A new history of ecclesiastical writers containing an account of the authors of the several books of the Old and New Testament, of the lives and writings of the primitive fathers, an abridgement and catalogue of their works ... also a compendious history of the councils, with chronological tables of the whole / written in French by Lewis Ellies du Pin.

PETER de CELLES Bishop of Chartres.

PETER, sirnam'd de Celles, from the Name of his first Abbey, commonly call'd Monstier∣la-Celle, * 1.1 in the Suburbs of the City of Troyes, was descended of an honourable Family of Champagne. He apply'd himself to Study at Paris, and was apparently a Novice in the Monastery of St. Martin des Champs. He was chosen Abbot of Celles, A. D. 1150. tran∣slated from thence to the Abbey of St. Remy at Rheims in 1162. and at last made Bishop of Chartres in 1182. in the place of John of Salisbury. After having govern'd that Church dur∣ing five Years, he died Feb. 17. 1187.

The following Works of this Author, were collected and publish'd by Father Ambrosius Januarius, of the Congregation of St. Maur, and printed by Lewis Billaine in 1671. But the first of his Works is a Course of Sermons on all the Festivals of the Year, which were never as yet printed. However, notwithstanding the Reputation they might have in his time, Father Januarius observes, that they are weak, and that Peter de Celles is not very sollicitous to prove a Truth thoroughly, but passes lightly over from one Subject to ano∣ther; although his Writings are full of pious Conceptions, Flowers of Scripture and very useful Instructions. He might also take notice, that they are full of Puns, affected Antitheses, sorry Allusions, mean Descriptions and Notions, which have not all the Gravity that is re∣quisite in Discourses of that Nature. In his Eighth Sermon on the Lord's Supper, we find the Term of Transubstantiation, which is also in Stephen Bishop of Autun, who liv'd in the same Century: And indeed, those two Authors are the first that made use of it. The three Books of Bread, dedicated to John of Salisbury, contain a great number of mystical Refle∣ctions

on all the sorts of Bread mention'd in the Holy Scripture. The Mystical and Moral Exposition of the Tabernacle is a Work almost of the same Nature. The Treatise of Con∣science, dedicated to Aliber the Monk, relates altogether to Piety, and that of the Discipline of the Cloister, comprehends many Moral Instructions in the Exercises of the Monastick Life, which he follow'd above Thirty Years. This Piece was set forth by Father Dachery, in the third Tome of his Spicilegium.

The last Work in this Edition, is a Collection of the Letters of Peter de Celles, which were already publish'd with Notes by Father Sirmondus, A. D. 1613. They are divided into nine Books, and relate either to pious Subjects or to certain particular Affairs, or are merely Complimental. Indeed, they are written with grea••er Accuracy than his other Works, being of a more natural and less affected Style; nevertheless they are full of verbal Quibbles and Puns. In this Collection are three Letters on the Festival of the Conception of the Vir∣gin Mary, in which Peter de Celles strenously maintains St. Be••nard's Sentiments on that Sub∣ject. NICOLAS, a Monk of St. Alban, was of a contrary Opinion, and averr'd, That * 1.2 the blessed Virgin was never obnoxious to Sin. This is the Subject of the Twenty third Let∣ter of the Sixth Book; but the Monk vindicates his Opinion in the Ninth Letter of the last Book, and confutes that of St. Bernard, yet not without expressing a great deal of Re∣spect for the Person of that Saint. However, he does not treat Peter de Celles with the same Moderation, who being nettled, returns him a somewhat sharp Answer in the Tenth Letter of the same Book. Peter was then Bishop of Chartres.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Peter de Celles Bi∣shop of Chartres.
• * 1.2

  Nicolas Monk of St. Alban.