
BUCH
Instructions for Kings
Secular and Clerical Images of Kingship in Early Ireland and Ancient India
Empirie und Theorie der Sprachwissenschaft, Bd. 2
2013
Zusätzliche Informationen
Bibliografische Daten
Abstract
Early Irish and Indian sources afford analogous depictions of the ideal ruler and of ideal governance, based not only on the cosmos, social order and justice, topics universally connected with kingship, but also on moral themes. On the basis of extensive textual evidence, these visions of regal power are taken as idealised, rather than historical, constructs. The sources, newly edited and translated, include Hiberno-Latin and vernacular Irish wisdom-texts, as well as canonical Buddhist sutras in Pāli, which are discussed in the light of early Indian political theory and the royal inscriptions of Ashoka. The manner in which the compilers of these texts used ideological structures inherited from earlier traditions is examined. The way the semantics, syntax and subjectmatter of the compilations was adjusted is also scrutinised, the ethical dimension, epitomised in the dichotomy of the ‘right’ and the ‘righteous’, being seen as a watershed between the old and the new visions of power.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Zwischenüberschrift | Seite | Aktion | Preis |
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Contents | 5 | ||
Acknowledgments | 13 | ||
Introduction | 17 | ||
1 Kingship and polity | 17 | ||
1.1 Representations of ideal kingship | 17 | ||
1.2 Early medieval Irish polity | 19 | ||
1.3 Preliminaries on the purpose of research: Irish data | 20 | ||
1.4 Early Indian sources on polity and ideal kingship | 21 | ||
2 Philological analysis of similarities between the Irish and Indian polities | 23 | ||
2.1 Brahmanism and druidism | 23 | ||
2.2 Religious-cultural development of 3rd c. BC India and 5-8th cc. AD Ireland | 25 | ||
I Overview of the Celtic scholarship on the subject of righteous kingship | 27 | ||
1 Fír flathemon in the corpus of gnomic texts | 27 | ||
2 First editions of early Irish wisdom-texts | 28 | ||
3 Hiberno-Latin texts on ideal kingship | 29 | ||
3.1 De duodecim abusiuis | 29 | ||
3.2 Collectio Canonum Hibernensis | 30 | ||
4 Early Irish wisdom-literature: Traditionalist approach | 31 | ||
4.1 The Sagacity of the Irish and the Hindu | 31 | ||
4.2 The Archaism of Irish Tradition | 32 | ||
4.3 Roi fainéant and Audacht Moraind | 34 | ||
4.4 Ma-a-t, Ṛta-, Fír as ‘ethic and cosmic truth’ | 36 | ||
4.5 Royal consecration formula in tecosc-texts | 37 | ||
4.6 Fír flatha and the elemental sureties | 38 | ||
4.7 Latin loanwords and Audacht Morainn | 39 | ||
4.8 The native ideology of Irish kingship | 40 | ||
4.9 Marginalia to Audacht Morainn | 42 | ||
4.10 Microcosmic and macrocosmic entities of the righteous ruler | 42 | ||
5 Alternative approaches to the study of fír | 45 | ||
5.1 The Irish royal honour code | 45 | ||
5.2 The concept of law in early Ireland | 46 | ||
5.3 The revisionist approach | 47 | ||
5.4 The religious ethical approach | 48 | ||
5.5 The cognitive approach | 49 | ||
5.6 Irish wisdom-texts: their origin, message and authorship | 50 | ||
5.7 Irish kingship and succession | 51 | ||
5.8 Law and memory | 53 | ||
6 The cult of the sacred centre | 54 | ||
II De rege iniquo ‘On the unjust king’ | 57 | ||
