Peter Lombard is best known as the author of a celebrated work entitled Book of Sentences, which for several centuries served as the standard theological textbook in the Christian West. It was the subject of more commentaries than any other work of Christian literature besides the Bible itself. The Book of Sentences is essentially a compilation of older sources, from the Scriptures and Augustine down to several of the Lombard's contemporaries, such as Hugh of Saint Victor and Peter Abelard. Its importance lies in the Lombard's organization of the theological material, his method of presentation, and the way in which he shaped doctrine in several major areas. Despite his importance, however, there is no accessible introduction to Peter Lombard's life and thought available in any modern language. This volume fills this considerable gap. Philipp W. Rosemann begins by demonstrating how the Book of Sentences grew out of a long tradition of Christian reflection-a tradition, ultimately
rooted in Scripture, which by the twelfth century had become ready to transform itself into a theological system. Turning to the Sentences, Rosemann then offers a brief exposition of the Lombard's life and work. He proceeds to a book-by-book examination and interpretation of its main topics, including the nature and attributes of God, the Trinity, creation, angelology, human nature and the Fall, original sin, Christology, ethics, and the sacraments. He concludes by exploring how the Sentences helped shape the further development of the Christian tradition, from the twelfth century through the time of Martin Luther.
Industry Reviews
"Philipp Rosemann has written an excellent book on Peter Lombard. Rosemann's fine study is a highly recommended opportunity to be guided carefully into the theological world of the Master of Sentences and through what the author calls 'the greatest textbook theology in the West.'"--Speculum
"The great merit of Philipp Rosemann's Peter Lombard is that we have here an easily accessible introduction to the thought of a great theologian. Rosemann...provides a useful...introduction to the evolution of systematic theology as a whole. Rosemann's summary of Lombard's life and works is solid and informative...Rosemann invites us to read Peter Lombard afresh, without the burden of taking for granted that he has authoritative status within Catholic
tradition."-- Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
"Rosemann's excellent study will fill a large void for students in the history of medieval theological thought while also giving scholars much to think about... All students of the history of the Christian church and Christian thought in the Middle Ages should read this book." --Calvin Theological Journal
"Philipp Rosemann has written an excellent book on Peter Lombard. Rosemann's fine study is a highly recommended opportunity to be guided carefully into the theological world of the Master of Sentences and through what the author calls 'the greatest textbook theology in the West.'"--Speculum
"The great merit of Philipp Rosemann's Peter Lombard is that we have here an easily accessible introduction to the thought of a great theologian. Rosemann...provides a useful...introduction to the evolution of systematic theology as a whole. Rosemann's summary of Lombard's life and works is solid and informative...Rosemann invites us to read Peter Lombard afresh, without the burden of taking for granted that he has authoritative status within Catholic
tradition."-- Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews
"Rosemann's excellent study will fill a large void for students in the history of medieval theological thought while also giving scholars much to think about... All students of the history of the Christian church and Christian thought in the Middle Ages should read this book." --Calvin Theological Journal
