Abstract
This chapter provides an account of the authority of Magna Carta, mainly in the British Isles, until it took on a life of its own in New Zealand. The history of its reception, it is argued, is at the same time a history of what has justified its authority. It may have been the “Bible of the Constitution” and a “foundational” document, but like any other authority, its title to be respected has been contingent on continually-changing assumptions and beliefs. Those who have cited it have used it for their own purposes, so that it speaks for them and not for itself. It retains its authority only when and where it can speak for others.
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Sharp, A. (2017). Magna Carta and a Paradox of Authority. In: Winter, S., Jones, C. (eds) Magna Carta and New Zealand. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-58439-3_4
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