1 ‘Concerning the twelve abuses’ (De duodecim abusiuis): An overview | 57 | ||
2 Arguments in favour of the Irish origin of De duodecim | 58 | ||
3 De rege iniquo section of De duodecim: Structure, text and translation | 60 | ||
3.1 De rege iniquo – the earliest exposition on ideal kingship in Ireland | 60 | ||
3.2 The central principle of De rege iniquo | 60 | ||
3.3 Major divisions of De rege iniquo | 61 | ||
3.4 De rege iniquo: Introduction | 62 | ||
3.5 De rege iniquo: Part 1 | 63 | ||
3.6 De rege iniquo: Part 2 | 64 | ||
3.7 De rege iniquo: Part 3 | 66 | ||
3.8 De rege iniquo: Conclusion | 67 | ||
3.9 De rege iniquo: Literary style | 67 | ||
3.10 Collectio Canonum Hibernensis on good and bad kings | 68 | ||
4 De rege iniquo, introduction: Discussion | 70 | ||
4.1 Connotations of Lat. iniquus | 70 | ||
4.2 Etymological association rex/(cor)rectus/(cor)rector | 71 | ||
4.3 Discussion of quoniam in iustitia regis exaltatur solium | 72 | ||
5 De rege iniquo, first part: Discussion | 74 | ||
5.1 Neminem iniuste per potentiam opprimere (‘To destroy nobody unjustly by might’) | 75 | ||
5.2 Sine acceptione personarum inter virum et proximum suum iudicare | 77 | ||
5.3 Advenis et pupillis et viduis defensorem esse | 77 | ||
5.4 Furta cohibere, adulteria punire | 78 | ||
5.5 Iniquos non exaltare. Iustos super regni negotia constituere | 80 | ||
5.6 Impudicos et striones non nutrire | 82 | ||
5.7 Impios de terra perdere | 83 | ||
5.8 Parricidas et periurantes vivere non sinere | 83 | ||
5.9 Pauperes elemosynis alere | 85 | ||
5.10 Senes et sapientes et sobrios consiliarios habere | 86 | ||
5.11 Magorum et hariolorum et pythonissarum superstitionibus non intendere | 87 | ||
5.12 Per omnia in Deo confidere | 88 | ||
5.13 Prosperitatibus animum non elevare, cuncta adversaria patienter ferre […] certis horis orationibus insistere | 88 | ||
5.14 Fidem catholicam in Deum habere | 89 | ||
5.15 Filios suos non sinere impie agere | 90 | ||
5.16 Ante horas congruas non gustare cibum. Vae enim terrae, cuius rex est puer et cuius principes mane comedunt! | 91 | ||
5.17 Haec regni prosperitatem in praesenti faciunt et regem ad caelestia regna meliora perducunt | 93 | ||
6 De rege iniquo, parts 2 and 3: Discussion | 94 | ||
6.1 Pax populorum (‘peace of the peoples’) | 94 | ||
6.2 Natural catastrophes in the Old Testament and Orosius’ Historiae | 96 | ||
6.3 Fulminum ictus […] pampinos exurunt | 100 | ||
6.4 Other biblical formulae in Ps.-Cyprian | 102 | ||
6.5 Bad weathers | 102 | ||
7 Conclusion | 106 | ||
III Audacht Morainn, ‘The Testament of Morand’ | 111 | ||
1 Introduction | 111 | ||
2 Recension B of Audacht Morainn | 111 | ||
2.1 §§2-5: Introductory paragraphs | 112 | ||
2.2 §§6-11: Sequence of parallel sentences | 112 | ||
2.3 §§12-21: Is tre ḟír flathemon series | 113 | ||
2.4 §§22-31: Apair fris series | 113 | ||
2.5 §§32-46: Ad-mestar series | 114 | ||
2.6 §§47-52: Section containing poetico-legal sentiments | 115 | ||
2.7 §§54-57: Account of moral characteristics of the righteous ruler | 115 | ||
2.8 §§58-62: Fourfold classification of ruler | 115 | ||
3 Recension A of Audacht Morainn: Edition and discussion | 116 | ||
3.1 Preliminary observations | 116 | ||
3.2 Text | 118 | ||
4 Recension A of Audacht Morainn: Discussion | 128 | ||
