William of Pagula facts for kids

William of Pagula (who died in 1332) was an important English writer and expert in church law from the 1300s. He was also known as William Paull or William Poull. He is most famous for his book called Oculus Sacerdotis, which was a guide for priests.

William of Pagula became the main priest (called a perpetual vicar) of the church in Winkfield on March 5, 1314. He was away from his church for several years. During this time, he studied at the University of Oxford to earn a special degree in Canon Law. This degree was probably given to him around 1320. After finishing his studies, he went back to work as a rural priest. His writings show that he understood what it was like to do this job.

Besides Oculus Sacerdotis, William also wrote other books. These included the Summa Summarum, which was a guide to church law, and the Summa Praelatorum, a helpful book for local priests. He might also have written two books for King Edward III. These books were called specula principum and they talked about the right of people to refuse certain demands from the king. William's books, especially Oculus Sacerdotis, were very popular. Oculus Sacerdotis is even called one of the best and most important church guides from that time.

Who Was William of Pagula?

William of Pagula was likely born near a place called Paull in Yorkshire, England. He became the parish priest of Winkfield on March 5, 1314. He was officially made a priest (this is called ordained) on June 1 by Walter Reynolds at Canterbury Cathedral.

In 1322, on March 8, he was given a special role. He became a penitentiary for the area around Reading. This meant he helped people confess their sins and guided them. In 1323, he also became a canon at Old St Paul's Cathedral in London. William of Pagula passed away sometime in the year 1332.

William's Important Books

William of Pagula wrote all his books in the 1320s. This was after he became a Doctor of Canon Law.

The Summa Summarum

His first major book was the Summa Summarum. He wrote it between 1319 and 1322. This book was very long, with about 350,000 words. It was a guide to both church law and religious ideas. The book had five main parts:

• The first part talked about who had authority, like judges.
• The second part explained how legal processes worked.
• The third part focused on priests and other church leaders.
• The fourth part discussed marriage rules.
• The fifth part covered different types of crimes.

This way of organizing the book was common for collections of church rules. William's book was published without his name on it. It brought together and explained the ideas of other writers, especially Guillaume Durand. However, William's book covered more topics than Durand's. It gave clear answers, not just questions. It also included important English laws like Magna Carta. It even considered differences in English church practices. This was something a French writer like Durand would not have done. The Summa Summarum was very popular. Even though it is over 650 years old, at least thirteen copies of it still exist today.

The Oculus Sacerdotis

The Oculus Sacerdotis was a guide specifically for priests. It is probably William of Pagula's most well-known work. The book is divided into three parts. It teaches priests about hearing confessions, understanding church sacraments, and how to give good sermons. William used many ideas from a collection of writings called Manipulus florum by Thomas of Ireland.

He finished these parts by 1326. People have described the book as "deep, all-encompassing and quite encyclopedic." This means it was very thorough and covered almost everything a priest needed to know. Later, in 1368, another person named John de Burgh edited and republished the book. He called the new version the Pupilla oculi. The part of the book that taught priests how to hear confessions was used for a very long time, even until the end of the Middle Ages.