Breviloquium

Bonaventura's Breviloquium from 1257 is a brief account of the Christian faith, a small medieval catechism. It is also referred to as short dogmatics or, compared to the extensive work of Thomas Aquinas, as a “small sum of theology”. It consists of a foreword about the Holy Scriptures and seven main parts: 1. about the Trinity, 2. about creation, 3. about sin, 4. about the Incarnation of Christ, 5. about the Holy Spirit, 6. about the Sacraments and 7th on the Last Judgment. The book had, among other things, an influence on the thinking of Nikolaus Cusanus .

Quotes

When confreres asked me to say something briefly about the truth of theology with our poor little knowledge in one sum, I gave in to their requests and agreed to write a breviloquium (short word) in which I did not cover all the truths of faith but only the most important ones, to which I have added some explanations as the circumstances dictate.

Texts

• Saint Bonaventure Breviloquium (Bref Discours) edition in French

Secondary literature

• Bonaventure: Breviloquium. Transferred, introduced and provided with a glossary by Marianne Schlosser. Einsiedeln - Freiburg 2002.
• Learning from Bonaventure. Bonaventure: Breviloquium [Cod. Cus. 78], in: Hüttel, Richard (ed.): Horizonte. Nikolaus von Kues in his world. Pp. 152-153. Trier 2001.