Honours the work of the distinguished historian Robert Somerville, a preeminent expert on medieval church councils, law, and papal history. Reflecting the focus but also the range of Somerville's studies in medieval canon law in the era before Gratian and later, the essays explore the transmission of canonical and theological texts - in particular regarding the Eucharist - as well as the significance of the texts and their complex manuscript traditions.

Uta-Renate Blumenthal is professor emerita of history at the Catholic University of America. She is the recipient of major fellowships and grants and has published seven books and numerous articles. Anders Winroth, author or editor of several works, is professor of history at Yale University and a MacArthur Fellow. Peter Landau is professor emeritus of law at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, recipient of multiple honorary doctorates, author of more than a hundred publications, and president of the Stephan Kuttner Institute of Medieval Canon Law.