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.

ALCUIN.

FLaccus, ALBIN, or ALCUIN, born in England, Deacon of the Church of York, and the Scholar of Bede and of Egbert, was invited into France (anno 790.) by Charle∣magne, * 1.1 who looked upon him as his Master, and shewed a great esteem for him. He had the Reputation of one of the most learned Men of his Age, in Ecclesiastical Matters. He in∣structed the French not only by his Writings, but moreover by the publick Lectures he read in the King's Palace and other Places. Charles gave him [the Government of] many Abbies, and at last charged him with the Care of the Canons of S. Martin of Tours: He died in this Society, anno 804.

This A••thor's Works 〈◊〉〈◊〉 collected by Andreas [•…•…us, or] 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Chesne, and Printed at Paris by Cra•…•… in 1617.

They are divided into Three parts. The 1st comprehends his Tracts upon the Scripture; the 2d his Books of Doctrine, Discipline, and Morality; and the 3d the Verses, Letters, and P••••ms he made.

The first part comprehends the following Works. Questions and Answers about several difficult passages of Ge•…•…sis, with an Explication of these words, Let us make Man in our ••mage. An Exposition of the Penitential and Gradual Psalms, and of the 118th Psalm. A Treatise of the use of Psalms, with Prayers taken out of the Psalms. An Office of the Church for the Year▪ A Letter upon what is said in the Song of Songs, that there be Sixty Queens, and Eighty Concubines. A Commentary upon Ecclesiastes, and Seven Books of Com•…•…taries upon the Gospel of S. John. It is observed in the end of this part, that Al∣cuinus had laboured to correct the whole Text of the vulgar Bible, by Charlemagne's Order, and that this Manuscript-work is found in the Library of Vauxcelles, with some Verses of Al∣cuinus upon this Work.

The Second part comprehends the following Treatises. A Tract of the Trinity, Dedicated to Charlemagne, divided into Three Books, wherein he handles with great accuracy and clear∣ness some Speculative and Scholastick Questions, concerning those Mysteries, with Twenty Eight Questions and Answers about the Trinity. A Letter explaining what is Time, Eter∣nity, and an Age, &c. * 1.2 A Tract of the Soul, directed to his Sister E••••alia a Virgin. Seven Books against the Opinion of Felix, Bishop of Urgel, who believed Jesus Christ might be called the Adoptive Son of God, as to his Humane Nature. A Letter upon the same Sub∣ject written to Elipandus, Bishop of Toledo. Elipandus's Answer, in which he treats Alcuin very rudely, and having loaded him with Calumny, cites some passages of the Fathers, and the Church-Office, to justifie that Jesus Christ may be called God's Adoptive Son, as to his Humane Nature. Alcuin's Reply to Elipandus's Letter, divided into Four Books. In the Two first he Answers the Authorities alledg'd by Elipandus; and in the Two last he proves his own Opinion by Testimonies of the Fathers, and the Scripture. He forbears Reviling Words, and deals with him with as much Moderation as his Adversary hath express'd himself with Heat and Passion. At the end of these Four Books, there is an Advertisement of Alon∣••nus's about the original of Felix's Error, and the retractation he made of it; Elipandus's Letter to Felix; The Confession of Faith he made after his Retractation; And a Letter of Alcuinus about the Questions that may be raised touching the Son of God. These are the Dogmaatical Works contain'd in this Second part.

The first of the Works of Discipline is the Book of [the Divine] Offices, bearing Alcui∣nus's Name, but it belongs to a later Author, there being mention made there of Hilperick, who lived in the Tenth Century; besides, it contains several Observations of a lower Age than that Alcuin lived in.

The 2d Work about Discipline, is Alcuin's Letter to Charlemagne, upon the Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima; and upon the differences of the number of the Weeks of Lent, with Charlemagne's Answer upon the same subject.

The 3d is a Tract of Al•…•…in, directed to Adrian, upon the Ceremonies of Baptism, which are the same that are practised now, of which he renders Moral Reasons.

The 4th is a Letter * 1.3 to the Clerks of S. Martin, to exhort them to confess their Sins.

