PETER ABELARD'S LIFE AND WORKS

1079 Born at Le Pallet, Brittany

Thrived on book-learning--preferred logic and philosophy to a military career

1104-1109 Bested his master William of Champeaux at disputations

Set up his own schools in competition with William's

Returned home to arrange for his mother's (following his father's) entrance into religious life

1113 Returned to Paris to study theology

Set up lectures on Ezekiel in competition with the aging and revered Anselm of Laon

Lotulf the Lombard and Alberic of Rheims persuade Anselm of Laon to forbid Abelard to teach Bible because he had never studied the subject

1113-1118 Enjoyed a lucrative teaching career at Paris

1117-1118 Affair with Heloise culminates in her pregnancy, their marriage and so his loss of status as a don, his subsequent castration at the hands of Heloise's uncle, and their entrance into the religious life

1118-1129 Took up residence at St. Denis, taught theology and secular subjects

1118 Wrote Logica 'Ingredientibus' and Dialectica

1118-1121 Wrote Theologia Summi Boni to satisfy student demand

1121 Alberic and Lotulf have the Synod of Soissons convened against him and his book burned without any serious examination of actual doctrines

After brief imprisonment at St. Medard he returned to St. Denis only to get into another controversy about whether their patron had been bishop of Athens

1122 Built Paraclete oratory in the country-side and students flocked to hear him

Began Theologia Christiana (continued work on it til 1140)

1125 Elected abbot of St. Gildas de Ruys where the undisciplined monks mounted multiple plots on his life

1129 Offered the Paraclete to Abelard and her nuns and became their spiritual advisor

1132 Fled St. Gildas and became a peripatetic monk

1135-36 Decided to return to Paris to teach and write theology

Began Theologia 'Scholarium' (which went through four revisions between 1135-1140)

Probably began Dialogue between a Philosopher, a Jew, and a Christian and Ethics

William of St. Thierry informed Bernard of Clairvaux, the Cisterician reformer who challeneged Abelard's works and extracted promises of amendment.

Abelard felt he had been misunderstood and changed nothing substantive.

1137 Latest possible date for his Romans-commentary

1140 Bernard persuaded the archbishop to call a Synod against Abelard, who prepared several documents defending his orthodoxy.

In the event, he appealed to the pope,and the motion was granted.

While he was enroute to Rome, Bernard persuaded Innocent II to condemn both Abelard and his writings without further hearing.

Abelard accepted Peter of Cluny's invitation to retire there.

April 21,1142 or 1144 Died.