Stephan Kuttner
Encyclopedia
Stephan George Kuttner (March 24, 1907 in Bonn
– August 12, 1996 in Berkeley
), an expert in Canon Law
, was recognized as a leader in the discovery, interpretation and analysis of important texts and manuscripts that are key to understanding the evolution of legal systems from Roman law
to modern constitutional law
.
, Germany
, into a family of Jewish ancestry, Kuttner was raised as a Lutheran and converted to Roman Catholicism as a young man. He received his law degree from Berlin University in 1931, where he was a classmate and friend of the legal historian Hsu Dau-lin
. Two years later he fled Nazi Germany
for Italy
, where he worked as a research fellow at the Vatican Library
and taught at the Lateran University in Rome. In 1940, he emigrated to the U.S. with his young family. He was a professor at Washington, D.C.'s Catholic University of America from 1940 to 1964, where a chair in canon law is named in his honor. At Yale University
he was the first occupant of the T. Lawrason Riggs Chair of Catholic Studies, which he held for five years. Thereafter he became the first Director of the Robbins Collection in Roman and Canon Law in the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (1970–1988), and continued as Emeritus Professor of Law until his death.
Kuttner had a large family and at the time of his death was survived by his wife, Eva (née Illch), eight of nine children, twenty grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and a sister. Eva Kuttner died on November 14, 2007.
to serve on the initial Commission for the Reform of the Code of Canon Law
. Kuttner also founded the publishing series Monumenta Iuris Canonici and the journal Bulletin of Medieval Canon Law. The latter originally appeared in the journal Traditio, before becoming an independent journal.
The author of many scholarly works, Kuttner received numerous academic awards and honors in the U.S. and abroad. He held honorary degrees from Cambridge
, Paris
, Bologna
and Salamanca universities and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
, the Institut de France
and the American Philosophical Society
. Kuttner was recognized for his life's work by his 1969 induction into the prestigious Order Pour le Mérite
, Germany
's highest honor to bestow on artists, scholars, and scientists.
An accomplished pianist, who in his youth studied under Paul Hindemith
, he also composed music, wrote and translated poetry, and corresponded widely in several languages. In 1990, his Missa Brevis
, written for 16 vocal parts, was performed by The Boston Cecilia
.
The Library of the Stephan Kuttner Institute of Medieval Canon Law has Kuttner's extensive Collection of scholarly off-prints as well as his scholarly correspondence. A data base of these titles is now available at the Institute. In the future the database might be accessible on the Internet.
1. Earlier bibliographies
2. Books and articles
3. Reviews
4. Selected Essays
5. Reviews
6. Proceedings
7. Necrologies
8. Editing of Festschriften
9. Festschriften for Kuttner
10. Necrologies on Stephan Kuttner
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
– August 12, 1996 in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
), an expert in Canon Law
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...
, was recognized as a leader in the discovery, interpretation and analysis of important texts and manuscripts that are key to understanding the evolution of legal systems from Roman law
Roman law
Roman law is the legal system of ancient Rome, and the legal developments which occurred before the 7th century AD — when the Roman–Byzantine state adopted Greek as the language of government. The development of Roman law comprises more than a thousand years of jurisprudence — from the Twelve...
to modern constitutional law
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
.
Biography
Born in BonnBonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, into a family of Jewish ancestry, Kuttner was raised as a Lutheran and converted to Roman Catholicism as a young man. He received his law degree from Berlin University in 1931, where he was a classmate and friend of the legal historian Hsu Dau-lin
Hsu Dau-lin
Hsu Dau-lin was a distinguished legal scholar who made substantial contributions to the study of Tang and Song Law and, especially for new republican states, of Constitutional Law...
. Two years later he fled Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
for Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he worked as a research fellow at the Vatican Library
Vatican Library
The Vatican Library is the library of the Holy See, currently located in Vatican City. It is one of the oldest libraries in the world and contains one of the most significant collections of historical texts. Formally established in 1475, though in fact much older, it has 75,000 codices from...
and taught at the Lateran University in Rome. In 1940, he emigrated to the U.S. with his young family. He was a professor at Washington, D.C.'s Catholic University of America from 1940 to 1964, where a chair in canon law is named in his honor. At Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
he was the first occupant of the T. Lawrason Riggs Chair of Catholic Studies, which he held for five years. Thereafter he became the first Director of the Robbins Collection in Roman and Canon Law in the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (1970–1988), and continued as Emeritus Professor of Law until his death.
