Bellarmine · De Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis · On the Ecclesiastical Writers
Chapter 27: The Twelfth Century: Leo of Ostia, Sigebert, Geoffrey of Vendome, Zigabenus, Zonaras, Rupert of Deutz, Alger, Hildebert
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. XII, De Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis, of the New Testament, twelfth century. The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
The twelfth century, from the year 1100 to 1200
Leo of Ostia. 1101
Leo Marsicanus, made Bishop of Ostia by Paschal the second, died under the same at the beginning of the year 1110 [1115]. He wrote the chronicle of the monastery of Monte Cassino from St. Benedict to Abbot Desiderius, who was afterwards Pope Victor the third; in which chronicle not a few things are touched on that are very useful for the Church history of those times.
Zachary of Besançon. 1101
Zachary, Bishop of Chrysopolis [of Besançon], lived in the time of the Pontiff Paschal the second, at the beginning of the year 1101, and wrote four books of commentaries on the four Gospels.
Sigebert the historian. 1101
Sigebert, a Monk of Gembloux, lived in the time of the Pontiff Gregory the seventh, and died in the time of Paschal the second, about the year of the Lord 1112. He wrote a chronography, which is extant with other books of German historians, from the year of the Lord 381 to the year 1111; Robert of Torigni [“Robenus de Monte”] continued Sigebert to the year of the Lord 1210 [as printed]. Further, Sigebert in his chronography was unfair to Gregory the seventh from zeal for the emperor; for which cause he told not a few lies, and especially when he tells the death of Gregory himself. He wrote besides two books On illustrious men, among whom he put himself, and most diligently numbered his little works. Among these little works is found one against the Letter of Gregory the seventh to the Bishop of Metz, and another against a letter of Paschal the second; which little works were rightly forbidden by the Catholic Church.
He wrote also, as he himself testifies, a book against those who slander the Masses of married Priests; which book seems to have perished, and rightly; for it was unworthy to see the light. For Gregory the seventh, in hatred of whom that book had been written, had not blamed the Masses of married Priests, but the Masses of concubinary Priests; nor had Gregory forbidden the Masses of such concubinaries to be heard because he thought that they were not true Masses, but because he judged the concubinaries unworthy to celebrate Mass and to be frequented by the faithful peoples. And that that book of Sigebert was written in defence of concubinary Priests against the edict of Pope Gregory is plain from his very chronography at the year of the Lord 1074, where he says that Gregory the seventh forbade married Priests to celebrate the divine offices, by a new and ill-considered example, and so on. But in defence of Pope Gregory against the slanders of Sigebert St. Anselm wrote, in the letter to Abbot William which is the eighth in number, where he speaks thus: “Of the Priests who openly show themselves reprobate to God by a reprobate way of lust, what the Apostolic providence has laid down with ecclesiastical and just rigour is altogether to be held. For it is in no way fitting that [the faithful] should stand reverently where those, stinking stubbornly with open and shameless lust, despising the prohibition of God and the saints, serve the holy altars, or rather do not serve them but, as far as in them lies, defile them: not that anyone should think the things they handle to be despised, but the handlers to be execrated; so that those who do not reverence the presence of God and the Angels may, driven off by the detestation of men, cease to contaminate holy things.”
Geoffrey of Vendôme. 1101
Geoffrey, Abbot of Vendôme, created Cardinal of the title of St. Prisca by Urban the second, lived to the last times of Innocent the second, as is clear from the letter of Innocent to him. He wrote five books of letters, fifteen little works and twelve sermons; all of which are extant printed at Paris in the year 1610 by the work of Jacques Sirmond of the Society of Jesus.
Euthymius Zigabenus. 1118
Euthymius Zigabenus, a Monk, lived in the time of the emperor Alexius Comnenus, as he himself testifies at the beginning of the Panoply. He wrote the Panoply against all heresies, and in the second part, title 23, he describes the errors of Basil, the author of the Bogomils, whom the emperor Alexius ordered to be burned in the hippodrome. He wrote also Commentaries on all the Psalms and on the four Gospels. Those are mistaken who write that this author flourished in the year of the Lord 440 or 1180; he flourished in truth in the year 1118, in which the emperor Alexius died.
