Robert of Melun

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Robert von Melun (* around 1100 in England , † February 27, 1167 in Hereford ) was a British theologian and philosopher who taught in Paris and was Bishop of Hereford from 1163 .

Life

Nothing is known about its origin. The approximate year of birth results from the fact that after William Fitz Stephen he taught in France for over 40 years.

Robert von Melun studied in Paris under Hugo von St. Viktor and possibly Abelard , received his Magister artium in 1137 and then taught philosophy and theology in Paris and from 1142 to 1147 in Melun near Paris, which is why he received his nickname. In 1147 he returned to Paris. With him studied John of Salisbury (who counted him among the great dialecticians of his time), William of Tire , the future Bishop Roger of Worcester , cousin of Henry II , and possibly Thomas Becket .

He founded his own school and enjoyed a great reputation as a teacher, not only in theology, but also in logic and as a speaker. In the universality dispute , he represented a moderate realism and opposed the extreme nominalism of Johannes Roscelin . His main work (unfinished and twice revised) is the Summa Theologiae (or Sententiae) from the 1150s and 1160s, and he wrote Quaestiones de Epistolis Pauli and Quaestiones de divina pagina (for the Gospel of Matthew), both mostly dated between 1145 and 1157. In the introduction to his Summa, he writes that he wanted to reconcile the views of his teachers Abelard and Hugo von St. Viktor (without naming their names). He defends Abelard against the charge of heresy, but does not agree with him in all views and is critical of the teachings in the Christology of his contemporary Petrus Lombardus .

In 1148 he took part in the conviction of Gilbert of Poitiers at the Council of Reims , together with Petrus Lombardus.

In 1160 he returned to England on the instructions of King Henry II of England and became archdeacon in Oxford. On December 22, 1163 he was ordained Bishop of Hereford by Thomas Becket. Although Becket helped him to the bishopric, he was not an unconditional supporter of his position in the dispute with the king. He was founded by Pope Alexander III. instructed to call on the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, to moderate his quarrel with the king, but also to influence the king. When Becket went to France, he asked Robert of Melun and Roger of Worcester to visit him and to discuss the dispute with the king, which the king forbade and stopped them when they tried in 1167 anyway.

He is buried in Hereford Cathedral.

Fonts

  • Raymond-M. Martin: Oeuvres de Robert de Melun. 4 volumes, Löwen 1932 to 1952
  • Matthias Perkams: Robert von Melun and the reception of Abelardian ethics in the 12th century: together with a critical edition by Robert von Melun, Sententiae, I, II, (0), 164-171 and I, I, 8.79-84. Recherches de théologie et philosophie médiévales, Volume 75, 2008, pp. 33–76
  • Franklin T. Harkins, Frans van Liere (editors): Interpretation of scripture: theory. A selection of works of Hugh, Andrew, Richard and Godfrey of St Victor, and of Robert of Melun. Turnhout: Brepols, 2012 (with partial translation of the Sententiae)

literature

  • Matthias Perkams: Bernhard von Clairvaux, Robert von Melun and the beginnings of medieval voluntarism. Vivarium, Volume 50, 2012, pp. 1-32
  • ML Rampolla in Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2004
  • Charles Kingsford in the older edition of the Dictionary of National Biography, Wikisource
  • Jean Longère: Robert of Melun (c. 1100–1176). Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages 2000
  • Rolf Peppermüller: Robert von Melun (d. 1167). Theological Real Encyclopedia 1998
  • Georgios Fatouros: Robert von Melun (c. 1100–1176). Biographical-bibliographical church lexicon (Bautz) 2000
  • Franz Courth: Robert von Melun (approx. 1100–1176). Lexicon of the Middle Ages, 1995
  • Franz Plazidus Bliemetzrieder: Robert von Melun and the school of Anselm von Laon. Journal of Church History, Volume 53, 1934, pp. 117–170
  • Horst Ulrich: Law and Gospel: the Old Testament in the theology of Robert von Melun. Paderborn 1971
  • Horst Ulrich: Robert von Melun's doctrine of the Trinity and God. Munich 1964
  • D. Knowles: Episcopal colleagues of archbishop Thomas Becket. 1951
  • J. Barrow (Ed.): Hereford 1079-1234. English Episcopal Acta, 7, 1993

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. He wrote that Robert von Melun always had an answer to questions put to him ready, but never ended a discussion without citing counter-arguments.
  2. ^ Rampolla Oxford DNB
predecessor Office successor
Gilbert Foliot Bishop of Hereford
1163–1167
Robert Foliot