Gilbert de la Porrée

Gilbert de la Porrée (after 1085 – 4 September 1154), also known as Gilbert of Poitiers, Gilbertus Porretanus or Pictaviensis, was a scholastic logician and theologian.

He was born in Poitiers, and completed his first studies there. He was then educated at Chartres under Bernard of Chartres, where he learned the differences between Aristotle and Plato and later at Laon under Anselm of Laon and Ralph of Laon, where he studied biblical scriptures. After his education, he returned to Poitiers, where its believed he taught. He then returned to Chartres to teach logic and theology and took over Chancellor after Bernard from 1126-1140. It is in Paris where we also know he gave lectures. From a passage from the text, Dialogue with Ratius and Everard, by the Cistercian Everardus, we learn that Gilbert was more popular in Paris than in Chartres. Everardus writes that he was fourth to attend Gilberts lectures in Chartres and three hundredth to attend in Paris. In Paris, John of Salisbury attended Gilbert's lectures in 1141 and was greatly influenced by them. John of Salisbury would later become chancellor of Chartres and also wrote over Gilbert saying: He taught grammar and theology, would whip a student who made a grammatical error, if he believed a student was wasting time in class he would suggest they take up bread making, and last when he lectured he used philosophers, orators and as well as poets to help interpret.

Sometime in the 1140s, Gilbert published his Commentary on Boethius's, Opuscala Sacra. Although intended as an explanation of what Boethius meant, it interpreted the Holy Trinity in such a way that it went against the teachings of the church. In 1142, Gilbert became Bishop of Poitiers and within the same year two archdeacons, Arnaud and Calon, denounced Gilbert for his ideas on the trinity. It was also in 1142 when Gilbert's teaching position was taken over in Chartres. By 1147, in Paris, Peter Lombard attacked Gilbert for his trinitarian beliefs. In 1148, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, known as the great detector of heresies, brought Gilbert to trial. Saint Bernard had previous reasons to believe Gilbert was a heretic because when Abelard was tried and condemned, the school of Chartres}--where Gilbert was chancellor at that moment—backed Abelard. Pope Eugene III presided over the trial. During the trial, Gilbert and Bernard were asked to recite and speak of specific biblical scriptures. Bernard, being nowhere near as well versed as Gilbert, was not able to condemn him. It was decided however that in order to make the church happy, Gilbert had to change parts of his book that were not in accordance with the official position on faith. Gilbert died in 1154.

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