John Zonaras. 1118
John Zonaras, a Greek Monk, wrote three books of annals, in which he took in the universal history from the founding of the world to the end of Alexius Comnenus, emperor of the Greeks, who died in the year of the Lord 1118. He wrote also commentaries on the Nomocanon of Photius.
Rupert of Deutz. 1119
Rupert, Abbot of Deutz, lived in the time of the Pontiff Paschal and of the emperor Henry IV, called V, about the year of the Lord one thousand one hundred and eleven; for he himself notes this year in book 8 On the divine offices, chapter 4. He wrote many works, whose catalogue he himself gives in the dedicatory letter to Cuno, Bishop of Regensburg, to whom he dedicates the books On the divine offices. His works are these: On the divine offices, 12 books; a short commentary on Job, abridged, 10 [1?]; on John the Evangelist, 14; On the works of the holy Trinity, 42; on the Apocalypse, 12; on the twelve minor Prophets, 30 [31?]; On the victory of the Word, 13; On the glory and honour of the son of man, according to the Gospel of Matthew, 8 [13?]; On the glorious king David, from the books of Kings, 11 [as printed]; on the Canticle of Canticles, 7.
First note. The books On the divine offices formerly lacked the author's name. For, as Thomas Netter of Walden testifies, book On the Sacraments, chapters 47, 65 and 93, there was extant in his time a book, or work, On the divine offices, from which John Wyclif the heresiarch wonderfully triumphed and harassed the Catholics, selling that book now under the name of St. Ambrose, now of St. Isidore, now of St. Fulgentius. So the Catholics, long seeking the author of the book, suspected that the author was a certain Walram, to whom St. Anselm wrote the book on unleavened bread; hence afterwards Domingo de Soto, Claude de Sainctes, Cardinal William Allen and others made Walram the author of the error of impanation. But in truth that work On the divine offices cited by Wyclif is not Walram's, who is nowhere read to have written anything of the kind, but Rupert's, Abbot of Deutz, of whom we are now treating. For the beginning of that work which was cited by Wyclif, in Walden, was “Ea quae per anni circulum”; and this is the very beginning of Rupert's books On the divine offices. Then all that Wyclif cited from the author On the divine offices is found word for word in book 2 On the divine offices, chapters 2 and 9, in Rupert. Further, the errors of that book are found also in Rupert's books on Exodus and on John; so that it is plainly clear that the author of all these books is the same. Lastly Alger, book 1 On the Sacrament of the Eucharist, chapter 6, says that in his time a new and most absurd heresy of impanation had arisen. But Rupert lived in the same century as Alger, and was a little older than Alger; and this very error which Alger notes is found in the second book, chapters 2 and 9, On the divine offices, in Rupert. And this seems to be the cause why the works of Rupert of Deutz, otherwise not bad nor unlearned, lay without light and honour in the darkness of oblivion for about four hundred years; for only in our time have they begun to see the light.
Second note. Rupert's error lies in this, that he thought that the bread is not converted into the body of Christ when the Eucharist is made, but is assumed by the Divine Word as the humanity was assumed. This is plain from the sixth book on John, where Rupert says: “The Word was made man not by destroying but by assuming humanity; and in the same way in the Eucharist the same Word is made bread not by destroying but by assuming the bread”; and he has like things in book 2 on Exodus, chapter 10; but most clearly in book 2 On the divine offices, chapter 2, when he says thus: “Nor are they called or are they two bodies, this which is from the altar and that which was taken from the Virgin's womb; because namely one and the same Word, one and the same God, is above in the flesh, here in the bread”; and in chapter 9 he says thus: “The Word of the Father, coming between as mediator, makes one sacrifice of the flesh and blood which he had taken from the Virgin's womb and of the bread and wine which he took from the altar; and when the Priest distributes it into the mouths of the faithful, the bread and wine are consumed and pass away, while the Virgin's offspring, with the Word of the Father united to him, remains whole and unconsumed both in heaven and in men.” So he; where, when he says that the Virgin's offspring united to the Word of the Father remains in heaven and in men, he understands that it remains in men by faith, not in reality; for he at once adds: “But into him in whom there is no faith nothing of the sacrifice comes except the visible species of bread and wine.” So he. We have explained and refuted this error in book 3 On the Sacrament of the Eucharist, chapters 11 and 15.
