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Works of St. Bonaventure: Breviloquium [Bonaventure Texts in Translation Series, Volume IX]
Paperback
Published January 1, 2005
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September 28, 2024
Among the copious writings of the Sepharic Doctor, this “brief word” articulates the theology of Bonaventure in a clear and concise manner. Completed in 1257, the Breviloquium marks a turning point in Bonaventure’s own life and career as he transitioned from university work to a more monastic position (xvi-xvii). As such, the Breviloquium ought to be seen as a preparatory synthesis of theology for students and teachers (xx-xxii). Perhaps the most unique feature of Bonaventure’s project, especially when compared to other Medieval syntheses of theology, is his method. In particular, the Breviloquium represents the deductive method of theology wherein theological claims are proved by internal necessity by its own foundational premises. For Bonaventure, the foundational premise for all of theology is God as the supreme Principle, from which all doctrines can be proved (see xxv-xxvi). In addition to this method, Bonaventure maintains a unique emphasis of personal illumination and transformation throughout the Breviloquium, a theme of his especially seen in his Itinerarium mentis in Deum.
The work itself contains eight main sections: a prologue on Scripture that is followed by seven parts corresponding to the Trinity of God, the creation of the world, the corruption of sin, the incarnation of the Word, the grace of the Holy Spirit, the sacramental reality, and the repose of final judgment. With this structure, Bonaventure covers the vast majority of theological subjects, and is able to do so in such a way that every part is woven into a coherent whole. This inner coherence to Bonaventure’s system is vital for his overall project, as all of life, reality, and thought ultimately derives from the overflowing life, reality, and thought of the supreme Principle who is the Triune God. Such a position posits a theological/metaphysical realism that opens up the ability and consistency for the various levels of meaning in Scripture that blend into the various levels of meaning in creation and reality. This is particularly seen in Bonaventure’s consistent use of numerology to explicate different doctrines and connect them with each other, especially the numbers three, seven, and twelve.
After reading through Breviloquium, one can see its importance to the history of theology and development of Christian doctrine on several fronts. First, Bonaventure’s theology displays a robust appropriation of Neoplatonic metaphysics to the Christian system of theology that results in an integrated and holistic view of reality that grounds Christian doctrine as ultimately derived from God and his act of creation. This theologically realist view of reality is especially seen in his anthropology and sacramentology. Second, Bonaventure’s method undercuts popular misconceptions about scholastic theology and method as being overly academic and dry. Breviloquium is anything but esoteric in its content or dry in its delivery. It is equally meant to inform the mind and stir the affections. Third, Breviloquium also marks a unique stage in Medieval doctrine when certain features of what would become Roman Catholic theology are both present and absent. For example, Bonaventure spends a couple chapters solely on the nature of purgatory and the suffrages of the church. But in other places, Bonaventure seems to have more “Protestant” emphases, like on the nature of the Eucharist or the special grace given to Mary as the Mother of Jesus.
In sum, Bonaventure’s Breviloquium represents a unique and edifying window into Medieval theology that still edifies contemporary students of theology, both Catholic and Protestant. It is a systematic theology that is robust in its view of God, the world, and history, demonstrating that redemptive historical thinking is not something unique to the Reformed, but has been an element of Christian theology for millennia. Bonaventure may be a Medieval theologian and one of the Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church, but he ought not to be read only by them; his theology, although characteristic of its day and therefore containing its own errors, is still just as much a part of the Protestant and Reformed theological heritage as Luther or Calvin.
The work itself contains eight main sections: a prologue on Scripture that is followed by seven parts corresponding to the Trinity of God, the creation of the world, the corruption of sin, the incarnation of the Word, the grace of the Holy Spirit, the sacramental reality, and the repose of final judgment. With this structure, Bonaventure covers the vast majority of theological subjects, and is able to do so in such a way that every part is woven into a coherent whole. This inner coherence to Bonaventure’s system is vital for his overall project, as all of life, reality, and thought ultimately derives from the overflowing life, reality, and thought of the supreme Principle who is the Triune God. Such a position posits a theological/metaphysical realism that opens up the ability and consistency for the various levels of meaning in Scripture that blend into the various levels of meaning in creation and reality. This is particularly seen in Bonaventure’s consistent use of numerology to explicate different doctrines and connect them with each other, especially the numbers three, seven, and twelve.
After reading through Breviloquium, one can see its importance to the history of theology and development of Christian doctrine on several fronts. First, Bonaventure’s theology displays a robust appropriation of Neoplatonic metaphysics to the Christian system of theology that results in an integrated and holistic view of reality that grounds Christian doctrine as ultimately derived from God and his act of creation. This theologically realist view of reality is especially seen in his anthropology and sacramentology. Second, Bonaventure’s method undercuts popular misconceptions about scholastic theology and method as being overly academic and dry. Breviloquium is anything but esoteric in its content or dry in its delivery. It is equally meant to inform the mind and stir the affections. Third, Breviloquium also marks a unique stage in Medieval doctrine when certain features of what would become Roman Catholic theology are both present and absent. For example, Bonaventure spends a couple chapters solely on the nature of purgatory and the suffrages of the church. But in other places, Bonaventure seems to have more “Protestant” emphases, like on the nature of the Eucharist or the special grace given to Mary as the Mother of Jesus.
In sum, Bonaventure’s Breviloquium represents a unique and edifying window into Medieval theology that still edifies contemporary students of theology, both Catholic and Protestant. It is a systematic theology that is robust in its view of God, the world, and history, demonstrating that redemptive historical thinking is not something unique to the Reformed, but has been an element of Christian theology for millennia. Bonaventure may be a Medieval theologian and one of the Doctors of the Roman Catholic Church, but he ought not to be read only by them; his theology, although characteristic of its day and therefore containing its own errors, is still just as much a part of the Protestant and Reformed theological heritage as Luther or Calvin.
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