The ''Collectanea'', or ''Magna glossatura'' as it came to be known, is a collection of commentaries on the

Psalms The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...

and the

Pauline Epistles The Pauline epistles, also known as Epistles of Paul or Letters of Paul, are the thirteen books of the New Testament attributed to Paul the Apostle, although the authorship of some is in dispute. Among these epistles are some of the earliest extan ...

written by

Peter the Lombard Peter Lombard (also Peter the Lombard, Pierre Lombard or Petrus Lombardus; 1096, Novara – 21/22 July 1160, Paris), was a scholastic theologian, Bishop of Paris, and author of '' Four Books of Sentences'' which became the standard textbook of ...

between 1139 and 1141.

Origin and characteristics

The ''Magna glossatura'' is a set of glosses written beside passages from the

Latin Vulgate Bible The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...

. These glosses were written by Peter the Lombard during his teaching career and before he became the bishop of Paris (1159–1160). His gloss of Psalms and his gloss of the Pauline Epistles (referred to as the ''Collectanea'') were compiled and became a part of the official gloss on the Bible. This collection of glosses would take on the name of ''Magna glossatura'' and would, during the 12th century, replace the ''Glossa ordinaria'' as the most frequently studied and copied exegetical gloss of the Bible. His other works included the ''Libri Quatuor Sententiarum'' (or the ''

Four Books of Sentences ''The Four Books of Sentences'' (''Libri Quattuor Sententiarum'') is a book of theology written by Peter Lombard in the 12th century. It is a systematic compilation of theology, written around 1150; it derives its name from the ''sententiae'' o ...

'') and his commentaries in the ''glossa Ordinaria''. The ''Magna glossatura'', along with other systematic glosses, would have been developed at theological schools such as

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. In ...

and Saint-Victor of Paris, and would have been used for the research conducted by theologians as well as the teaching of students in biblical exegesis. The layout of text in the ''Magna glossatura'', is written in the ''intercisum'' (or intercut) format, which was developed by Peter Lombard. It was developed as a way of distinguishing scripture from the commentaries by writing the biblical verses in a larger script and on alternate lines next to the commentary, which would be ordered into columns. Blocks of scripture were then placed on the left edge of the columns to balance the biblical verses with the commentary. The ''intercisum'' method, from ca.1160, began to be applied to glosses on all the books of the Bible. This layout also gave glosses and their commentators greater influence in their relationship with the Word of God, as these glosses played a larger role in theological books by forming an essential reading in connection with the biblical text. Peter Lombard's gloss of the Pauline Epistles features not only commentaries concerning the traditional mode of reflection on the Christian faith, which regards the biblical text as ''sacra pagina'', but also commentaries of systematic theology. As a result, Lombard writes on specific theological themes which deal with issues such as the nature of the Trinity. Lombard's glosses also include references to the works of other ecclesiastical figures and theologians,

Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...

and

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berbers, Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia (Roman pr ...

to name a few. The biblical commentaries and ideas present in the ''Magna glossatura'' are also present in the various sermons given by Peter Lombard to his peers and to his cathedral's congregation.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Works of Peter Lombard

Magna glossatura Stanford
12th-century Latin books Medieval literature Scholasticism 1150s books 12th-century Christian texts Christian theology books