The "Apophthegmata Patrum" had an enormous impact on Christian
asceticism and spirituality, and they had a wide circulation even in the
medieval Occident. They served as a model especially in the context of
the western reformation of monastic life during the 11th and 12th
centuries. In that context, the "Apophthegmata Patrum", that is, their
Latin translation, the "Verba Seniorum", played a major role which has
been repeatedly emphasized in research, but has nevertheless not really
been analyzed up to now.
The area of (today's) France was a major focus of the monastic reform movements. In order to shed light on the reception of the "Verba Seniorum" in France, in an exemplary manner, Peter Abelard's use of them will be analyzed. He makes abundant use of them in his letter 8 to Heloisa containing a monastic rule for religious women, and he also refers to them in his "Theologia" and his "Sic et non". Therefore, the question can start form his case: In what way does Peter Abelard use and interpret the fathers' sayings and in what way is his own thinking shaped by them?
The area of (today's) France was a major focus of the monastic reform movements. In order to shed light on the reception of the "Verba Seniorum" in France, in an exemplary manner, Peter Abelard's use of them will be analyzed. He makes abundant use of them in his letter 8 to Heloisa containing a monastic rule for religious women, and he also refers to them in his "Theologia" and his "Sic et non". Therefore, the question can start form his case: In what way does Peter Abelard use and interpret the fathers' sayings and in what way is his own thinking shaped by them?
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