Abstract
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Gratian's Concordia discordantium canonum (i.e., Decretum) organized the canonical tradition into a comprehensive survey and laid a new foundation for canon law. Scholarship on the Decretum in the decades preceding the late 1990s focused on the later additions to the Decretum. The importance of which suggested that the Decretum was not compiled in one fell swoop, but rather experienced some sort of development. Since the late 1990s, scholars have made tremendous advances in our understanding of the Decretum. This essay centers on the controversial debate regarding the number of recensions (i.e., versions) in which the work circulated. This debate has changed how scholars understand the dating of the work and Gratian's use of Roman law, all of which shape our understanding of the Decretum's purpose.