• PETER & HELOISE: WE’LL HAVE THE QUIZ
TOMORROW! 
• ASSIGNMENT: PETER LOMBARD by Pope B16
Héloïse d'Argenteuil
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Born 1090/1100? – died May 16, 1164
was a French nun, writer, scholar, and abbess, best known
for her love affair and correspondence with Peter Abélard.
was a brilliant scholar of Latin, Greek and Hebrew
She had a reputation for intelligence and insight. Abélard writes that she was, "most
renowned" for her gift in reading and writing.
Not a great deal is known of her immediate family except that in her letters she
implies she is of a lower social standing (probably the Garlande family, who had
money and several members in strong positions) than was Abélard.
What is known is that she was the ward of an uncle, a canon in Paris named Fulbert.
Some writers say, that she was his natural daughter; but that, to prevent a public
scandal, he told everyone that she was his niece by his sister, who upon her deathbed had charged him with her education.
In one letter to Abelard she said that she was from a poor family and that he
married beneath his state when he married her.
She was renowned throughout Western Europe for her scholarship.
By the time she became the student of Pierre Abélard (Peter Abelard), who was one
of the most popular teachers and philosophers in Paris, she was already a reputed
scholar. She was eighteen and he was in his late 20’s when they met.
Educated by Abelard in medicine and other traditional subjects taught in highereducation at the time, Heloise gained quite a reputation as a physician in her role as
abbess of Paraclete.
Peter Abélard
• Born in 1079 – died April 21, 1142 in Brittany (Northwest
of France)
• A medieval French scholastic philosopher, theologian and
preeminent logician.
• Known to be a sharp thinker and boldest theologian of the
12th Century
• He was also a musical composer.
• His father, a wealthy lord called Berengar, encouraged
Pierre to study the liberal arts, wherein he excelled at the
art of dialectic (a branch of philosophy using a specific
method of argument), which, at that time, consisted
chiefly of the logic of Aristotle transmitted through Latin
channels. Instead of entering a military career, as his father
had done, Abelard became an academic. During his early
academic pursuits, Abelard wandered throughout France,
debating and learning, so as (in his own words) "he
became such an one as the Peripatetics.“
• (Peripatetic = The Peripatetic school was a school of
philosophy in Ancient Greece founded by Aristotle.)
• Peter was intelligent,
argumentative, bold and proud.
• He opened his own schools and
was easily disgusted by the
teachings of others at the time
(remember your homework
reading!)
• Distinguished in figure and
manners, Abélard was seen
surrounded by crowds – it is said
thousands of students – drawn
from all countries by the fame of
his teaching. Enriched by the
offerings of his pupils, and
entertained with universal
admiration, he came, as he says, to
think himself the only undefeated
philosopher in the world. But a
change in his fortunes was at hand.
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Around 1100, Abelard's travels finally brought him to Paris. In the great cathedral school of NotreDame de Paris (before the current cathedral was actually built), he was taught for a while by William
of Champeaux, the disciple of Anselm of Laon (not to be confused with Saint Anselm) a leading
proponent of Realism.
Retrospectively, Abelard portrays William as having turned from approval to hostility when Abelard
proved soon able to defeat the master in argument; Abelard was, however, closer to William's
thought than this account suggests. It was during this time that he would provoke quarrels with both
William and Roscellinus.
Against opposition from the metropolitan teacher, Abelard set up his own school, first at Melun, a
favoured royal residence, then, around 1102-4, for more direct competition, he moved to Corbeil,
nearer Paris.
His teaching was notably successful, though for a time he had to give it up and spend time in Brittany,
the strain proving too great for his constitution. On his return, after 1108, he found William lecturing
at the hermitage of Saint-Victor, just outside the Ile-de-la-Cite, and there they once again became
rivals, with Abelard challenging William over his theory of universals.
Abelard was once more victorious, and Abelard was almost able to hold the position of master at
Notre Dame. For a short time, however, William was able to prevent Abelard from lecturing in Paris.
Abelard accordingly was forced to resume his school at Melun, which he was then able to move, from
c1110-12, to Paris itself, on the heights of Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, overlooking Notre-Dame.
From his success in dialectic, he next turned to theology and in 1113 moved to Laon to attend the
lectures of Anselm on biblical exegesis and Christian doctrine.
Unimpressed by Anselm's teaching, Abelard began to offer his own lectures on the Book of Ezekiel.
Anselm forbade him to continue this teaching, and Abelard returned to Paris where, in around 1115,
he became master of Notre Dame and a canon of Sens (the cathedral of the archdiocese to which
Paris belonged).
Peter & Héloïse
• Living within the precincts of Notre-Dame, under the care
of her uncle, the secular canon Fulbert, was Héloïse.
• She was remarkable for her knowledge of classical letters,
which extended beyond Latin to Greek and Hebrew.
• Abélard sought a place in Fulbert's house, and then in 1115
or 1116 began an affair with Héloïse. The affair interfered
with his career, and Abélard himself boasted of his
conquest.
• Once Fulbert found out, he separated them, but they
continued to meet in secret.
• Héloïse became pregnant and was sent by Abélard to be
looked after by his family in Brittany, where she gave birth
to a son whom she named Astrolabe after the scientific
instrument.
• To appease Fulbert, Abélard proposed a secret
marriage so as not to mar his career prospects.
Héloïse initially opposed it, but the couple were
married. When Fulbert publicly disclosed the
marriage, and Héloïse denied it, Abelard sent
Héloïse to the convent at Argenteuil, where she had
been brought up, in order to protect her from her
uncle. Heloise dressed as a nun and shared the nun's
life, though she was not veiled.
• Abelard would often sneak into her convent to be
with her.