The 5th is a Sacramentary, containing Masses for many Festivals of the Year.

These Works are followed with Three Homilies upon the Incarnation, the Virgin's Nati∣vity, and the Festival of All-Saints. These Three Homilies are taken out of the Book of Homilies of Paul the Deacon, and it is not certain that they are Alcuin's.

The Life of Antichrist follows, which is full of groundless Fancies. There is but one Work of Morality, which is of Vertues and Vices: The rest are Works upon Prophane Arts and Sciences▪ The Book of the Seven Arts is Cassiodorus's Preface upon that subject.

The last part of Alcuin's Works comprehends the following Books.

The Life of S. Martin of Tours, and a Sermon on his Death.

The Life of S. Vedastus of Arras.

The Life of S. Richarius, a Presbyter.

The Life of S. Wilbrord, Bishop of Utrecht, in Prose and Verse, with an Homily for his Festival.

One Hundred and Fifteen Epistles, with the fragments of some more, taken out of Eng∣lish Authors.

Poems upon several Saints.

A Poem upon the meeting of Pope Leo, and Charlemagne.

Divers Poems.

The Letters upon Ecclesiastical matters are these.

The 2d, of which we have already spoken, about the difference of the number of the Weeks of Lent.

The 6th upon these words of the Gospel, Here are Two Swords.

The 7th of the manner of instructing the People in the Faith.

The 8th, in which he speaks against a Letter written to him by Felix of Urgel, whom he calls Jo••••sely, Felix infelix. But this was retorted upon him by Elipundus, who called him several times Albinus niger, Antiph••asius.

In the 13th he speaks of a Writing he had made against Felix of Urgel, and of a Dialogue of that Author between a Christian and a Saracen.

The 29th directed to Osred, King of Northumberland, is full of Instructions very useful for Princes.

The 30th contains some for a Queen that had retired from the World.

The 31st is full of Advices to the Canons of Tours.

The 32d to the Bishop Adelbert and his Society, contains a commendation of the Life of the Canon Regulars, and an Exhortation to follow it.

The 49th contains the same sort of Exhortations to the Friers of Wiremouth and Jarrow.

The 50th to those of York.

The 62d to the Canons of S. Leger.

The 63d is directed to Pope Adrian, to whom he writes very submissively.

In the 69th he exhorts the Canons of Lyons, to reject the Errors which are come from Spain, to follow the Tradition and Usage of the Universal Church, to avoid the Additions made to the Creed, and the new Customs brought into the Service of the Church. He speaks particularly of their Error, about the Adoption of the Son of God, and the practice of some, who threw Salt up∣on Christ's Sacrifice. He maintains, they ought to Offer nothing but Bread, Water, and Wine; that the Bread ought to be very pure, without any mixture, made of Flour and Water. The last thing, he finds fault with, in the usages introduced in Spain, is, that they made but one Immer∣sion, calling upon the Three Persons of the Trinity. He maintains against them the use of the Tri∣ple Immersion, and here he explains the Ceremonies of Baptism; he speaks of the same thing in the 81st Letter, where he does intimate, that there were some who dipped Three times, re∣peating the Invocation of the Trinity at each time. He reprehends in this Letter, those who doubted, whether the Souls of the Holy Apostles and Martyrs were received up into Heaven before the Day of Judgment. In the 71st Letter he proves the necessity of Confession.

The 72d is to Pope Leo, whom he calls Vicar of the Apostles, Prince of the Church.

In the 78th he commends the Monastick Life, and exhorts Monks to discharge the Duties of it.

The 97th contains excellent Instructions about the Duties of a Bishop.

He Treats of Baptism in the 104th.

In the 106th he Answers the Question put to him by Charlemagne, which is the Hymn that Je∣sus Christ said after his last Supper. He pretends, it was the words related by the Evangelists.

