Medieval Marriage Sermons

'Medieval Marriage Sermons is a book to be pondered over and to inspire future scholars to imitation.' -English Historical Review 'As an example of textual editing, this book could scarcely be bettered... Anyone interested in the processes of oral and scribal transmission, for whatever period, would do well to study its conclusions.' -Arnold Hunt, Times Literary SupplementBefore the advent of printing, the preaching of the friars was the mass medium of the middle ages. This edition of marriage sermons reveals what a number of famous preachers actually taught about marriage. David D'Avray teases out the close connection between marriage symbolism and social, cultural, and legal realities in the thirteenth century; and assesses the impact of this preaching.