Peter Lombard

by Marcia L. Colish

This study places Peter Lombard's thought in the context of the intellectual debates of his time, in the effort to understand the substance of Lombardian theology and the reasons why his principal work, the "Sentences" became a classic of early scholastic theology with a durable influence, doing more to shape the education of university theologians and philosophers than any other work of systematic theology for the next four centuries. Attention is paid to the sentence collection as a genre of theological literature, the problem of theological language with which Lombard and his contemporaries wrestled, and his contribution to early scholastic biblical exegesis as well as to the development of his systematic theology in the "Sentences". This work should be of interest to intellectual historians of the Middle Ages, historians of theology and philosophy, and readers interested in the rise of early scholasticism and the interaction between theology and canon law in the 12th century.

Genres: Medieval, Philosophy

893 pages, Unknown Binding

First published December 1, 1993

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dr. Colish's work on Peter Lombard was considered (and remains so) a groundbreaking study of the thought of Peter Lombard's "Sentences." It is a two-volume work, due to the fact that Dr. Colish's book is not simply exegesis on the text itself, but also familiarizes the reader with then-contemporary themes in theology and philosophy. One is introduced to the ideas of other, lesser known thinkers such as Gilbert of Poitiers, and thus sets the subjects found within the "Sentences" within the intellectual milieu of the day. It is, of course, a rather tedious read, and there is much within it that has been challenged by later scholars on the Lombard's thought. But overall, Dr. Colish has given the academic world of medieval scholarship a gem the importance of which cannot be disputed.