By the mid-sixteenth century, humanists were applying their skills to the canon law. One of the first to do this was Charles Dumoulin, whose edition of the Decretum was first printed in 1555. Responding to these private efforts, Pope Pius V set up a comission to produce an edition of Gratian’s Decretum according to the highest humanist standards (1560). These were the correctores, at first including eight cardinals and twelve doctors of law. Eventually, their number increased to thirty–five by 1580. In 1580, the work of the commission received papal approval from Pius V’s successor, Gregory XIII. The correctores examined manuscripts of the Decretum as well as its sources. The Editio Romana, which was printed in 1582, was made the official version for the ecclesiastical courts. The use of versions such as Dumoulin’s were specifically prohibited, but they continued to be used.

Entry by: KP rev BP 2015