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The Sentences #3
The Sentences Book 3: On the Incarnation of the Word
Book 3 of the "Sentences" deals with the mystery of the Word made flesh: Christ's incarnation, passion, and death, the consequent restoration of humankind, and the virtues to be practised in imitation of Christ.
238 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1150
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November 17, 2023
Lombard, Peter. The Sentences, Book 3: On the Incarnation of the Word. Translated by Giulio Silano. Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies. 2008.
“This is your dissertation topic: explain this problem in Peter Lombard’s Sentences.”
That is what someone would have done as a scholar in the Middle Ages. Since that is not readers today, what relevance could Peter Lombard have?? For all of his speculation and theoretical probing, he is a practical thinker. One way to evaluate practicality is to see if children would ask the same questions. As it turns out, children often ask deep questions, the kind that Peter Lombard asks. We might not like his answers. Even when I do agree with him, I do not agree with how he got the answer. On the other hand, I do appreciate the logical and thorough way he evaluates opposing viewpoints.
Peter Lombard (1096-1160) was the “Master of Sentences.” His work, The Sentences, compilations from patristic writings concerning the various loci of theology, formed the basis for the post-Augustinian church. His writings never surpassed Augustine in importance, but they applied Augustine’s writings to numerous questions in theology.
This volume, Book 3, treats the various controversies that arose in post-conciliar Christology. Lombard’s straightforward method facilitates an easy review. Each distinction examines a particular problem in Christian theology. Lombard next surveys the Fathers, usually Augustine, on how to explain it. He then gives his own conclusion, again usually following Augustine.
The Person of Christ
It was more fitting that the Son, rather than the Father or Holy Spirit, took on flesh. It could not have been the Father, for whoever takes on flesh will also take the property of “being Mary’s Son.” It could not have been the Father, for he would then be both Father and Son. It could not have been the Holy Spirit, for then he would take the name “Son” from the Son.
When we say he took on human nature, we do not mean human nature as a universal, since Christ did not take the whole human race (i.e., I did not become incarnate). Rather, he took “soul and flesh, with the properties of both” (II.1.3). A person took on a nature: the Person of the Son took on a human nature, and that the divine nature was united to a human nature in the Son (V.1.10).
The Work and Life of Christ
Whether Christ, according to his human nature, was able to, and did, make progress in wisdom and grace. Lombard answers that His human nature received the fullness of grace from the moment of conception. The passages pertaining to progress mean, therefore, that he made progress in revelation to others.
Concerning redemption, Christ, “by the pain which he bore on the cross, all temporal punishment due for sin is entirely forgiven to the convert in baptism.” Although this sounds like a shot across the bow against purgatory, Lombard adds that “the same punishment is lessened in penance.”
Anticipating Reformation debates, Lombard says “Christ mediates between men and the triune God according to his human nature.” I could be mistaken, but the Reformed, holding strong to the offices of Christ, would not agree with Lombard here.
The Virtues of Christ
Did Christ have the full perfection of faith? Faith is used in different senses. If Christ had full knowledge, and faith is evidence of things not seen, then how could he have had faith? Yet since faith is a virtue, and Christ was not lacking in virtue, then how could he not have had faith?
Not an answer, but important: Lombard, being a good medieval, notes that faith is not the cause of charity, but charity of faith. It is this against which the Reformation responded. This is also why we reject justification by “spirit-wrought sanctity” or reading intense affections into the definition of justifying faith.
Conclusion
It is impossible to really understand medieval theology without at least some familiarity with Peter Lombard. And without that familiarity, key gains in the Reformation, even if they are accepted, will not always be appreciated.
“This is your dissertation topic: explain this problem in Peter Lombard’s Sentences.”
That is what someone would have done as a scholar in the Middle Ages. Since that is not readers today, what relevance could Peter Lombard have?? For all of his speculation and theoretical probing, he is a practical thinker. One way to evaluate practicality is to see if children would ask the same questions. As it turns out, children often ask deep questions, the kind that Peter Lombard asks. We might not like his answers. Even when I do agree with him, I do not agree with how he got the answer. On the other hand, I do appreciate the logical and thorough way he evaluates opposing viewpoints.
Peter Lombard (1096-1160) was the “Master of Sentences.” His work, The Sentences, compilations from patristic writings concerning the various loci of theology, formed the basis for the post-Augustinian church. His writings never surpassed Augustine in importance, but they applied Augustine’s writings to numerous questions in theology.
This volume, Book 3, treats the various controversies that arose in post-conciliar Christology. Lombard’s straightforward method facilitates an easy review. Each distinction examines a particular problem in Christian theology. Lombard next surveys the Fathers, usually Augustine, on how to explain it. He then gives his own conclusion, again usually following Augustine.
The Person of Christ
It was more fitting that the Son, rather than the Father or Holy Spirit, took on flesh. It could not have been the Father, for whoever takes on flesh will also take the property of “being Mary’s Son.” It could not have been the Father, for he would then be both Father and Son. It could not have been the Holy Spirit, for then he would take the name “Son” from the Son.
