The letters of Peter Damian, v.4, # 91-120 : Fathers of the Church, mediaeval continuation, v. 5

This fifth volume of the Mediaeval Continuation is the fourth of the letters of Peter Damian, an 11th-century monk and man of letters. Written during the years 1062-1066, these letters deal with a wide variety of subjects. Some letters are of historical interest, others approach the size and scope of philosophical or theological treatises. Damian's correspondents range from simple hermits in his community to abbots, bishops, cardinals and even to Pope Alexander II. Among these letters are to be found one addressed to the patriarch of Constantinople, two to Damian's sisters, one to the Empress Agnes, and even a few to such distant personages as the young King Henry IV and the Archbishop Anno of Cologne. This fifth volume of the Mediaeval Continuation is the fourth of the letters of Peter Damian, an eleventh-century monk and man of letters. Written during the years 1062-1066, these letters deal with a wide variety of subjects. Some letters are of historical interest, others approach the size and scope of philosophical or theological treatise. Damian's correspondents range from simple hermits in his community to abbots, bishops, cardinals, and even to Pope Alexander II. Among these letters are to be found one addressed to the patriarch of Constantinople, two to Damian's sisters, one to the Empress Agnes, and even a few to such distant personages as the young King Henry IV and the Archbishop Anno of Cologne.

Like its companions, this volume uses Damian's thought to understand an important and gripping period in the history of church and state. Clearly, the most significant letter in this collection is Letter 119, written in 1063 to Abbot Desiderius of Monte Cassino and his monks, on the omnipotence of God. Translated here for the first time into English, Damian's treatise on Divine Omnipotence demonstrates his control of both theological and philosophical methodology. His opponents are contemporary rhetoricians whose denials of God's total potency in dealing with his creatures' contingencies in time past, present, and future opens them to the charge of heresy.

Though Damian's vocabulary frequently challenges the combined dictionary resources of classical, patristic, and mediaeval Latin, Owen J. Blum's careful translation will guarantee the transmission of Damian's thought to all levels of readers throughout the world.

Contents Preface Abbreviations Select Bibliography Concordance Letter 91 Letter 92 Letter 93 Letter 94 Letter 95 Letter 96 Letter 97 Letter 98 Letter 99 Letter 100 Letter 101 Letter 102 Letter 103 Letter 104 Letter 105 Letter 106 Letter 107 Letter 108 Letter 109 Letter 110 Letter 111 Letter 112 Letter 113 Letter 114 Letter 115 Letter 116 Letter 117 Letter 118 Letter 119 Letter 120 Indices Index of Proper Names Index of Sacred Scripture This fifth volume of the medieval continuation is the fourth of the letters of Peter Damian, an 11th-century monk and man of letters. Written during the years 1062-1066, the letters deal with a variety of subjects and Damian's correspondents range from hermits to abbots, bishops and cardinals