (v). Most conspicuous in the third edition, therefore, are such new entries as "Africa, Christianity in," "Feminist Theology," "Liberation Theology," "'Death of God' Theology," "women, ordination of," "contraception, procreation, and abortion, ethics of," and "Black Churches." The third edition also continues the effort of the second to treat more fully the Eastern Orthodox churches. It is not surprising that some reviews of the ODCC 3, perhaps taking their cue from Dr. Livingstone's own preface or from the publisher's jacket copy, have emphasized these and other contemporizing additions to dispel the (unfair) perception of the work as an Anglican preserve. The third edition, they seem eager say, is a record of Christianity, a living religion with a present and future as well as a past.
If these were the only substantive changes, medievalists might hesitate to retire their copies of the second edition. Aggiornamento is not always desirable for the scholar's purpose: on certain topics, no few of us probably turn first, for example, to the old Catholic Encyclopedia (1907-14) rather than to its "New" successor (1967). It is therefore deeply satisfying to report that the desire for currency in the third edition has not come at the expense of attention to the early and medieval church -- far from it. Extensive comparison of the second edition against the third reveals not a single serious compromise in the new version's coverage of the Middle Ages. In fact, added to the many hundreds of entries, taken over from the second edition, on medieval rulers and saints, local churches, and controversies, there are new entries for (to name just a few): the sixth-century poet Arator; several notable Anglo-Saxons, including King Athelstan, Byrhtferth of Ramsey, and St. Lull of Mainz; the Dominican historian and inquisitor Bernard Gui; the monastery of Echternach; (monastic) fraternities; the Greek florilegist Paul Evergetinos; Carthusian priors Guigo I and Guigo II; a second John of the Cross (a Dominican, not to be confused with the famous Carmelite mystic); the canonist "Hostiensis" (a.k.a. Henry de Bartholomaeis); and many other names now singled out for individual treatment: Guibert of Nogent, Humbert of Romans, Isaac of Stella, John of Dalyatha. A bit stranger, though hardly less interesting, "burning" and "stake" (for executions) now have entries too. Other new entries, not limited in focus to the Middle Ages, wil also entice medievalists: see, e.g., "Jews, Christian attitudes to," "Arabic Versions of the Bible," "Henry Bradshaw Society," "Knowles, David," "Lewis, Clive Staples," and "Lubac, Henri de."
Still other entries, though not new, have been completely revised in light of recent work in Medieval Studies (e.g., "Celtic Churches," "Inquisition," "mysticism, mystical theology," "Penitential Books," "Theodore of Tarsus, St"). Though harder to gauge in totality, such changes, perhaps more than the new entries, vindicate the ODCC 3 as a thorough rather than merely cosmetic revision. It seems that every aspect of the Dictionary came under review. Some broad topics have been redistributed more coherently among a number of entries. To cite only one example of very thoughtful reorganization, the editors have expanded the entry "Office, Divine" to incorporate new material as well as much that was formerly found under "Breviary." The third edition retains the second's cross- references to, and separate entries for, the individual Hours ("Mattins," "Lauds," and so on) as well as cross-references to many other topics ("responsories," "antiphons," etc.), but all eventually refer back to "Office, Divine" as an anchor for the whole group. A short entry for "Breviary" (as well as another for "Monastic Breviary") does remain but (logically) treats the history and format of the book, not the entire Divine Office.