Kuttner had a large family and at the time of his death was survived by his wife, Eva (née Illch), eight of nine children, twenty grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren and a sister. Eva Kuttner died on November 14, 2007.
Works
To organize the field of textual scholarship in medieval canon law he founded the Institute of Medieval Canon Law in 1955, which he presided over for 25 years and which now is affiliated to the University of Munich and bears his name. He also launched a series of international congresses in medieval canon law, the tenth of which was in session at the time of his death. He was appointed by Pope Paul VIPope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
to serve on the initial Commission for the Reform of the Code of Canon Law
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
. Kuttner also founded the publishing series Monumenta Iuris Canonici and the journal Bulletin of Medieval Canon Law. The latter originally appeared in the journal Traditio, before becoming an independent journal.
The author of many scholarly works, Kuttner received numerous academic awards and honors in the U.S. and abroad. He held honorary degrees from Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
, Bologna
University of Bologna
The Alma Mater Studiorum - University of Bologna is the oldest continually operating university in the world, the word 'universitas' being first used by this institution at its foundation. The true date of its founding is uncertain, but believed by most accounts to have been 1088...
and Salamanca universities and was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
, the Institut de France
Institut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
and the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
. Kuttner was recognized for his life's work by his 1969 induction into the prestigious Order Pour le Mérite
Pour le Mérite
The Pour le Mérite, known informally as the Blue Max , was the Kingdom of Prussia's highest military order for German soldiers until the end of World War I....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
's highest honor to bestow on artists, scholars, and scientists.
An accomplished pianist, who in his youth studied under Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, he also composed music, wrote and translated poetry, and corresponded widely in several languages. In 1990, his Missa Brevis
Missa Brevis
Missa brevis literally means "short mass" and can refer to different types of musical setting of the Mass. Modernly, Missa brevis is generally understood as a setting of parts of the ordinary mass...
, written for 16 vocal parts, was performed by The Boston Cecilia
Boston Cecilia
The Boston Cecilia is a choral society in Boston, Massachusetts, which is in its 132nd season. Founded in 1876, the ensemble has enjoyed historic relationships with the Boston Symphony Orchestra and famous conductors and composers, such as Arthur Fiedler, Igor Stravinsky, and Antonín Dvořák...
.
The Library of the Stephan Kuttner Institute of Medieval Canon Law has Kuttner's extensive Collection of scholarly off-prints as well as his scholarly correspondence. A data base of these titles is now available at the Institute. In the future the database might be accessible on the Internet.
Books by Stephan Kuttner
- A Catalogue of Canon and Roman Law Manuscripts in the Vatican Library. Vatican City 1986-, ISBN 8821005402
- Gratian and the Schools of Law, 1140–1234. London 1983, ISBN 086078133X
- Harmony from Dissonance, an Interpretation of Medieval Canon Law. Wimmer Lecture 10. St. Vincent's, Latrobe, Pa; 1960. (No ISBN)
- Pope Urban II: The Collectio Britannica, and the Council of Melfi (1089). Robert Somerville with the collaboration of Stephan Kuttner. Oxford 1996, ISBN 0198205694
- Studies in the History of Medieval Canon Law. Aldershot 1990, ISBN 0860782743
External links
Other Bibliography1. Earlier bibliographies
2. Books and articles
3. Reviews
4. Selected Essays
5. Reviews
6. Proceedings
7. Necrologies
8. Editing of Festschriften
9. Festschriften for Kuttner
10. Necrologies on Stephan Kuttner
- There is a Stephan Kuttner Memorial Lecture within each of the International Congresses of Medieval Canon Law
- A Stephan Kuttner Memorial Session is regularly held at the meetings of the Medieval Academy of America at Kalamazoo
- Stephan Kuttner Institute of Medieval Canon Law
- Robbins Collection in Roman and Canon Law
- Library of the Stephan Kuttner Institute of Medieval Canon Law