Peripateticus Palatinus (7)
William of Champeaux had by now been made Bishop of Châlons, and in order
to learn his theology Abelard turned to Anselm of Laon, who had himself
taught William. Anselm had probably studied under his namesake, Saint
Anselm, at Bec. His brother, Ralph, had conducted the school at Laon, which
is about 80 miles north east of Paris.
Ralph had written the book Cur Deus Homo containing the traditional account
of the Atonement which Boso found so unsatisfactory, thus giving occasion to
Saint Anselm's book of the same title. [There's an interesting study of
Boso in R.W. Southern's book, 'Saint Anselm: A Portrait in a Landscape'].
The Glossa Ordinaria was begun in the school of Anselm at Laon, and Anselm
taught theology there with far greater distinction that Abelard would allow.
Abelard says of him, 'Anselm could win the admiration of an audience, but he
was useless when put to the question. He had a remarkable command of words
but their meaning was worthless and devoid of all sense.'
Anselm fared better than William in that Abelard, rather than barracking,
merely cut his lectures. But this annoyed some of his leading pupils, who
took it, correctly enough, as a sign of contempt for their master. One day
the other students asked Abelard what he thought of the study of the
scriptures, having hitherto studied only philosophy. He replied that
concentration on such reading was most beneficial for the salvation of the
soul, but that he found it most surprising that for educated men the
writings or glosses of the Fathers themselves were not sufficient for
interpreting their commentaries without further instruction.
They challenged him to produce a lecture of his own on the scriptures, and
he immediately agreed to lecture the following day on a particularly obscure
passage of Ezekiel. The lecture, Abelard assures us, was a great success,
but not surprisingly provoked the jealousy of Anselm, who forbade him to
continue to lecture on the subject.
* * * * *
Doctor Elasticus
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