Theology, Rhetoric, and Politics in the Eucharistic Controversy, 1078-1079

by Charles Radding, Francis Newton

Overview

In the concluding stages of the eleventh-century Eucharistic Controversy, which turned on whether, and how, sacramental consecration changed the nature of bread and wine at the altar, Alberic of Monte Cassino composed a small but important treatise. Alberic was the most renowned teacher of rhetoric in his time, and his treatise, buttressed by appeal to the authority of the Church Fathers, was said by contemporaries to have "utterly destroyed" the argument of his opponent, Berengar of Tours, that the bread and wine survived its consecration.

Modern scholars had long believed Alberic's treatise to be lost. This book demonstrates that this crucial document, far from being lost, is an existing identifiable text. By showing conclusively that this work was written by Alberic, Radding and Newton transform our understanding not only of the particulars of the controversy and papal politics but also of the intellectual process by which theological doctrines took shape in mediaeval Church councils. The book includes the full Latin text and the first translation of Alberic's treatise.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231126854
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	02/12/2003
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	200
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.80(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	1480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Charles M. Radding is a professor of history at Michigan State University.

Francis Newton is a professor of classics at Duke University.

Table of Contents

Preface
List of Abbreviations
1. Berengar of Tours and the Eucharistic Controversy
Introduction
The Carolingian Background and the Eleventh-Century Debate
Berengar's Theology of the Eucharist
Berengar's Early Critics
The Early Councils
The Aftermath of the Council of 1059: Lanfranc and Guitmund
The Movement Toward Rome
2. Alberdeen Libellus Against Berengar of Tours
The Manuscript
The Rubric and Morin's Attribution to Berengar of Venosa
The Treatise and It's Author
Alberic of Monte Cassino and His "Lost" Treatise
3. Style and Content of the Libellus
Alberic's Literary Work
The Literary Style of the Aberdeen Libellus
The Content of the Libellus
Conclusion
4. Berengar of Tours and the Roman Councils of 1078 and 1079
The Sources
The Council of All Saints, 1078
Alberic and Berengar
Berengar and Alberic at the Lenten Council, 1079
Brief Epilogue: Berengar Remembers
Conclusion
The Text and Translation of the Libellus
Appendix: The Dossier of Unconnected Sententiae Following the Libellus in the Aberdeen Manuscript
Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Carmela Vircillo Franklin

Absolutely convincing.... Makes several important contributions to our understanding of later 11th-century religious conflicts.

— Carmela Vircillo Franklin, Columbia University

Celia Chazelle

A significant contribution to scholarship on church history of the central Middle Ages.

— Celia Chazelle, College of New Jersey

Celia Chazelle

A significant contribution to scholarship on church history of the central Middle Ages.

Editorial Reviews

Will be of interest to all students of the intellectual and ecclesiastical history of the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

Speculum - William North

This book is a valuable contribution to an understanding of the controversy over the Eucharist that swirled around Berengar, thescholasticus of Tours, in the eleventh century.... an excellent example of the virtues of collaborative scholarship.

Catholic Historical Review - Gary Macy

This is a very clever book, an exciting detective story based on acute paleographic and political analysis.

Mary Strolln Historical Review

This is a very clever book, an exciting detective story based on acute paleographic and political analysis.

American Historical Review - Mary Stroll

Will be of interest to all students of the intellectual and ecclesiastical history of the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

— William North

Speculum

The handsome volume will help to make an immensely important moment in European culture accessible and comprehensible for students and scholars alike.

— Miri Rubin

Ecclesiastical History

This book is a valuable contribution to an understanding of the controversy over the Eucharist that swirled around Berengar, the scholasticus of Tours, in the eleventh century.... an excellent example of the virtues of collaborative scholarship.

— Gary Macy

Catholic Historical Review

This is a very clever book, an exciting detective story based on acute paleographic and political analysis.

— Mary Stroll

American Historical Review

The handsome volume will help to make an immensely important moment in European culture accessible and comprehensible for students and scholars alike.

Ecclesiastical History - Miri Rubin