Since this Edition there have been Printed some more of Alcuin's Works; as, a Commentary upon the Song of Solomon, at London in 1638, [by the care of Patrick Young.] An Abridgment of the Faith against the Arians, set forth [at Paris in 1630,] by F. Sirmondus, without the Au∣thor's Name, and attributed to Alcuin by F. Chiffletius, upon the Authority of some MSS. A long Confession of Faith, divided into Four parts, drawn out of the Fathers, published by F. Chiffletius, and Printed at Dijon in * 1.4 1656, [but it is dubious whether it belong to Alcuinus, or no.] A Discourse of the Purification, which was without Name among S. Ambrose's Works, and was restored to Alcuin by M. Baluzius, in the 2d Vol. of Miscellanea, p. 382. Two Letters set forth by M. Baluzius in the same place, [Tom. 1. p. 365.] the one directed to Charlemagne, upon the price of Jesus Christ's Death; the other to the Abbots and Monks of the Goths, upon the Unity of the Two Natures in the Person of Jesus Christ. There's in the same place a Ca∣pitulary, containing sundry Moral Maxims directed to Charlemagne; but that Work seems to me unworthy of Alcuin. Twenty Six Letters published by F. Mabillon in the 4th Vol. of his Analecta. And a Poem, in which he laments the disorders and looseness of one of his Friends, under the Name of a Cuckow.

The Learned are not all agreed, that the Confession of Faith, set out by F. Chiffletius, is Al∣cuin's. The Author of the Office for the Holy Sacrament, in the Historical and Chronological Table of the Authors, hath propounded some difficulties about this Confession of Faith, which might make one doubt, whether it be truly Alcuin's. He says, the two first parts of it are very excellent and precious; but there are many things taken out of the other Works of Alcuin, especially the different Orations. That the third part does not seem to be coherent to the two first, there being several places in it copied out of them word for word; which probably an Author, whatever he might be, would not have done in the same Work. Besides, that it is al∣most all of it taken from Pelagius's Confession of Faith, and from the Book of the Ecclesiastical Doctrines, yet so, that the Pelagian and Semi-pelagian expressions of those Books are commonly left out in it; that there are also some places of it without any rational coherency: And above all, what he set in the end, to join it to the 4th, seems to have been added. That the 4th part, in what it contains about the Eucharist, is perfectly fine, but doubtless it ends in the first Chap∣ter; all the rest being but a Rapsody of divers Orations. He confesses the Stile of this last part, as well as of the first, does pretty well resemble that of Alcuin, which is not always very pure and correct, but very quick and lively. He intimates, that altho' these Four Words (Caro, Cibus, Sanguis, Potus,) which are found in S. Thomas's Prose, are read there, the Thread of his Discourse did so naturally lead him, to use them in that order, that one ought not to conclude, that this Work was made since S. Thomas's time. That the Stile hath nothing Scholastical, yea, and that it hath some expressions, which were not used since Berengarius, as, that the Eucharist is * 1.5 Christ's Body and Blood only for the Just. Lastly, that in this 4th part there are some places found in the Book of the Divine Offices attributed to Alcuin.

Daillaeus hath taken affirmatively, what was said but doubtfully by the Author Of the Office of the Holy Sacrament, and he adds new Conjectures, to shew that this Confession was not Alcuin's.

