Table Of ContentNATURMEA,N ,A NDS oc1ETY
int he
TwELFTCHE NTURY
ESSAOYNSN EWT HEOLOGICAL
PERSPECITNIT VHEES
LATIWNE ST
BY
M.-CDH.E NlJ,
O.P.
wiatP hr efbayc e
ETIENGNIEL SON
EditedT,r anslated
Selecteda�n d by
JEROMTEA YLOaRn LdE STEKR.L ITTLE
ThUen iveorfCs hiitcyPa rgeos s
CHICAAGNOO LONDON
Origipnuabllliiysn1 h 9e5ad7s
Lat heoaluod goiuez iseimeec le
© 195J7.V, r in
LibroafCr oyn grCeastsaC laorgd Nu6m8b-e1r5:5 74
THE OFC HICAGPOR ESSC,H ICAG6O0 637
UNIVERSITY
TheU niveorfCs hiitcyPa rgeoLs tsd,L. o,n dWo.nC .1
© 196b8yT hUen iveorfs iCthyi cago
AI rIi grhetsse rved
Publi1s9h6e8d
Prinittneh Uden iStteadot fAe mse rica
TRANSLATNOORTSE'
Thnei enses taryasn siltna hbtioesoad ks wtehlpelr eafbsayM c .e
Gilasnotdnh aeu thoowrin'n st rodruecptriaeso senel netfc rtoimo n
Lat heolaoudg oiuez iseimee(c Plaer Ji.s :V1 r9i5n7b,)y P, e re
M.-CDh.e nOu.,PB .o tthh see leacnttdih otenr answleartei on
underwtiatktheha neu thpoerr'msi asnswdii othnhi r se aadnyd
graccioooupse raptairotnip crauoslb aalrre omOssn elo.yn e para
graopfth h oer ighianbsae lec nh anbgyhe idm t;hc eh ange oc�urs
int hfier psatr agorfta hpsehi xetshs aanyid,t psu rpwoastseo
suppalc aonntt emrpeofreawrrheyin fccoehar ,na udioeuntcsei de
French-Esupreoampkieig,nhh gat v hea lde msesa ntihnaghn e
wishteocd o nvWehye.rs eh ortcroemmiainingtn sht er anslation,
somaerd eo ubdtulteeod s isff erienln acnegswu haigecelh ur dees o
lutiolne-aoaustort w ns;o mpee,r htaolp ism,i tianotu uiron ndse r
standoifwn hgi,wc erh e miaimnp erafweacnrtoeln;tye ol imitations
inth e thoortu hghehe tl pfoufPl enrCeehs esn vue,r imtaagbilset er
magistirnoo urtrui mm e.
Thoer doeftr he es scaoyrsr estpoco hnadpst5 e,7r ,9s ,3 ,11 0,,
111,5 a,n 1d9 i nt hFer enocrhi gCihnaapl3t.,ie w tri bleln oted,
habse etnr ansDpeoasleaidsin. dtg o ewsi thhi storiwoigtrha phy,
"Theolaongtdyh e New AowfHa irsetniobetros ytbs,hr " i dagneds
uniitnae s sp ecwiaatyl hi en telcloencstiudaeolrn ta htoein oen s
handa,n tdh ien stitourst oicodineaavlle loopnmt ehnoett sh er,
Vlhicht hfier asnttd h lea fsoteu srs raeyssp eecmtpihvaesliyz e.
PerCeh esnc uh'apters,d on houotnw feoavsl eidrn ,lg ilnee ar
stoaryt ,i gshetqluyea nrtgiuamdlee nstt,rb oyoy meidso srti roann s
positioonfa noyn oefi tpsa rTthser.ie rl atiibsoe ntsdtheeiprpi cted
bya ni maogfce o ncecnitrrceilacecd she, l imoinateri ienunag n ique
V
TRANSLATNOOTER S'
fashion, while all having a common focal point. Individually and
collectively they demonstrate that the study and the history of man's
intellectual life may not properly be fragmented into dissociated
disciplines or traditions, truncated into historical periods, or di
vorced from the external culture within which it grows, by which it
is influenced, and which it informs. If Pere Chenu considers "history
of theology" to be the central concern of this collection, it is because
he conceives of theology as an all-encompassing science, one which
reflects the comprehensive unity of intellectual life as that develops
within a culture. Literary history and criticism, cultural history,
philosophy, biblical exegesis, historiography, ecclesiastical and social
history, the history of education-all these and more are here in
volved, in their interdependence. The essays from the original
volume not included in our translation add little to this range, though
much to the understanding of yet other, perhaps more specialized
topics.
