188 Reviews

tigation on the basis of the sources. Jussen emphasizes theflexibilityand social usefulness
of sponsorship, which could be adapted to several ends at once.
The effort to treat sponsorship and godparentage primarily on the basis of evidence
provided by Gregory of Tours has strengths and weaknesses. Sponsoring practices have
varied significantly across time and space. Localized studies such as this one represent
an important frontier in research, since they focus on specific versions of sponsoring
practices. The weakness of such an approach in this case is that the sparse sixth-century
sources will not by themselves yield enough information for a full analysis. Angenendt's
book and my own were broader in their coverage of time and space than this one, and
that enabled them to chart developments and details. As a practical matter, Jussen found
it impossible to use only sixth-century Frankish sources; but when he ventured out of
the sixth century, his choice of sources is so wide as to require a justification: for instance,
a text of the Parisian master Peter the Chanter (d. 1197) is cited six times; the unpublished
research of David Sabean on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Neckarhausen is drawn
upon for purposes of comparison; and a text from Ravenna that may well reflect By-
zantine practice is drawn on several times. When the author uses vitae of Irish (Tigernach)
and Frankish saints (Odilia), he does not note that the late composition of the texts
undermines their usefulness as evidence for details of pre-ninth-century practice. How
these disparate texts contribute to understanding a specifically sixth-century version of
sponsorship is not evident.
In sum, this monograph is a detailed analysis of secular and baptismal "adoption" as
described primarily in Gregory of Tours's Histories. But Gregory is not sufficiently in-
formative to stand alone as a source. When the author turns to other sources, he is
occasionally less cautious and may have retrojected later developments onto the sixth-
century materials. On balance, this is a useful, though not entirely successful, attempt
to describe the godparent complex in the earliest form it took in western Europe.
This book would have been improved if some maps of the sixth-century divisions of
the Frankish kingdom had been included, as well as a genealogical chart of the Mero-
vingian dynasty.
JOSEPH H. LYNCH, Ohio State University

PAULY KANNOOKADAN, The East Syrian Lectionary: An Historico-Liturgical Study. Rome: Mar
Thoma Yogam, 1991. Paper. Pp. xxxvi, 215.
Studies of the liturgy of the East Syrian Church have focused generally on the anaphora
of Addai and Mari, the oldest eucharistic prayer in continuous use. Recently, however,
scholars have begun to broaden the scope of their inquiry into the eastern branch of
Syriac liturgical development to include such topics as the rites of reconciliation and the
development of the "mysteries" (sacraments) of Baptism and Chrismation. Yet another
example of this broadening of scholarly interest is the work under consideration here.
The dissertation by Pauly Kannookadan, written under the direction of Robert Taft, S.J.,
at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, examines the scriptural pericopes of the eucharistic
liturgy used by the churches of the East Syrian liturgical family: the Assyrian Church of
the East and the Chaldean and Malabar Catholic Churches.
The author begins with a detailed exposition of the existing sources, both published
and in manuscript form. Following this, he compares the cycle, or "system," of readings
that forms the basis of the published editions, known as the system of the "Upper
Monastery," with three other lectionary cycles, namely, those of the diocese of Mosul,
of the monastery of Beth 'Abhe, and of the cathedral of Kokhe. These specifically East
Syrian systems are then compared with two other ancient lectionaries: the Armenian
 Reviews 189
lectionary of Jerusalem edited by A. Renoux and the Syriac lectionary studied by F. C.
Burkitt. The result of this comparison is not conclusive. The author determines that the
East Syrian lectionary system owes its unique character to the fact that it developed
beyond the immediate sphere of influence of the Jerusalem liturgy. At the same time,
however, the East Syrian system demonstrates a certain dependence on the Jerusalem
system transmitted through the medium of the early Syrian lectionary. This influence is
most pervasive in the lessons and in traces of commemorations common to all three
systems.
The last two chapters deal with the origin and development of the East Syrian lectionary
system, including the considerable reforms known to have been undertaken by Catholicos
Iso-Yahb III (early seventh century), which, in the case of the lectionary, seem to have
favored monastic over cathedral usage. A theological evaluation of the liturgical year,
which is divided into seven periods of approximately seven weeks each, is elucidated by
references to the texts of patristic authors, particularly to Narsai, but to Ephrem and
Aphrahat as well.
This work is not only a valuable contribution to our understanding of the East Syrian
lectionary system in its own right but complements the important study of scriptural
pericopes used in East and West Syrian traditions by L. Chidiac and G. Khouri-Sarkis.
The inclusion of a general index, as well as an index of cited manuscripts, would have
been helpful in a study such as this, and a number of typographical errors distract the
reader. Although the current work limits itself to a consideration of the pericopes assigned
to be read at the eucharistic liturgy, subsequent studies might expand the scope to include
an important area of related interest: the scriptural pericopes designated for the canonical
hours.
JOSEPH P. AMAR, University of Notre Dame

EDITH W. KIRSCH, Five Illuminated Manuscripts of Giangaleazzo Visconti. (Monographs on

the Fine Arts, 46.) University Park, Pa., and London: Pennsylvania State University
Press, for the College Art Association, 1991. Pp. xv, 115; color frontispiece, table,
107 black-and-white figures following text. $39.50.
Edith Kirsch's volume on the patronage of Giangaleazzo Visconti analyzes the texts and
illustrations of five religious manuscripts that have never been considered as a group:
two Hours-missals (Paris, Bibliotheque Nationale, Lat. 757 and Smith-Lesouef 22); a
psalter-Hours (split in two: Florence, Biblioteca nazionale, Banco Rari 397 and Landau-
Finaly 22); a coronation missal (Milan, Biblioteca capitolare di Sant'Ambrogio, Lat. 6);
and a eulogy-genealogy, Petrus de Castelletto's Sermo in exsequiis Johannis Galeatii duds
Mediolani (Paris, B.N., Lat. 5888). In the first chapter Kirsch explains her rationale for
considering these books together; her grouping "rests on the premise that Giangaleazzo
Visconti's patronage of manuscripts was marked by certain characteristic features: exe-
cution of the work by exceptionally gifted scribes and illuminators, unusual fullness and
richness of both text and illumination, unusual combinations of texts, unusual conjunc-
tions of text and image, and iconographical manipulation of miniatures and borders to
fit certain historical circumstances and to express particular devotions" (p. 11). Kirsch's
book considers each manuscript in turn and concentrates on the impact that dynastic
events had on the development of its decoration.
The introductory chapter traces the broad outlines of Visconti patronage, beginning
with commissions of Azzo, lord of Milan from 1329 to 1339, and ending with commissions
by Giangaleazzo's parents, Galeazzo and Blanche of Savoy. Its discussion of the parallels
between Visconti patronage and that of other European monarchs is less comprehensive.