Peter Cantor (died 1197), also known as Peter the Chanter or by his

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

name Petrus Cantor, was a French

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

theologian.Peter Cantor
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Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

article He received his education at Rheims, and later moved on to Paris, where, in 1183, he became Chanter (hence his name) at Notre Dame. Charters show Petrus Cantor as a man active in hearing cases, witnessing documents and participating in the business of the chapter of Notre Dame. Petrus was elected dean at Reims in 1196, but died in the following year in the Longpont Abbey, some time after 29 January 1197. He commented on Old Testament and

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...

books. His work on the sacrament of penance is especially noteworthy. His work reflects Scholastic perspectives.

Medievalist The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vo ...

Jacques Le Goff Jacques Le Goff (1 January 1924 – 1 April 2014) was a French historian and prolific author specializing in the Middle Ages, particularly the 12th and 13th centuries. Le Goff championed the Annales School movement, which emphasizes long-term t ...

cites Cantor when locating the "birth of

purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...

" in the 12th century, based on Cantor's use of the term ''purgatorium'' as a noun in 1170. John Baldwin's extensive study of Peter the Chanter and his circle underlines their social doctrines. Their teachings influenced the theological program of the

Fourth Lateran Council The Fourth Council of the Lateran or Lateran IV was convoked by Pope Innocent III in April 1213 and opened at the Lateran Palace in Rome on 11 November 1215. Due to the great length of time between the Council's convocation and meeting, many bi ...

Bibliography

A group of Petrus' questions on the sacraments was compiled and published by Jean-Albert Dugauquier; see S''umma De Sacramentis et Animae Consiliis', Louvain, Louvain University Press, 1954–1957. Petrus Cantor wrote the book ''Verbum Abbreviatum'' which was edited by Georgius Galopinus and published in 1639. This work has been edited in the series Corpus Christianorum.''Petri Cantoris Parisiensis verbvm abbreviatvm, textus alter'', ed. Monique Boutry (Turnhout, 2012).

References

1197 deaths Year of birth unknown 12th-century births 12th-century French Catholic theologians {{RC-bio-stub