Alger the scholastic. 1130
Alger, scholastic of Liège and afterwards a Monk of Cluny, flourished about the year of the Lord 1130. He wrote various little works on grace and free will, and on mercy and justice. But his chief work is On the body and blood of the Lord against Berengar, which, comprised in three books, is much praised by the venerable Peter of Cluny, who at the beginning of the book on the sacrifice says that Lanfranc wrote on the Sacrament of the Eucharist well, plainly, perfectly; Guitmund better, more plainly, more perfectly; Alger best, most plainly, most perfectly. But yet it must be observed that this Alger, book 2, chapter 1, did not rightly write that the Sacramental species cannot be corrupted or gnawed by mice and so on; which we noted also in Guitmund, from whom Alger seems to have taken it. So too in chapter 8 Alger wrongly cited St. Augustine when he says, “Whence, as Augustine says, neither flesh without blood nor blood without flesh is rightly communicated”; for these words are not Augustine's but Paschasius's, in the book On the body of the Lord, chapter 14. Lastly in chapter 10 Alger seems to hold that it is of divine law that the sacrifice of the Mass be celebrated in unleavened bread; which is not true, otherwise the Church would not tolerate those who celebrate in leavened. These things I wished to note, not to lessen the glory of Alger, who defended the truth with great zeal in his age, but lest the reader should stumble in reading this work, otherwise very good, since it is common to mortals sometimes to slip. This work of Alger is extant printed at Louvain with Paschasius, Lanfranc and Guitmund, and also with the same in the Library of the Holy Fathers, volume 6, second edition.
Hildebert of Tours. 1125
Hildebert, Archbishop of Tours, lived in the time of the Pontiff Honorius the second, to whom he wrote a letter; and Honorius began to sit in the year of the Lord 1125 [1124]. He wrote sermons, letters and sacred poems, which are extant in the Library of the Holy Fathers, volume 3, second edition. There is extant one Letter of St. Bernard to him, in which he exhorts him to acknowledge and venerate Innocent II as the true Pontiff.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
SiECULUM DUODECIMUM AB ANNO 1100. AD 1200 De Leone Ostiensi. 1101. Leo Marsicanus Episcopus Ostiensis factus a Paschali secundo, sub eodem obiit ad ini¬ tium anni 1 1 1 0. Scripsit chronicum mona¬ sterii Cassinensis a Sancto Benedicto usque ad Desiderium Abbatem , qui fuit postea Victor Papa tertius. In quo chronico non pauca attinguntur ad historiam Ecclesiasti¬ cam illorum temporum valde utilia. De Zaccharia Chrysopolitano. 1101. Zacharias Episcopus Chrysopoleos vixit tempore Paschalis secundi Pontificis ad initium anni 1101. et scripsit in quatuor Evangelia quatuor libros commentariorum. De Sigeberto historico. 1101. Sigebertus Monachus Gemblacencis vixit tempore Gregorii septimi Pontificis, et obiit tempore Paschalis secundi circa annum Dom. 1112. Scripsit chronologiam , quse exstat cum aliis historicorum Germanorum libris ab anno Dom. 381. usque ad annum 1111., continuavit Sigebertum Robenus de Monte usque ad annum Dom. 1210. Porro Sigebertus in sua chronologia ini¬ quior fuit Gregorio septimo ob studium erga imperatorem : qua de causa non pauca mentitus est, et praesertim cum narrat obi¬ tum ipsius. Gregorii. Scripsit praeterea duos libros de viris il¬ lustribus, inter quos se ipse posuit, et opu¬ scula sua diligentissime numeravit. Inter quae opuscula unum invenitur contra Episto¬ lam Gregorii septimi ad Episcopum Meten- sem, et alterum contra epistolam Paschalis secundi, quae opuscula merito ab Ecclesia Catholica interdicta fuerunt. Scripsit quoque, ut ipse testatur, librum contra eos qui calumniantur Missas conju¬ gatorum Presbyterorum, qui liber periisse videtur, et jure : indignus enim erat, qui lucem aspiceret. Neque enim Gregorius se¬ ptimus, in cujus odium liber ille scriptus erat, reprehenderat Missas conjugatorum Presbyterorum, sed Missas eoncubinario- rum Presbyterorum : neque vetuerat Grego¬ rius, Missas ejusmodi concubinariorum au¬ diri, quod existimaret illas non esse veras Missas ; sed quod judicaret concubinarios indignos esse, qui Missam celebrarent, et qui a fidelibus populis frequentarentur. Quod autem liber ille Sigeberti in defensionem concubinariorum Sacerdotum, scriptus esset contra Gregorii Papae edictum; perspicuum est ex ipsa ejus chronologia ad annum Dom. 1074. ubi dicit, a Gregorio septimo prohi¬ bitos fuisse uxoratos Sacerdotes 'divina offi¬ cia celebrare, novo exemplo, et inconside¬ rato, etc. Sed in defensionem Gregorii Pa¬ pae contra calumnias Sigeberti, scripsit san¬ ctus Anselmus in epistola ad Gulielmum Abbatem, quae est numero octava, ubi sic ait : « De Presbyteris, inquit, qui se aperte reproba libidinis conversatione Deo repro- babiles exhibent, omnino tenendum est quod AB ANNO DOM. 1000. AD 1100. 435 Apostolica providentia Ecclesiastico justoque rigore constituit. Nempe nullatenus conve¬ nit, ut ibi reverenter ^dstent, ubi pertinaci¬ ter aperta et impudenti libidine foetentes, Dei et sanctorum prohibitionem contemnen¬ do, sacris altaribus deserviunt, imo non de¬ serviunt, sed quantum ad ipsos commacu¬ lant : non quo quis ea, quae tractant, con¬ temnenda, sed tractantes execrandos existi- met : ut quae Dei et Angelorum praesentia non reverentur, vel hominum detestatione repulsi sacra contaminare desistant. » De Gofrido Vindocinensi. 1101. Gofridus Abbas Vindocinensis, et Cardi¬ nalis tit. S. Priscae ab Urbano secundo crea¬ tus vixit usque ad extrema tempora Innocen- tii secundi, ut constat ex epistola Innocentii ad ipsum. Scripsit epistolarum libros quin¬ que, opuscula quindecim, et sermones duo¬ decim : quae omnia exstant excusa Parisiis anno 1610., opera Jacobi Sirmundi e socie¬ tate Jesu. De E uthymio Zigabeno. 1118. Euthymius Zigabenus Monachus vixit tempore Alexii Commeni imperatoris , ut ipse testatur initio Panopliae. Scripsit Panopliam adversus omnes hae- reses, et parte secunda tit. 23. describit er¬ rores Basilii auctoris Bogomilum, quem Ale- xius imperator comburi jussit in equestri theatro. Scripsit etiam Commentaria in omnes Psalmos, et in quatuor Evangelia. Falluntur, qui hunc auctorem floruisse scribunt anno Dom. 440. vel 1180.; floruit vero anno 1118. quo Alexius imperator obiit. De Joanne Zonara. 1118. Joannes Zonaras Monachus Graecus scri¬ psit libros tres annalium, quibus complexus est historiam universalem ab orbe condito usque ad exitum Alexii Commeni imperato¬ ris Graecorum, qui obiit anno Dom. 1118. Scripsit etiam commentaria in Nomoca- nonem Photii. De Ruperto Tuitiensi. 1119. Rupertus Abbas Tuitiensis vixit tempore Paschalis Pontificis, et Henrici IV. dicti Y. imperatoris circa annum Domini millesimum centesimum undecimum : hunc enim annum ipse notat lib. vm. divinis officiis cap. 4. Scripsit multa opera , quorum catalogum ipse ponit in epistola dedicatoria ad Cuno- nem Episcopum Ratisponensem, cui dedicat libros de divinis officiis. Opera ejus haec sunt : De Divinis officiis, lib. 12 In Job commentariolum obbreviatum 10 In Joannem Evangelistam, 14 De operibus sanctae Trinitatis, 42 In Apocalypsim, 12 In duodecim Prophetas minores, 30 De victoria Verbi, 13 De gloria et honore filii hominis secun¬ dum Evangelium Matthaei, 8 De glorioso rege David ex libris Re¬ gum, 11 In Cantica Canticorum, 7 Observatio prima. Libri de officiis divinis olim carebant no¬ mine auctoris ; nam, ut testatur Thomas Yaldensis lib. de Sacrament. c. 47. 65. et 93. exstabat suo tempore liber, sive opus de divinis officiis, ex quo Jo. Wiclef. haeresiar¬ cha mirifice triumphabat , et Catholicos vexabat, nunc Sancti Ambrosii, nunc S. Isi- dori, nunc S. Fulgentii nomine eum librum venditans. It ) que Catholici diu libri ejus auctorem quaerentes suspicati sunt, aucto¬ rem fuisse quemdam Valramum, ad quem scripsit S. Anselmus librum de azymo : hinc postea Dominicus a Soto, Claudius Sanctius, Gullelmus Alanus Cardinalis, et alii, aucto¬ rem erroris de impanatione fecerunt Valra¬ mum. Sed revera opus illud de divinis offi¬ ciis a Wiclefo citatum, non est Valrami, qui nihil ejusmodi usquam scripsisse legitur, sed Ruperti Tuitiensis Abbatis, de quo nunc agimus : siquidem initium illius operis, quod a Wiclefo citabatur apud Valdensem, erat , (Ea quae per anni circulum ); et hoc ipsum est initium librorum Ruperti de officiis di¬ vinis. Deinde onmia, quae citabat Wiclefus ex auctore de divinis officiis, inveniuntur ad verbum in lib. n. de officiis divinis cap. 2. et cap. 9. apud Rupertum. Praeterea errores istius libri, inveniuntur etiam in libris Ru¬ perti in Exodum, et in Joannem, ut plane constet euindem esse auctorem omnium 436 DE SCRIPTORIBUS ECCLESIASTICIS istorum librorum. Denique Algerus lib. i. de Sacramento Eucharistiae cap. 6. dicit tempore suo exortam novam haeresim et absurdissimam de impanatione. Atqui Ru- pertus vixit eodem saeculo, quo Algerus, et erat Algero paula senior : et hic ipse error, quem Algerus notat, habetur in secundo lib. cap. 2. et cap. 9. de officiis divinis apud Rupertum. Atque haec videtur esse causa, ut opera Ruperti Tuitiensis alioqui non mala, nec indocta, jacuerint sine luce et honore in tenebris oblivionis, annis circiter quadrin¬ gentis: nam nostro primum tempore coepe¬ runt lucem aspicere. Observatio secunda. Error' Ruperti in eo situs est, quod existi¬ mavit, non converti panem in corpus Christi dum conficitur Eucharistia, sed assumi a Yerbo Divino, quemadmodum assumpta est humanitas. Id perspicuum est eji libro sexto in Joannem, ubi Rupertus dicit, « Ver¬ bum factum esse hominem, non destruendo, sed assumendo humanitatem : et eodem