4.1 The opening paragraph | 128 | ||
4.2 §2: Morand’s address to Nere | 128 | ||
4.3 §§3-4: True value of Morand’s words | 129 | ||
4.4 §§5-9: Reciprocity in the relationship between a ruler and his justice | 131 | ||
4.5 §§10-26: Is tre ḟír flathemon series | 131 | ||
4.6 §§27-43: Apair fris series: warnings against ruining the fortunate rule | 136 | ||
4.7 §§44-49: Classification of the four types of rulers | 141 | ||
4.8 §§50-53: Reproof of paganism and idolatry, conclusion | 143 | ||
IV Tecosca Cormaic ‘The Instructions of Cormac’ | 145 | ||
1 Discussion of Tecosca Cormaic in the previous scholarship | 145 | ||
2 Text and translation of Tecosca Cormaic’s sections on kingship | 146 | ||
2.1 Manuscript tradition | 147 | ||
2.2 Text and translation | 148 | ||
3 Discussion of Tecosca Cormaic’s sections on kingship | 162 | ||
3.1 (§1) Cid as dech do ríg ‘What is best for a king?’ | 162 | ||
3.2 (§2) Cate cóir rechta ríg ‘What [constitutes] the right way of authority for a king?’ | 165 | ||
3.3 (§3) Cia dech do les túathe ‘What is best for the benefit of the kingdom?’ | 166 | ||
3.4 (§3a) Cía etergén sína ‘How do you discern weathers?’ | 169 | ||
3.5 (§4) Cateat ada flatha 7 chuirmthige ‘What are the prerogatives of a lord and of an ale-house?’ | 171 | ||
3.6 (§5) Cid asa ngaibther flaithemnas for túathaib 7 chlandaib 7 chenélaib ‘What is it by which the sovereignty is taken over kingdoms and families and kindreds?’ | 173 | ||
3.7 (§6) Cate téchta flatha ‘What is due of a lord?’ | 177 | ||
3.8 Conclusion on §§1-6 | 179 | ||
4 Opening and closing formulae | 180 | ||
4.1 Repetition in openings | 180 | ||
4.2 Use of superlative adjectives in openings | 182 | ||
4.3 Closing formulae | 182 | ||
V De rege iniquo, Audacht Morainn and Tecosca Cormaic in comparison | 185 | ||
1 De duodecim and early Irish narrative, wisdom and legal traditions | 185 | ||
1.1 Descriptions of catastrophes in the vernacular tradition | 185 | ||
1.2 Dependent genitive collocations describing ‘the justice of the king’: syntactic approach | 191 | ||
1.3 Dependent genitive collocations describing ‘the justice of the king’: semantic approach | 193 | ||
2 Derivative character of Tecosca Cormaic’s §6? | 197 | ||
2.1 Parallels between AM (A) §52 and TC §6.3-7, 16-7 | 197 | ||
2.2 Discussion of TC §6.27-50 | 198 | ||
3 The components of righteous rule | 203 | ||
3.1 Abundance and its immediate ingredients: corn, milk-yields and mast | 204 | ||
3.2 Multitudes of livestock, of fish and of human progeny | 207 | ||
3.3 Mildness of the air | 208 | ||
3.4 Stillness of the sea and its supplies | 210 | ||
3.5 Fine clothing | 211 | ||
3.6 Generosity | 212 | ||
3.7 Provision of liquors and ale | 212 | ||
3.8 Honouring the men of art | 213 | ||
4 The figure of the righteous ruler | 214 | ||
4.1 The righteous ruler in Audacht Morainn | 214 | ||
4.2 The righteous ruler in Tecosca Cormaic | 217 | ||
4.3 The martial aspect of the righteous ruler | 221 | ||
4.4 The righteous ruler and the lower classes | 222 | ||
4.5 The righteous ruler and the elderly | 223 | ||
4.6 The middle way policy of an early Irish king | 225 | ||
4.7 Avoiding harshness and taking part in combat | 225 | ||
4.8 The faith and the moral standard of the righteous ruler | 230 | ||
VI Indian and Buddhist Scholars on the Ideal Kingship | 233 | ||