When we say he took on human nature, we do not mean human nature as a universal, since Christ did not take the whole human race (i.e., I did not become incarnate). Rather, he took “soul and flesh, with the properties of both” (II.1.3). A person took on a nature: the Person of the Son took on a human nature, and that the divine nature was united to a human nature in the Son (V.1.10).
The Work and Life of Christ
Whether Christ, according to his human nature, was able to, and did, make progress in wisdom and grace. Lombard answers that His human nature received the fullness of grace from the moment of conception. The passages pertaining to progress mean, therefore, that he made progress in revelation to others.
Concerning redemption, Christ, “by the pain which he bore on the cross, all temporal punishment due for sin is entirely forgiven to the convert in baptism.” Although this sounds like a shot across the bow against purgatory, Lombard adds that “the same punishment is lessened in penance.”
Anticipating Reformation debates, Lombard says “Christ mediates between men and the triune God according to his human nature.” I could be mistaken, but the Reformed, holding strong to the offices of Christ, would not agree with Lombard here.
The Virtues of Christ
Did Christ have the full perfection of faith? Faith is used in different senses. If Christ had full knowledge, and faith is evidence of things not seen, then how could he have had faith? Yet since faith is a virtue, and Christ was not lacking in virtue, then how could he not have had faith?
Not an answer, but important: Lombard, being a good medieval, notes that faith is not the cause of charity, but charity of faith. It is this against which the Reformation responded. This is also why we reject justification by “spirit-wrought sanctity” or reading intense affections into the definition of justifying faith.
Conclusion
It is impossible to really understand medieval theology without at least some familiarity with Peter Lombard. And without that familiarity, key gains in the Reformation, even if they are accepted, will not always be appreciated.
February 28, 2025
For Lombard, the incarnation is ordered toward suffering.
Honestly, I really struggled with this reading. The format of writing that begins with another's critique and then responds to it is tough for me (Aquinas is always a doozy), and the constant quoting other church fathers tends to make me lose the argument. BUT I appreciate Lombard's heart. The incarnation was not necessarily necessary (God could have done it some other way... high view of his power), he argues, but it was the most fitting and beautiful avenue for our salvation. The atonement is also less about Christ taking our punishment, in his view, and more about him living out the voluntary obedience that we could not and voluntarily taking on our suffering.
Questions I'm left with:
- Does God feel my pain?
- On the cross, did Jesus not just take on the sins of the world but also feel the guilt caused by the sins of the world?
- If Jesus' atoning work is ordered toward suffering, what attribute of God do we trace this back to? God's inherent relationality (wanting to take on a human body to suffer as his creatures do)? Something else?
Read Distinctions XII to XXI
Honestly, I really struggled with this reading. The format of writing that begins with another's critique and then responds to it is tough for me (Aquinas is always a doozy), and the constant quoting other church fathers tends to make me lose the argument. BUT I appreciate Lombard's heart. The incarnation was not necessarily necessary (God could have done it some other way... high view of his power), he argues, but it was the most fitting and beautiful avenue for our salvation. The atonement is also less about Christ taking our punishment, in his view, and more about him living out the voluntary obedience that we could not and voluntarily taking on our suffering.
Questions I'm left with:
- Does God feel my pain?
- On the cross, did Jesus not just take on the sins of the world but also feel the guilt caused by the sins of the world?
- If Jesus' atoning work is ordered toward suffering, what attribute of God do we trace this back to? God's inherent relationality (wanting to take on a human body to suffer as his creatures do)? Something else?
Read Distinctions XII to XXI
July 20, 2025
I'm working my way through all four volumes of this series.
Many thought-provoking sections explored the Incarnation including the mystery of the Hypostatic Union and the question of whether the Son remained in heaven while also becoming part of the Incarnation.
Also, while I am a firm Protestant, I learned some aspects of Catholic theology in greater detail.
I would have given a four-star rating but for the seeming digression beyond the Incarnation. For example, the volume closed with a consideration of the Ten Commandments, such as whether certain actions violated one of them. This didn't seem to have a clear relationship to the Incarnation, though I wonder if this was simply how these topics were covered in the emerging universities of western Europe.
Many thought-provoking sections explored the Incarnation including the mystery of the Hypostatic Union and the question of whether the Son remained in heaven while also becoming part of the Incarnation.
Also, while I am a firm Protestant, I learned some aspects of Catholic theology in greater detail.
I would have given a four-star rating but for the seeming digression beyond the Incarnation. For example, the volume closed with a consideration of the Ten Commandments, such as whether certain actions violated one of them. This didn't seem to have a clear relationship to the Incarnation, though I wonder if this was simply how these topics were covered in the emerging universities of western Europe.
August 30, 2025
Reading Lombard was a transformative experience. His dedication to God's glory is commendable and comes out clearly in his commitment to God's immutability and aseity in all the distinctions. While I disagreed with him at points, his clarity on topics that are often overlooked is needed evermore today.
Want to read
May 9, 2024Hi, I'm currently missing Page 69 in my copy of the book, The Sentences Book 3 - On the Incarnation of the Word. is it possible you to scan and share the same please.
April 6, 2021
More like 3.5. This truly had some great sections. But the Papist came out at times, to this Prots great dissatisfaction. The words “faith alone” and “grace alone” did make appearances though.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews