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Ethical Writings: Ethics and A Dialogue between a Philosopher,

a Jew, and a Christian by Peter Abelard. (review)

Julian A. Davies O.F.M.

Franciscan Studies, Volume 55, 1998, pp. 349-351 (Article)

Published by Franciscan Institute Publications

DOI: 10.1353/frc.1998.0041

For additional information about this article

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BOOK REVIEWS349

In sum, the OCB adds another to the number of relatively

recent and very recent bible dictionaries, the best of which are: theone-volume Harper's Bible Dictionary (1985), and the multi-volumeInterpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (1962), and monumental Anchor Bible Dictionary (1992). With the OCB's appearance the Franciscanexpert and student alike now have another excellent andindispensable one-volume critical bible dictionary that can assistthem when working with biblical sources.

Christ the King SeminaryCHARLES J. O'CONNOR, O.F.M.Easl Aurora, NY

Peter Abelard. Ethical Writings: Ethics and A Dialogue between a Philosopher, a Jew, and a Christian. Trans. PaulVincent Spade. Introduction by Marilyn McCordAdams. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., 1995.Cloth, $32.50. Paper, $9.95.

My method of reviewing this work was to read it through andnote any questions I had about it, checking them against the D.E.Luscombe edition of the Elhics (Peier Abelard's Elhics, Clarendon

Press, Oxford 1971 which has both Latin and English in facing pages; and the Pierre Payer translation of the Dialogue (A Dialogue between a Philosopher, a Jew, and a Chrisiian, Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 1979 and the Latin critical edition of Rudolf

Thomas (Dialogue inter Philosophum, Judaeum, et Christianum,Stuttgart, 1971) The last task was difficult, since Spade's translationis paragraphed differently in many cases.

To turn to the translation of the Elhics first, I found it to be

generally readable, though occasionally too literal for my taste. E.g. para. 5, "depart from goods," is better rendered I think, "abandonwhat is good"; 39, "bounds of permission," better, "moralweaklings." Also, in paragraph 125, "sins," where the sense is "errs

logically"; 151, "cheapness," where the sense is "vile character" or "meanness of spirit."Most of the footnotes were quite helpful, although in cases of

ellipsis (e.g. page. 1, n. 1, page.2, n.3, it might have helped to



350BOOK REVIEWS

render the footnotes as text. I think a note calling attention to

Aristotle's discussion of the voluntary and involuntary in the Nicomachean Elhics, 1109b. 3Off, not available to Abelard in Latin

translation at the time, would have rendered Abelard, more

intelligible. Again the material in paragraph 84 (Circumcision as a punishment for Original Sin) seems to call out for an explanation.

I found the Introduction by Marilyn McCord Adams muchmore helpful after I had read both texts, and would recommendreaders to move right to Abelard. I think her assessment of

Abelard's views, especially their ambiguity, is generally accurate.Speaking of Abelard's equation of "morality with divinity" (xxiii)seems to be making too much of an expression that Abelard explainsas a way of speaking (Dialogue between a Philosopher and the Christian,148). She does well to point out the comment of Abelard thatdamnation might well occur without any personal fault (which isheresy). Luscombe in the Introduction to his Latin-English Editionof Ethics, (Peler Abelard's Ethics, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1971, p.xxxvii) had noted Ableard's generous use of sexual examples, andthat might have been something to point out. It occurs to me thatsuch style might well have accounted for some of his popularity as ateacher of young men.

Spade's numbering of the paragraphs in the text is helpful.However, I found it difficult to use the reference section. Perhaps afuture edition could line up the references vertically rather thanhorizontally, with one reference per line. The Index is well doneand helpful.

My observations on the Dialogue between a Philosopher, a Jew,and a Christian mirror those already made regarding the Ethics. Ifound the translation too literal in 11, (I would prefer "debate" or "verbal conflict" for "fight"; 12, ("of religious faiths" than"inclined to religious faiths"); 61, "Note" instead of "Look", 269,("Temperance" instead of "moderation"), 302, ("changing caseendings," rather than "changing the genders"). Again, Spade'snotes are very helpful, though in one or another case, he could have

put his comments in the text, e.g. the ellipsis in n. 43, p. 106; n.52, p. 1 13 (Noting Abelard's use of a plural which could be renderedsingular). In 258, p. 112, he translates Boethius literally, "Aristotledoes not think the virtues are sciences as Aristotle does," where he



BOOK REVIEWS351

might have rendered the statement, "Aristotle did not identify

virtue and knowledge as Socrates did." Additional description of "topical reasoning" in n. 27, p. 45, would have been helpful, aswould comments on penitence as an evil, 402, p. 142 and the ideathat one could have a good will even if willing moral evil 407, p.something no Christian can hold, and something Abelard seems torecognize by moving to the word "permit" later in the text. I foundone phrase "when he entirely omitted what was most obviously ableto persuade" repeated on p. 71.

Bringing together both of these ethical works in one book is aservice to the academic community. The inexpensive price for the paperback edition makes it accessible to undergraduates studying theHistory of Medieval Philosophy or the History of Ethical Thought.

SienaCollegeJULIAN A. DAVIES, O.F.M.Loudonville, New York

Henricus Bate. Speculum Divinorum et quorundamnaturalium, Parts VI-VII: On the Unity of Intellect, On thePlatonic Doctrine of the Ideas. Ed. Carlos Steel and Emielvan de Vyver. Leuven University Press, 1994.

Henricus Bate (1246-1310) is known chiefly as an astronomer and Neoplatonist. Part I of the Speculum Divinorum has been

previously printed, not once but twice: in 1931 by G. Wallerand and

in a more critical edition 1960, by E. Van de Vyver. Van de Vyver also included a critical edition of Part VI with his doctoral edition in

1953; a slightly revised version of that edition is printed here. Steelehas adopted the same apparatus style employed in 1960, so thatthough the two volumes appear thirty years apart, in differentseries, this is the second volume of the same edition.

The edition is prefaced by an introduction and an Englishsummary of the arguments in Parts VI and VII. As Steele indicates,

there is a long tradition discussing Platonic ideas and many treatisesagainst Averroes. Steele points to Albert's 1256 De unitate intellectucontra Averroem. In fact the tradition is even older; about twentyyears earlier, Richard Rufus defended Platonic ideas against

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