The 1st is grounded upon this, that in this Confession of Faith some things are met with, which are taken word for word out of the Books of the Meditations, and the Mirrour, falsely ascribed to S. Austin, and composed since Alcuin's time, seeing, that of the Meditations, which is the ancienter, was written since S. Anselm's time. The 2d is grounded upon this Work's not being set down in the Index's of Alcuin's Works. The 3d upon this Author's often copying himself, which an Author does not usually do. Moreover he insists upon this, that there is a place in this Book, which is found in the Book of Offices, attributed to Alcuin. 4thly, Daillaeus pretends, that this Author's Sentiments differ from Alcuin's. He says, that explaining the Creation of the World, he relateth the two Opinions related by Alcuin also in his Questions upon Genesis, but pre∣ferrs that which was disapproved by Alcuin. He adds, that this Author believes the real pre∣sence, which Sentiment he does not think to be Alcuin's; and that he looks upon the contrary Opinion as Heretical. Lastly, He pretends that there be some things in this Work which do not agree with the Ninth Tentury; as when he complains of the infelicity of his Age, and speaks of the Miracles whereby the Eucharist had been represented under the shape of a Man. * 1.6 F. Ma∣billon contrary-wise asserts the truth of this Work, chiefly upon the Antiquity of the Manuscript, from which it is taken. He maintains the Characters to be of Charlemagne's time, or very near it; and tho' the sole Testimony of a Man, as much conversant in these matters as he was, might be sufficient, he joined to it the Attestation of many Learned Men. The Antiquity of this Ma∣nuscript shews, that this Book is of Alcuin's time, seeing the Manuscript it self is of that time, 2dly, He notes, That the Ancient Title of this Manuscript was written in Red, and that they only put Ink upon the Ancient Red Characters, which are to this effect; Albini Confessio Fidei. 3dly, He proves that this Author is older than the School-Men, because he does not speak as ex∣actly as they do of the Mysteries, that he always translates 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 of the Greeks, by the word Co-essential, whereas the School-Men always said Con-substantial. He taketh notice of the place, in which he varies from our way of speaking of the Eucharist. He adds, that this Author hath some Opinions which were not common, but in the Eighth and Ninth Century; as when he pretends, that Catechumens cannot be saved without either Baptism, or Martyrdom; that the Question of the Two Predestinations, which he treats of, was Agitated in this Age; that all, that this Author says of himself, agreeth to Alcuin. Lastly, To bring in a Witness, he says, that John Abbot of Fescamp, who lived in the Twelfth Century, hath cited several passages of this Treatise in a Book he made against Berengarius.

Having alledged these proofs of the Antiquity of this Book, he clears the difficulties; he says, it's no wonder, this Author should have made Extracts of Pelagius's Confession of Faith, seeing it was commonly cited in this time, and was look'd upon as a Work of S. Hierom. That it's less to be wondred at, that he should be cited in the Book of Gennadius's Ecclesiastical Do∣ctrines, seeing Adrian made no difficulty to alledge one Authority out of it. That the passages, which are found in this Confession, are not taken out of the Book of the Meditations, and the Mirrour; but it is the Compilers of those Two Works, that have inserted them in two places of Alcuin's Treatise, seeing the Manuscript of this Work is doubtless older, than the Author of those other Treatises. And if this Confession be not found in the Catalogues of Alcuin's Works, that's not to be wondred at, seeing all those Lists of Catalogues are imperfect; that it is an ordinary thing with the Authors of this Age, and with Alcuin, not only to transcribe other Men's, but their own Works also; that the Author of the Book of Offices did transcribe Alcuin's Confession of Faith; that it's not true, that Alcuin's Opinions about the Eucharist are different from this Author's; that he had instances to prove, that Jesus Christ had appeared in the Eucharist in the shape of a Man; that some Authors of the Ninth Century, before the Birth and the Condemnation of Berengarius's Error, have condemn'd his Opinion as Heretical; that it's no extraordinary thing for an Author, alledging in two places two different explications of the same passage, to approve now the one, and then the other; that it were a more extraor∣dinary thing, that two different Authors should bring two like explications of the same passage; that altho' Charlemagne's Age was more Learned than the Tenth, yet Alcuin Expostulates the in∣felicity of that time, and the disorders then in the Church, in the Works not doubted of, as in the 6th Letter, and in his 271 Poem. And therefore, that there's nothing in the Confession of Faith, bearing his Name, that proves it not to be his. [These Reasons and Solutions, saith F. Mabellonius, make it probable, tho' not certain, that this Confession of Faith is Alcuin's.] Al∣cuin's Stile is neat and lively, he writes wittily, his Expressions are pure enough for his time, he handles things pleasantly; one may say, he did not want Eloquence, no, nor Elegance neither.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Alcuin.
• * 1.2

  [In the Biblioth Pa∣trum it is attributed to Paulinus Bishop of Aquileia, but falsly.]
• * 1.3

  [Ad Pue∣ros S. Mar∣tins, i. e. To the Boys of S. Mar∣tin. Dr. Cav.
• * 1.4

  [1654. Dr. Cave.]
• * 1.5

  [† In a post∣humous Treatise, printed at Rouan, anno 1675.]
• * 1.6

  [In Au••l. Tom. 1. p. 178.]