Documentation from the original has been preserved, with, how
ever, correction of errors in the printed text and with several addi
tions. Thus, for convenience to some readers, we have supplied edi
tions of Latin or vernacular texts cited only by title in the French
work. Old editions there cited, for example those of the Patrologia
Latiwen haave, re placed where possible or supplemented with more
recent and accessible ones. We .have added or expanded Latin texts
not quoted, or not fully quoted, in the notes of the French work;
all quoted texts have in any case been checked and if necessary
emended to conform with the editions cited. We have replaced Latin
quotations in the body of Pere Chenu's work with English, and
placed the Latin originals in the notes.
With similar convenience in mind, we have also added references
to published English translations of both Latin and vernacular works
and after every Latin quotation have supplied in parentheses an
English rendering, either as published or else as corrected or sup
plied by us. Having once mentioned such editorial procedures as
these, we feel it unnecessary to give special indication of them in the
notes. When, however, we have in rare instances added a footnote,
or have occasionally introduced into an existing note a fact or refer
ence that has appeared since 1957, or have ventured to call attention
Vl
TRANSLATORS' NOTE
to a few older materials that seemed to us to give particular support
to a point, we have placed such intrusions within brackets.
We gratefully acknowledge the hospitality and helpful advice of
the author's colleagues at Le Saulchoir, particularly of Pere H. D.
Saffrey, who as bibliothecaire opened the resources of the library to
us. We are also grateful for secretarial and financial assistance, par
ticularly a Willett Faculty Fellowship, provided by the College of
the University of Chicago. Thanks are equally due to the John Simon
Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and the Danforth Foundation for
a fellowship year, part of which was used toward the completion of
the project.
J. T.
L. K. L.
vii
Preface
BYE TIENGNIEL SON
Theu niotfcy o ncegputiidotinhnw ego rwkh iwcehh avteh e
privoifwl eelgceo imnittnhogsi esr1 iisseo se vidtehniatwtt o uld
bes upertfloeu noluasur pgotenh p eo int. The opftr heec ise subject
studcoinetsa iintn hewidos r akn tdh sep iirnwi hti tchhsa utb ject
habse esnt udtihaeeud t,hh iomrs headlsif s cuwsistsehud cc hl arity
ande netrhgoaynt ce o uolndlw ye akheins wioofrn sdeos u tgoh t
parapthhreaOmsn.te h epsoei notncesa ,on n lsye ntdhr ee ader to
thaeu thionrt'rso dauncudtr igoen thaitwt i htaeht treenatdi on.
WhaPte rCeh etnhue sraeyi snt, h ien trainchdai tgeph elrys onal
languaogneae s socwiiaththie mcs,o ncetrhndeie nfignh iitset orical
reality heh asso ugthoit d enttoci ofmyp,r eahnetdno dd e,s cribe,
revteopa llasvi inet whu en dercloynicnegop fht iirsoe ns eOanrec h.
caand ndo thtiown hgah teh imsheaslsaf i d.
