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Sic Et Non: A Critical Edition

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. . .who wishes to understand the perspective of Peter Abelard.

Peter Abelard is possibly one of the most misunderstood theologians of the entire High Middle Ages. Unfortunately, he is primarily remembered for his love affair with his equally brillian student Heloise -- and the fearsome revenge exacted upon him by her angry uncle.

It is unfair to remember only this! Abelard was a brilliant theologian and a brilliant teacher at one of the most renowned universities of his day (the University of Paris).

Sic et Non, arguably Abelard's greatest work, is his demonstration (much to the chagrin of the ecclesiastical authorities of his day) that the Early Church Fathers did NOT agree on all issues, and that it was possible (indeed, quite easy) to use the Fathers to argue against the Fathers.

It grieves me that more scholarly attention is not given to Abelard.

I love Abelard! He was a man 1000 years ahead of his time. I couldn't wait to read his greatest work. The problem is that the introduction is in English and the entire text is in LATIN! There is no translation within the text at all. I have worked long and hard to translate it line by line, but my Latin is rusty and this is really frustrating!

Petrus Abaelardus is one of the indispensable, original early thinkers of Western civilization, who has had a proverbial bad press through the centuries. There has been somewhat of a fairer appreciation in recent times by H.O. Taylor, Jacques Verger et al. Therefore, this edition of his magnum opus is very much appreciated, and well done. As an aside, anyone who wants to understand or defend Western Culture needs to beef up on his/her Latin, or support its revitilization in the educational system. We're all standing on Abaelard's shoulders, and need to read him in his own words. This now becomes possible with this fine critical edition.