oa Publications and Confidential Exchanges: Carolingian Treatises on the Soul

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This chapter examines what the publishing of theological texts meant in the Carolingian period, focusing on treatises on the nature and origin of the soul. Not everyone was supposed to publicly disseminate their theological writings, and successful publishing required connections to those in authority. The texts examined were written for different audiences and for different purposes, educational and controversial. Several of these treatises are connected to discussions in the 850s about the soul. Their analysis demonstrates how thinking about whether or in what sense they were published deepens our understanding of the nature of those discussions.