Abelard: A Medieval Life

Rating:
Summary: What Did Heloise Know and When Did She Tell Abelard?
Review: M. T. Clanchy has written what will surely be regarded as the definitive biography of Abelard in years to come. Clanchy presents us with a portrait of a philosopher/theologian who made enemies with the same ease that he applied to the problems of God and man. Instead of a sterilt, academic look at the man's thought we are instead treated to a panorama of medieval politics and their impact upon both the man and his thought, which was responsible for getting Abelard in hot water on many an occasion, coming as he did under the jaundiced eye of the Inquisition. Along the way Abelard picks up his own personal Inquisitor in the person of St. Bernard, who finds himself at odds with Abelard's writings and Ableard's frequent public defense of his thought.

As if this weren't enough, what separates this work from the rest is its speculation on the role of Heloise in the thought of Abelard. The standard portrait of Heloise through they years has been one of a young woman was was taught, then seduced by her teacher, Peter Abelard. They married, the marriage was annuled by her family and Abelard paid the price by being castrated. Heloise escaped to a monastery where she became a nun and later superior. But history also tells us that Heloise was very respected for her sagacity and intelligence. Clanchy makes the obvious speculation that as their relationship as lovers grew over the years, so did their intellectual partnership. He points to several instances where the thought of Abelard undergoes changes after the relationship with Heloise was well underway. Given the times and the historical portrait of both lovers, this argument comnes across as a refreshing revision in the intellectual development of one of Europe's leading thinkers.

For those interested in the development of medieval philosophy and those interested in a good solid biography, this volume fills both needs without insulting its reader.