Alain de Lille

Alain de Lille

Alain de Lille (or Alanus ab Insulis) (c. 1128 - 1202), French theologian and poet, was born, probably in Lille, some years before 1128.

Life

Little is known of his life. He seems to have taught in the schools of Paris, and he attended the Lateran Council in 1179. He afterwards inhabited Montpellier (he is sometimes called Alanus de Montepessulano), lived for a time outside the walls of any cloister, and finally retired to Citeaux, where he died in 1202.

He had a very widespread reputation during his lifetime and his knowledge, more varied than profound, caused him to be called "Doctor universalis". Among his very numerous works two poems entitle him to a distinguished place in the Latin literature of the Middle Ages; one of these, the "De planctu naturae", is an ingenious satire on the vices of humanity. He created the allegory of grammatical "conjugation" which was to have its successors throughout the Middle Ages. The "Anticlaudianus", a treatise on morals as allegory, the form of which recalls the pamphlet of Claudian against Rufinus, is agreeably versified and relatively pure in its latinity.

Theologian

As a theologian Alain de Lille shared in the mystic reaction of the second half of the 12th century against the scholastic philosophy. His mysticism, however, is far from being as absolute as that of the Victorines. In the "Anticlaudianus" he sums up as follows: Reason, guided by prudence, can unaided discover most of the truths of the physical order; for the apprehension of religious truths it must trust to faith. This rule is completed in his treatise, "Ars catholicae fidei", as follows: Theology itself may be demonstrated by reason. Alain even ventures an immediate application of this principle, and tries to prove geometrically the dogmas defined in the Creed. This bold attempt is entirely factitious and verbal, and it is only his employment of various terms not generally used in such a connection (axiom, theorem, corollary, etc.) that gives his treatise its apparent originality.

Works and attributions

Alain de Lille has often been confounded with other persons named Alain, in particular with another Alanus (Alain, bishop of Auxerre), Alan, abbot of Tewkesbury, Alain de Podio, etc. Certain facts of their lives have been attributed to him, as well as some of their works: thus the "Life of St Bernard" should be ascribed to Alain of Auxerre and the "Commentary upon Merlin" to Alan of Tewkesbury. Alan of Lille was not the author of a "Memoriale rerum difficilium", published under his name, nor of "Moralium dogma philosophorum", nor of the satirical "Apocalypse of Golias" once attributed to him; and it is exceedingly doubtful whether the "Dicta Alani de lapide philosophico" really issued from his pen. On the other hand, it now seems practically demonstrated that Alain de Lille was the author of the "Ars catholicae fidei" and the treatise "Contra haereticos".

In his sermons on capital sins, Alain argued that sodomy and homicide are the most serious sins, since they call forth the wrath of God, which led to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. His chief work on penance, the "Liber poenitenitalis" dedicated to Henry de Sully, exercised great influence on the many manuals of penance produced as a result of the Fourth Lateran Council. Alain's identification of the sins against nature included bestiality, masturbation, oral and anal intercourse, incest, adultery and rape. In addition to his battle against moral decay, Alan wrote a work against Islam, Judaism and Christian heretics dedicated to William VIII of Montpellier.

Quotes

• God is an intelligible sphere whose centre is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere.

• Do not hold as gold all that shines as gold.

References

*1911

External links

* [http://www.fh-augsburg.de/~harsch/Chronologia/Lspost12/Alanus/ala_ac00.html Alanus ab Insulis, "Anticlaudianus sive De officiis viri boni et perfecti"]
* [http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/alanus1.html Alanus ab Insulis, "Liber de planctu naturae]
* [http://la.wikisource.org/wiki/Omnis_mundi_creatura Alanus ab Insulis, "Omnis mundi creatura"]
*Alain de Lille, " [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/alain-deplanctu.html The Complaint of Nature] "

Further reading

* Dynes, Wayne R. 'Alan of Lille.' in "Encyclopedia of Homosexuality", Garland Publishing, 1990. p. 32.
* cite encyclopedia
last = Kren
first = Claudia
title = Alain de Lille
encyclopedia = Dictionary of Scientific Biography
volume = 1
pages = 91-92
publisher = Charles Scribner's Sons
location = New York
date = 1970
isbn = 0684101149


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  • Alain De Lille — Alain de Lille, latin : Alanus de Insulis (avant 1128 à Lille (?) 1202, abbaye de Cîteaux) est un théologien français, aussi connu comme poète. De sa vie on sait peu de choses. Il semble avoir enseigné à Paris et il assista au concile du… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Alain de lille — Alain de Lille, latin : Alanus de Insulis (avant 1128 à Lille (?) 1202, abbaye de Cîteaux) est un théologien français, aussi connu comme poète. De sa vie on sait peu de choses. Il semble avoir enseigné à Paris et il assista au concile du… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Alain de Lille — Alain de Lille[1] (nacido en Lille (?) antes de 1128 y muerto en la Abadía de Cîteaux en 1202) fue un teólogo y poeta francés. Se sabe poco de su vida; parece ser que enseñó en París y que asistió al concilio de Letrán en 1179. Vivió después en… …   Wikipedia Español

  • ALAIN DE LILLE — (1128 1203) Né à Lille, élève de Bernard Silvestre à Chartres, Alain étudie dans la mouvance de Gilbert de la Porrée; il devient maître ès arts, puis maître en théologie à Paris, avant d’enseigner à Montpellier; parvenu au sommet de la gloire, il …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Alain de Lille —   [a lɛ̃ də lil], Philosoph, Alanus ab Insulis …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Alain de Lille — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Alain. Alain de Lille, ou Alain Delisle ou Alain de L Isle, latin : Alanus Insulis (avant 1128 à Lille (?) 1202, abbaye de Cîteaux) est un théologien français, aussi connu comme poète. De sa vie on sait peu… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Alain de Lille — Alanus ab Insulis (auch Alain de Lille, Alanis ab Insulis oder Alanus de Insulis) (* um 1120 in Lille, Frankreich, (flämisch Rijsel); † 1202 in Cîteaux, Frankreich) war ein französischer Scholastiker, Dichter und Zisterziensermönch und gilt als… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Alain de Lille —     Voir Gilbert de la Porrée et Alain de Lille …   Philosophie du Moyen Age

  • Alain de Lille — ▪ French theologian Latin  Alanus de Insulis,  English  Alan of Lille  born c. 1128, probably Lille, Flanders [now in France] died 1202, Cîteaux, France       theologian and poet so celebrated for his varied learning that he was known as “the… …   Universalium

  • Gilbert de la Porrée et Alain de Lille —     En Gilbert de la Porrée, saint Bernard fit condamner, au concile de Reims en 1148, un autre théologien dont il considérait la dialectique comme également dangereuse pour la foi. Gilbert de la Porrée, né à Poitiers en 1076, est un chartrain de …   Philosophie du Moyen Age

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