·Perhhaopwse,iv wtei rnl,ol bt ew ithvoaulttuos e a ayf ewwo rds
abotuhoter iogfti hnvi osl uFmoesr.e veyreaalr sw ehp aavpseut r
s1:1ePde Crhee fnoupr e rmitsoas sisoenim nob nloeerm orveo lumes
tben umerous asrcthiwochlliaetcrshhl a,tyn oh k isgs e nerous indus
tJ;r,h avaep peairnme adnd yi ffejroeunrntia nFl rsa nacnoedt her
C()untries. Our wwaiwssh ho lsellyf -inatnyeder wteee s xtceuds,e d
i�b yr efletchtsaiutnc gaph r ojheicgtuh,sl eyaf siu wtlo ubledf or
.us , would realtihhzeo ep oefos t hbeerssi oduerss eVlevrfeyes w.
historpiraonfseo,srr s eoardshe,ar vaseth antdh ocsoel leocft ions
_______________________________________________________________
.1[ Lta�e ologaiude o uziseimeefc olrevm os4l 5.i nt hsee rEiteusdd ees
Pla i loseom pehd,ieevdaE.lte i,e Gninles on.]
lX
PREFACE
journals necessary if one is to have access to the numerous studies
by Pere Chenu, studies important to consult or to cite.
The collection which we sought with an insistence that only
friendship could excuse, Pere Chenu never quite granted or quite
refused. And, in fact, we still do not have it, for there yet remain
in French, Italian, English, and German journals many historical
studies by him which have not been gathered into this book.2 Let
us not cease to hope that they will one day be brought together into
other volumes which will complement the present one. The point
we should like to stress here, however, is that in not granting us
precisely what we had asked for, Pere Chenu has given us not less
but much more and, to tell the truth, something quite different and
at a cost of which something should be said.
From his available published works, our historian chose those
that bear upon the theological ferment of the twelfth century; in so
doing he assured to the collection a material unity indicated by the
book's title. These articles the author submitted to careful revision,
occasionally changing them, often enriching them with considerable
additions. Finally and more importantly, to the selection of already
published articles he added a second series of unpublished studies
bearing upon the same general subject but investigating certain of
its aspects not yet considered. What we have here, then, is a work
that is really new in overall concyption and in content as well.
Every reader of this book will find in it things that his own par
ticular interests-historical, philosophical, theological-lead him to
look for; but beyond these exists a general lesson which all will
benefit by learning. One of the scourges of history is the obligation
weighing heavily upon every historian to specialize and particular
ize. The medieval period has suffered from this obligation at least
as much as other periods; but it is a matter of grave concern that
in the case of the medieval era, scholars hesitate to correct too radi
cally the accepted points of view lest, in so doing, they should lose
as much truth as they gain. Many recent studies urge that one soften
the sharp distinction, traditionally marked by volume 217 of Migne's
Patrologia Latina, between the end of the late patristic period and
2 [Chepnuub'lsi cbaettiwo1en9es2n 2 1a9n6ad3r lei sitnhe idLsa p arole
de Dieu, vo1l:.La foi dans /'intelligence (Par1i9s6,4p )p3,.9 7-411.]
X
PREFACE
the beginning of the great scholastic theology whose works fill the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Very rarely does such accumu
lated evidence fail to contain some truth; or, to put it somewhat
better, vary rarely does it fail to be fundamentally true. No one
thinks of rejecting the evidence, but it is equally the case that the
effotro tg ive such distinctions a meaning as precise as possible
often hardens them beyond all reason.
If one were not sensitive to this danger, one might well miss the
full import of the studies contained in this book. By the entire cast
of his thought as well as by his religious vocation, Pere Chenu finds
himself naturally at home in the realm of Thomistic theology. Th�e
whose allegiances are to other traditions have difficulty grasping the
extent to which the theology of St. Thomas concentrates within itself
· all the responses which one and the same mind can expect to experi
ence on all levels of man's intellectual life. Especially for a son of
St. Dominic, what men call "Thomism" is integrally and indivisibly
a philosophy, a theology, a spirituality, and a mysticism born in its
entirety from the word of God, nourishing itself on that word and
illuminating it in turn with its own light. But that which is one in
life necessarily becomes divided in teaching and, too often, becomes
fragmented in history. It appears that in his principal works Pere
Chenu is led by the desire to preserve the unity of Thomistic theol
ogy, and not without good reason, since to permit it to be resolved
into separate disciplines is to permit its destruction. In fact, the
theology of St. Thomas is not a constellation of diverse disciplines.