1 Introduction | 233 | ||
2 Kingship in the Indian tradition | 234 | ||
2.1 The divine aspect of Indian kingship | 234 | ||
2.2 The ancient Indian kingship from the religious point of view | 236 | ||
2.3 The conception of kingship in India | 240 | ||
2.4 The ethical ideas in relation to kingship | 244 | ||
3 Discussing the early Indian treatise Arthaśāstra | 249 | ||
3.1 The Ur-Arthaśāstra | 249 | ||
3.2 Investigations in political science | 252 | ||
3.3 The arthaśāstra and dharmaśāstra traditions | 254 | ||
3.4 The ancient Indian social structure | 257 | ||
3.5 The structure of the ancient Indian state | 258 | ||
3.6 The evolution of the dharmaśāstras text | 260 | ||
3.7 Conclusion on the nature of the Arthaśāstra | 262 | ||
4 Buddhist and Aśokan sources on ideal kingship | 262 | ||
4.1 World Conqueror and World Renouncer | 263 | ||
4.2 Legitimate force and religious merit | 266 | ||
4.3 The concept of Universal Monarchy | 268 | ||
4.4 The Indian basis of the concept of the Universal Monarch | 271 | ||
5 Conclusion | 275 | ||
VII Buddhist theory of righteous kingship in a comparative perspective | 277 | ||
1 Principles of the brahminic and Aśokan political teaching | 277 | ||
1.1 The brahminic sources on the ideal king | 277 | ||
1.2 Aśokan political teaching | 279 | ||
2 Compilation of the Buddhist political teaching | 280 | ||
2.1 The Sutra of Supreme Knowledge as the earliest source on ideal rule | 281 | ||
2.2 ‘The Sutra of the Lion’s Roar of the Universal Monarch’ (Cakkavatti-sīhanāda-sutta) | 286 | ||
2.3 The regression of human society | 288 | ||
2.4 Criteria of ideal kingship | 291 | ||
3 Instructing (the) king(s) | 293 | ||
3.1 Instruction of a royal sage to his son | 293 | ||
3.2 Fulfilment of the cakravartin’s duty | 302 | ||
3.3 Rationale of the Universal Conquest campaign | 305 | ||
4 The figure and the rule of the cakravartin | 307 | ||
4.1 Portrayal of the cakravartin (‘the World Conqueror’) | 308 | ||
4.2 Evidence of the early Indian art and epigraphy, Buddhist Jatakas, Vedic ritual and Jain tradition | 309 | ||
5 The royal warrior’s address to the first thief | 316 | ||
5.1 The royal warrior’s rule decline | 316 | ||
5.2 The royal warrior’s instructions to criminals | 320 | ||
5.3 The Cakkavatti-sutta: A morality-based hierarchy of kings | 324 | ||
VIII Concept of ideal kingship in Irish and Indian traditions: a comparison | 325 | ||
1 Celtic scholars on the parallels between Irish and Indian kingship | 325 | ||
2 Cognitive perception and popular etymology | 326 | ||
3 The study of alliteration in the history of Celtic scholarship | 328 | ||
4 The king as ‘corrector’ in De rege iniquo | 334 | ||
5 Indian sources on the meaning of the word for ‘king’ | 338 | ||
6 Descriptions of unrighteous kingship in Ireland and India | 342 | ||
7 Etymologies as the organising principle of the ideal kingship descriptions | 347 | ||
IX Conclusion | 351 | ||
Appendices | 367 | ||
1 Audacht Morainn (Recension A): Edition, translation and notes | 367 | ||
2 Audacht Morainn (Recension L): Introductory story | 423 | ||
3 Tecosca Cormaic: Notes | 425 | ||
4 The Lion’s Roar of the Cakravartin (Cakkavatti-sīhanāda-sutta) | 519 | ||
5 Provisional List of Terms to Chapters 6-8 | 545 | ||
Abbreviations | 549 | ||
List of tables and figures | 551 | ||
References | 553 |