Story of a Great Medieval Book: Peter Lombard's 'Sentences'

by Philipp W. Rosemann

Peter Lombard, a twelfth-century theologian, authored one of the first Western textbooks of theology, the Book of Sentences. Here, Lombard logically arranged all of the major topics of the Christian faith. His Book of Sentences received the largest number of commentaries among all works of Christian literature except for Scripture itself. Now, notable Lombard scholar Philipp W. Rosemann examines this text as a guiding thread to studying Christian thought throughout the later Middle Ages and into early modern times.

This is the second title in a series called Rethinking the Middle Ages, which is committed to re-examining the Middle Ages, its themes, institutions, people, and events with short studies that will provoke discussion among students and medievalists, and invite them to think about the middle ages in new and unusual ways. The series editor, Paul Edward Dutton, invites suggestions and submissions.

Genres: Theology, History, Philosophy

248 pages, Paperback

First published March 20, 2007

Reviews

[India M. Clamp]

Sentences is a text written in the 12th century by the Bishop of Paris (1159) aka as Peter Lombard. His literary boon was the standard theological text used at medieval universities. All the major medieval thinkers, from Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas to William of Ockham and Gabriel Biel, were influenced by the Bible/Lombards "Sentences." Wisdom from St. Augustine and John of Damascus, Lombard formed a coherent marriage here in this most sacrosanct creation.

"Therefore the elect shall go forth... to see the torments of the impious, seeing which they will not be grieved, but will be satiated with joy at the sight of the unutterable calamity of the impious."
---Peter Lombard"

Four books referenced here. In the first are 48 distinctions reconciling God in his transcendence and the trinity (Father, Son, Spirit) manifestations. Longevity is a conclusion given the date of conception by Lombard. He guides us to the seven sacraments. Calvin cited Lombard often in his "Institutes."A discipline was therefore established by Lombard that linked the early reflection of the church and has continued its influence to our modern day practice of systematic and regular worship of the divine.

[Brad]

Technical.
Interesting.
Medieval.