1147–1151

Peter Lombard, The Four Books of Sentences

The Sentences are a collection of excerpts from the Bible, the Fathers and other authorities in four books: on God; on creation, grace and sin; on Christ and the virtues; on the sacraments and eschatology. The method resembled Abelard's but was combined with respect for authorities, so the Lombard won Bernard's support; unlike Abelard he added his own, usually moderate, opinions. The work's significance, according to González, lies not in originality but in having avoided the extremes of the dialecticians and anti-dialecticians and in providing an abundance of material. The Sentences became the standard textbook, and a commentary on them a requirement for the doctorate.