Rather, it eminently embraces them all within its transcendent unity
and is, as the magnificent phrase of the master himself has it, "in
effetchet e xpression of the divine knowledge, which is the law, one
and simple, of all things" ( velquuta ediammp redsisviisonc aiee n
tiae, quaeesu tn lae sxi mpolmenuxim ).
Pere Chenu has emphasized that unity, under all its aspects, in
his masterly Introda ulc'teitdoueSn da eiT nhto mda'sA q3 ubuit n,
cit is not impossible that the present studies of theology in the twelfth
century should aid in the comprehension of a further trait which,
in the eyes of the author, is inseparable from genuine Thomism.
_______________________________________________________
a !A. M. Landry anDd. HughtersT.,ow, a rd Understanding St. Thomas
(c
htcago, 196.]4 )
xi
PREFACE
It has often been observed that elements of scholasticism already
exist in twelfth-century theology. It is likewise important to note
that patristic elements still exist in the scholasticism of the thirteenth
century. Let us rather say that the whole of the patristic theology
of the twelfth century, presented in a new form, and more besides,
passed into the great doctrinal syntheses of the following century.
The studies comprising this volume often suggest to the reader the
picture of a scriptural theology which, precisely because it presages in
many ways the work of the great scholastics, insinuates itself in ad
vance into that great fabric. Nothing could afterwards pluck it out.
In still larger perspective, it seems certain, in consequence, that
one must renounce that long accepted historical schematization:
end of the patristic era, scholasticism, Renaissance. Not that this
schematization is false, but it is oversimplified. In many respects
the twelfth century stands forth as a time of vast theological activi_ ty,
certain lines of which continue to develop within scholasticism,
while others, overwhelmed by the extraordinary richness of t�ir
teenth-century theology, fall into a sort of half-sleep, or simply
become less prominent while awaiting the aggressive return they
will make in the fourteenth century. There can, in our view, be no
doubt that the devomtoidoe rwnhicah ,ow ed its novelty to the stand
it took against the scholasticism of the thirteenth century, simply
continues an older trend opposed in advance to theological methods
whose future development, even toward the end of the twelfth cen
tury, was not yet foreseeable.
0 that they would employ such effort in the improvement of their lives
as they spend in studying far into the night!
0 that they would grow as pale from desire for their heavenly home as
they do from intense intellectual effort, wasting as they do both time and
youth in altercations over words!
Subtleties which they cannot compass they wish who1ly to compre
hend ....
0 vanity of vainglory! 0 snare of praise! 0 useless curiosity.4
4 0 sit antdaiml igeandthiiabmem roernuatme dificqautainotnaim
apponnuonctt ulruncaueb rationi!
0 sii tpaa lleprreadneet s idpeartircoia aeelq eusatnitpsua ml Jpernot
vehemaennitamipi p licdautmi ocnvieer,rc baoc rauvmi lltaetmipounse s
eta etactoenms umunt!
Subtiqluiaatssa steenqseu qiu eeuxnatm,uc sosmipmr ehveon)d.ue.nr.te.
0 vaniotsatse nt!a lt0ai uodn iiss 0 ianmubtciiutlruiisso! s itas!
xii
PREFACE
Who speaks in this vein? It is not the author of the Imitaotfi on
Chriit sis tme;re ly Alexander Neckham, whose treatise OnN ature
· stands athwart the end of that century in which the theological
activity here described by Pere Chenu took place. Thus, as if to
compensate for the precise discriminations he must make, the his
. torian rediscovers the continuity of actual history without sacrificing
any of its diversity.
Let us add that in this context the word "history" must not de
lude us. Thanks to the word of God on which it lives, theology
escapes from time in a manner analogous to that sciteiDane oif
which it is, in man, the image. Informed minds will not for an instant
lose sight of this truth while reading studies striving so profoundly
to tie sacred doctrine to the social contexts which carry and influence
that doctrine through their aspirations even as they are instructed
and directed by it. What is always at stake in the history of theology
is theology itself. This, indeed, is why the lessons we draw from the
history of theology are valid for all times .
...
xm