modo in Eucharistia idem Verbum fieri pa¬ nem non destruendo, sed assumendo pa¬ nem, » et similia habet lib. ii. in Exodum cap. 10. sed clarissime lib. ii. officiis divinis cap. 2. cum sic ait : « Nec duo corpora di¬ cuntur, aut sunt, hoc quod de altari, et illud quod acceptam est de utero Virginis : quia videlicet unum idemque Verbum , unus idemque Deus sursum est in carne, hic in pane, » et cap. 9. sic inquit : « Verbum pa¬ tris carni, et sanguini, quem de utero Vir¬ ginis assumpserat, et pani ac vino, quod de altari assumpsit, medium interveniens, unum sacrificium efficit, quod cum in ora fidelium Sacerdos distribuit, panis et vinum absumi¬ tur, et transit : partus autem Virginis cum unito sibi Verbo Patris et in coelo, et in ho¬ minibus integer permanet , et inconsum¬ ptus ; » haec ille, ubi cum dicit, permanere in coelo, et hominibus partum Virginis Ver¬ bo Patris unitum, intelligit, permanere in hominibus per fidem, non re ipsa : statim enim subjungit : « Sed in illum in quo fides non est, praeter visibiles species panis et vini, nihil de sacrificio pervenit. » Haec ille. Hunc errorem explicuimus, et refutavimus lib. m. de Sacramento Eucharistiae, cap. 11. et 15. De Algero scholastico. 1130. Algerus scholasticus Leodiensis, ac po¬ stea Monachus Cluniacensis floruit circa an¬ num Domini 1130. Scripsit varia opuscula de gratia, et libero arbitrio, et de misericor¬ dia, et justitia. Sed praecipuum ejus opus est de corpore et sanguine Domini contra Berengarium, quod tribus libris comprehen¬ sum valde laudatur a venerabili Petro Clu- niacensi, qui initio libri de sacrificio dicit, Lanfrancum scripsisse de Sacramento Eucha¬ ristiae, bene, plane, perfecte : Guitmundum, melius, planius, perfectius; Algerum, opti¬ me, planissime, perfectissime. Sed tamen observandum est, hunc Algerum lib. n. cap. 1. non recte scripsisse species Sacramentales non posse corrumpi, vel rodi a muribus, etc., quod etiam notavimus in Guitmundo, a quo id videtur Algerus accepisse, sic etiam cap. 8. perperam citavit Algerus S. Augu¬ stinum, cum ait, « Unde, ut ait Augustinus, nec caro sine sanguine, nec sanguis sine carne rite communicatur. » Haec enim non sunt Augustini, sed Paschasii in libro de corpore Domini, cap. 14. Denique cap. 10. videtur Algerus velle, esse de jure divino, ut sacrificium Missae celebretur in azymo : quod non est verum , alioquin Ecclesia non toleraret eos, qui celebrant in fermentato. Haec notare volui, non ut imminuam gloriam Algeri, qui magno zelo veritatem sua aetate defendit : sed ne lector offendiculum incur¬ rat in legendo opere isto, alioqui valde bono, cum sit commune mortalibus aliquando labi. Exstat hoc opus Algeri impressum Lovanii cum Paschasio, Lantfranco et Guitmundo, necnon cum iisdem in bibliotheca S. Pa¬ trum tomo sexto, edit. 2. De Hildeberto Turonensi. 1125.* Hildebertus Archiepiscopus Turonensis vixit tempore Honorii secundi Pontificis, ad quem epistolam scripsit. Honorius autem sedere ccepit anno Domini 1125. Scripsit sermones, epistolas, et carmina sacra, quae exstant in bibliotheca S. Patrum tomo m. edit. 2. Ad eum una exstat Epistola S. Bernardi, qua eum hortatur, ut Innocen¬ tium II. ut verum Pontificem agnoscat, et veneretur. AB ANNO DOM. 1100. AD 1200.