HERETIC!!!

So some people aren't too fond of Abelard's methods in the monastery. The Council of Sens in 1140 charged Abelard for his propositions: "That the Holy Spirit is not of Substance with the Father";"That omnipotence belongs properly and specially to the Father";"That Christ did not take flesh in order to free us from the devil";"That God ought not to hinder evil";"That we have contracted from Adam not guilt but it's punishment";"That a man is made neither better nor worse by his works." After appealing to the Pope, he is condemned for "pernicious doctrines and other perverse teaching contrary to the catholic faith", forbidden to teach or to travel and his books were ordered to be destroyed.

After learning that Abelard and Heloise are buried in the same cemetery as Oscar Wilde and Van Morrison, I have a slightly greater interest in visiting Paris, but it's still not enough to weigh out the negatives.

All in all this book was a slight disappointment. I was under the impression this book would be based heavily on the letters written between the two lovers. After all, there are over 100 of them. The author chooses however to focus pretty heavily on Abelard's autobiography instead, which, due to his pretty self-centered nature, is all about Abelard.

My next book will be The Abenaki written by Colin G. Calloway in 1989. I'm excited! Will start tomorrow.