• Fulbert, most probably believing that Abélard
wanted to be rid of Héloïse by forcing her to become
a nun, arranged for a band of men to break into
Abelard's room one night and castrate him.
• Abelard, ashamed by what had happened, decided to
become a monk and hide from the world in the monastery
of St Denis, near Paris.
• Before doing so he insisted that Heloise take vows as a nun.
Héloïse sent letters to Abélard, questioning why she must
submit to a religious life for which she had no calling. It was
Peter’s jealousy that forced Heloise to take monastic vows
before he did. She became a nun at 22 years of age.
• Life at the monastery did not work well for Abelard, who was
disgusted by the “loose life” of the monks there.
• He left and started a school in Champaign. His popularity as
a teacher drew students from all over the world.
• Envious fellow teachers falsely accused Peter of heresy. He
was condemned at a council with the archbishop without
being given the chance to defend himself.
• He was condemned to “home imprisonment’ in a monastery
and was no longer allowed to write. He wrote that this was a
greater suffering for him than was his castration.
• Peter returned to St. Denis where he was hated by many of
the monks.
• After stirring up problems once again at St. Denis he fled to
another monastery, where again he ran into troubles
because he was outspoken against monks who where not
true to their monastic vows.
• Finally he resolved to found a new society, consisting chiefly
of monks. To this purpose he chose a solitude in the
diocese of Troies, and upon some desert ground which was
given by permission of the Bishop, he built a little house and
a chapel, which he dedicated to the most Holy Trinity.
• Scholars from around the world sought him out. They came
to live with him, they built little huts, and they paid Peter
well for his lectures.
• The scholars were content to live on herbs, and roots, and
water, that they might have the advantage of learning from
so extraordinary a man; and with great zeal they enlarged
the chapel building and built their professor's house with
wood and stone.
• Upon this occasion Abelard, to continue the memory of the comfort
he had received in this at this place, dedicated his new built chapel
to the Holy Ghost, by the name of the Paraclete, or Comforter.
• The envy of other teachers, which had long since persecuted him,
was strangely revived, upon seeing so many scholars flock to him
from all parts, notwithstanding the inconvenience of the place, and
in contempt of the masters who might so commodiously be found
in the towns and cities.
• The gossip and cruelty of these men overwhelmed Peter and even
made him consider leaving his faith.
• However, he moved and was elected an abbot at a new monastery
in the diocese of Vannes. Again, at this new monastery Peter was
appalled by the dissolute life of the monks (who had mistresses and
children.)
• When Peter spoke out against these abuses, the monks tried to
poison his food. When that didn’t work, they tried to poison him by
putting poison in the Sacred Chalice at Communion. 
• Meanwhile, Heloise, as abbess of her monastery, was in trouble.
Her nuns were also living dissolute lives. The abbey of St. Denis
banished these sisters from their Monastery and took it over
themselves.
• Heloise petitioned her husband for help.
• Peter, by permission of the Bishop Troies, gave her the house
and chapel of the Paraclete, where she founded a new
monastery.
• As the new abbess, Heloise was very popular with the sisters
and the people.
• After Abelard had settled Heloise here, he made frequent
journeys from Britany to Champaign, to take care of the
interest of this rising house, and to ease himself from the
vexations of his own abbey.
• People gossiped that Abelard still was in love with Heloise.
He mocked them saying that even the most jealous husband
entrusts his wife to a eunuch.
• Heloise still pined for Peter. This began the series of letters
between the two which we have today.
• Finally, he begged Heloise to “let him go” from her heart and
accept their separation. He admonished her to follow Christ
as her spouse.
The Letters
• They were originally written in Latin, and are
extant in a Collection of the Works of Abelard,
printed at Paris in the year 1616.
• After Peter was castrated, he was perpetually
involved in sorrow and distress, and in vain
sought for ease and quiet in a monastic life.
• The Letters between Peter and his beloved
Heloise were not written till long after their
marriage and separation, and when each of them
was dedicated to a life of religion.
Their Last Days
• Peter retired to a monastery for ten years, where once again he
was accused of heresy. Again, he was not able to defend himself
and he was condemned to never teach or write again. All of his
writings were to be burnt.
• However, the Abbot of Clugni petitioned the Pope to allow Peter
to join his monastery. Here Peter lived about the remainder of
his days.
• Peter died there at age 63. His corpse was sent to the chapel of
Paraclete, to Heloise so that she might bury it there.
• Heloise outlived Peter by 20 years, and grew to be a very devout
religious, and a great teacher of languages.
• She died May 17th, 1163.
• “'Tis said she desired to be buried in the same tomb with her
Abelard, though that probably was not executed. Francis
d’Amboise says, he saw at the convent the tombs of the founder
and foundress near together. However a manuscript of Tours
gives us an account of an extraordinary miracle which happened
when Abelard’s grave was opened for Heloise’s body, namely that
Abelard stretched out his arms to receive her, and embraced her
closely, though there were twenty good years passed since he
died.”
The Tombs of Peter and Heloise in
Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris,
France.
Selection from Alexander Pope’s
Poem: POPE'S 'ELOÏSA TO ABELARD'
See in her cell sad Eloïsa spread,
Propt on some tomb, a neighbour of the dead.
In each low wind methinks a Spirit calls,
And more than Echoes talk along the walls.
Here, as I watch’d the dying lamps around,
From yonder shrine I heard a hollow sound.
'Come, sister, come!' (it said, or seem’d to say)
'Thy place is here, sad sister, come away!
Once like thyself, I trembled, wept, and pray’d,
Love's victim then, tho’ now a sainted maid:
But all is calm in this eternal sleep;
Here grief forgets to groan, and love to weep,
Ev’n superstition loses ev’ry fear:
For God, not man, absolves our frailties here.'