The example of "Office, Divine" highlights another feature adopted from previous editions: the remarkably full and reliable system of cross-references. Updated throughout, these further integrate matter new to the ODCC 3 and make the whole work quite forgiving to the reader in pursuit of an unfamiliar subject. Of course, to follow all the possible leads may require some diligence, and beginners especially should be aware that the system (employing only asterisks) does not distinguish the essentially from the peripherally relevant. Some cross- references are therefore ignored at the user's peril: the entry "Gregorian Sacramentary," for example, mentions (and dutifully cross-references) the famous supplement known as the "Hucusque," then goes on to mention other supplementary pieces in ninth- century sacramentaries, concluding with a remark about Alcuin's possible role in the integration of such materials. Alcuin, of course, likely had a hand in the composition of certain Votive Masses, but the now prevalent attribution of the major supplement to Benedict of Aniane, not Alcuin, becomes clear only in the separate entry "Hucusque" (or in the separate entry for Benedict of Aniane, though that is not cross-referenced directly from "Gregorian Sacramentary"). The degree of care given to reorganization and cross-referencing continues down to the most minute features of the book. In matters of style, the third edition introduces slight changes of wording that make for more seadable entries (cf. the second sentence s.v. "Arius" in the second and third editions). The spelling and wording of entry- headings have also received careful review, resulting in innumerable changes (with cross-references to previous forms graciously retained or added for the sake of those accustomed to the second edition). Readers should therefore check carefully before panicking that a favorite entry has been dropped. The third edition prefers, for example, "auto de fe" to the headword "auto-da-fe/" in the second; similarly, main entries now attach to "Egeria" not "Etheria," "Image of God" not "Imago Dei," "Kabbala" not "Cabbala," "florilegium" rather than the plural "florilegia," and "Llull, Ramon" instead of "Lull, Raymond." However minor the point, this reviewer also deeply appreciates the editors' decision to use capitals and lower case letters, as well as italics (for titles, but not for foreign words) in the headings: cf. ODCC 2 "ALTAR" and "HIGH ALTAR" with ODCC 3 "altar" and "High Altar." Writers on ecclesiastical subjects may now, if they wish, appeal to the ODCC 3 as a guide to the spelling and capitalization of technical terms.
Most useful of all to scholars, however, will probably be the updated bibliographies, which show judicious accommodation of current research. The results of collaborative effort are here most apparent, for the breadth of knowledge represented is astounding. While the bibliographies of necessity remain highly selective, they attempt to include recent editions of primary sources and the most important new secondary literature. The happy result is usually a concise outline of the history of scholarship on a given subject. To this end, the editors have never viewed the exclusion of "superseded" works as a major concern where these represent significant stages in the progress of scholarship (see Cross's remarks on the bibliographies in the reprinted "Preface" to the first edition, x). Also new in the third edition, the organization of a few longer bibliographies has greatly benefited from the insertion of capitalized subheadings, a practice that could be usefully extended to other long entries in future revisions of the book (see, e.g., bibliographies s.v. "Augustine of Hippo" and "Church").
Specialists will inevitably disagree with some decisions made in the bibliographies, as Cross anticipated in the "Preface" to the first edition (x). They are meant to be safe and foundational, not exhaustive. The larger and more important issue is, of course, the inclusiveness of the whole ODCC. As with the bibliographies, so among the main entries there are bound to be omissions that will cause medievalists to scratch their heads and wonder about rationale. Where it seems no Protestant sect is too obscure for inclusion (see, e.g., "Jumpers" or "Se-Baptists"), a major document of medieval church history, the Dictatus papae, has no entry, nor is it mentioned or cross-referenced under "Gregory VII" (though I finally found an allusion to it, s.v. "Pope"). Ademar of Chabannes has no entry, nor, for that matter, does St. Martial or Limoges. Ademar is a good cautionary example, because he has been the subject of recent major work -- recent, though under the apparent cut-off date for bibliography in the ODCC 3 (I find some items with dates as late as 1996). For my own area of interest, the Anglo-Saxon church, coverage is generally excellent and the bibliographies are impressively up to date (though Andy Orchard's book The Poetic Art of Aldhelm [1994] should definitely be added to the entry for that saint).
To go on about what could or should have gone in, however, would be petty indeed when Dr. Livingstone and her collaborators have achieved something so monumental and welcome. Editors must make decisions, and the scholars who have produced the ODCC 3 have made very good decisions throughout. No multi-volume work, much less a single volume, can comprehend a subject as vast as the Christian Church, and in these days of torrential publication no bibliography will be absolutely current by the time it appears in print. But for medievalists, and especially for those concerned with the British Isles, Western Europe, the papacy, and the intellectual legacy of the Church Fathers, the ODCC 3 will become as indispensable a tool as its previous editions and worthy to stand next to other major reference works devoted specifically to the period.