Archa Verbi 18 (2021)

Like Anselm of Canterbury, Abbot Ralph of Battle (1040-1124) was a student of Lanfranc at Le Bec and a proficient theologian, whose works received more attention in recent years. This contribution is an edition with introduction and German translation of Ralph's short treatise on the Trinity by the title Fides exposita quomodo credatur unus deus trinitas et trinitas unus deus. After a survey of the author's life and work, the introduction discusses the textual tradition of the treatise and its place in Ralph's overall oeuvre. Particular attention is paid to its structure and content, its relationship to the doctrine of the Trinity in Ralph's other works as well as in Augustine, Boethius, Anselm of Canterbury, Gilbert Crispin and in the treatise Quid de sancta from the school of Laon. At a time when the doctrine of the Trinity was discussed more acutely within Western theology and the Church was facing increasing criti- cisms of this dogma from Jewish and Muslim sides, Ralph renewed the genre of the short theological treatise, explaining the Latin doctrine of the Trinity in concise form. While An- selm of Canterbury responded to the challenge by seeking "necessary reasons" for the truth of the dogma, Ralph, following Boethius, was content to expound its meaning and inner co- herence. He did so in accordance with his un-Anselmian view that the Divine Trinity exceeds the scope of a purely rational theology.

Keywords: Ralph of Battle - theology - Trinity - Anselm of Canterbury - Boethius-Augustine - Gilbert Crispin - Anselm of Laon

This paper arguest hat Cistercianand Victorine psychological treatises utilised mnemotechnical symbols and strategies to convey "affectivity": emotional states and practices directed at God. By exploring how the same biblical symbol-that of Jacob, his wives and family-is utilised mnemotechnically both in Isaac of Stella's Sermo IV in festo Omnium Sanctorum (Sermon Four for the Feast of All Saints) and Richard of Saint-Victor's De duodecim patriarchis (The Twelve Patriarchs) as a framework for emotional training, I argue that twelfth-century attitudes towards gender roles, the household, and the family were drawn on to communicate affectivity in an effective way to monastic audiences. In doing so, this paper suggests that medieval affectivity must be sub-divided further into two dimensions-the horizontal and the vertical-to understand the dual role of the emotional faculty of the soul, the affectus, in first cleansing the soul's thoughts and affections and, secondly, facilitating the practice of contemplation.

Keywords: Affectivity - affectus - affectio - psychology - symbol

Three themes in the late Albert's theological writings are considered, in view of a better un- derstanding of his mature doctrine of union with God: (1) the Holy Spirit's gift of wisdom in the Postilla super Isaiam, together with the corresponding beatitude of peacemakers, ex- pounded in the Super Matthaeum; (2) Albert's bridal Eucharistic mysticism as presented in the treatise De corpore domini; and, (3) the theology of divine naming articulated in the Summa theologiae. A brief analysis of these three times allows for a first evaluation of how the mystical theologies of the early and late Albert relate to each other.

Keywords: Albertus Magnus - gift of wisdom - beatitudes - bridal mysticism - divine naming

The article focuses on Petrus de Pulkau's vesperial disputation as part of the 'Vienna Group' and in light of the new research on the University of Vienna and, in particular, the Faculty of Theology in the 14th and 15th centuries. The aim of this study is to offer an edition of Pulkau's vesperies in the context of the ongoing research into the history of vesperial dispu- tations. Pulkau's question contains useful material not only for documenting the university practices at Vienna, but also for documenting the larger debate around Wyclifism and its sources during his time. It is perhaps with regards to the latter that his text has been copied in several manuscripts. Because the vesperies are an academic exercise needed to attain the title of 'doctor in theology', an interest in a fully edited version of their contents which is then copied multiple times suggests an interest in the subject matter that lasts beyond the confines of the doctoral exam. In addition to his contributions to the ever-evolving doctrinal space, Pulkau's vesperial question serves to enrich our understanding of the academic structures and mechanics that created the favourable conditions for such a space to exist and evolve.

Keywords: Petrus de Pulkau - vesperial disputations - University of Vienna - Wyclifism