This volume brings together some of the theological works authored by Pope Innocent III (c.1160/61-1216) and a legal fictional narrative about the devil attempting to claim humankind from Christ.

Innocent III is often remembered for his aggressive stance against heretics: not only did he call the Fourth Crusade (1202-1204) but also sent knights to Iberia and the south of France to eradicate Islam and Catharism. Here he elaborates on his ‘Contempt for the World’, a work also known as De miseria humanae conditionis (On the misery of the human condition). It begins by lamenting the wretchedness of the human body, alerting the reader to ambitions such as affluence and pleasure, then concluding with details of bodily decay, warning about what happens to those damned in hell. The other texts are of similar nature, emphasising penance and prayer.

The last text is entitled ‘Litigation of Satan’ and was previously attributed to Italian jurist Bartolus de Saxoferrato (1314-1357). It is an example of how legal studies engaged with and informed medieval theological thought, since canon lawyers and theologians shared similar concerns about judgement. In this narrative, the devil is portrayed as accuser of humankind in the court of Heaven, presided over by Christ. The Virgin Mary volunteers to represent humankind in court, eventually winning the case.

This is a copy is the first printed edition of Innocent’s works, produced by Henrich Eggerstein in Strasbourg.

Binding description
?Nineteenth-century quarter-bound calfskin and marbled paper. Covers decorated with blind roll to separate leather from paper. Spine with five false bands, decortaed with gilt fillets and titling. Textblock trimmed and sprinkled brown. Endpapers of plain paper.