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Encyclopedia Britannica

ALAIN DE LILLE [Alanus de Insulis] (c. 1128-1202)

This article appears in Volume V01, Page 468 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: AJA-ALL

ALAIN DE LILLE [Alanus de Insulis] (c. 1128-1202) , French theologian and poet, was born, probably at

Lille

LILLE

, some years before 1128. Little is known of his life. He seems to have taught in the schools of Paris,, and he attended the Lateran Council in 1179. He afterwards inhabited Montpellier (he is sometimes called Alanus de Montepessulano), lived for a time outside the walls of any cloister, and finally retired to Citeaux, where he died in 1202. He had a very widespread reputation during his lifetime and his knowledge, more varied than profound, caused him to be called

Doctor

DOCTOR (Lat. for " teacher ")

universals. Among his very numerous works two poems entitle him to a distinguished place in the Latin literature of the middle ages; one of these, the De planctu naturae, is an ingenious

satire

SATIRE (Lat. satira, satura; see below)

on the vices of humanity; the other, the Anticlaudianus, a treatise on morals, the form of which recalls the pamphlet of Claudian against Rufinus, is agreeably versified and relatively pure in its latinity. As a theologian Alain de

Lille

LILLE

shared in the mystic reaction of the second half of the 12th century against the scholastic philosophy. His mysticism, how-ever, is far from being as absolute as that of the Victorines. In the Anticlaudianus he sums up as follows: Reason, guided by prudence, can unaided discover most of the truths of the physical order; for the apprehension of religious truths it must trust to faith. This

rule

RULE

is completed in his treatise, Ars catholicae fidei, as follows: Theology itself may be demonstrated by reason. Alain even ventures an immediate application of this principle, and tries to prove geometrically the dogmas defined in the Creed. This bold attempt is entirely factitious and verbal, and it is only his employment of various terms not generally used in such a connexion (axiom, theorem, corollary, etc.) that gives his treatise its apparent originality. Alain de Lille has often been con-founded with other persons named Alain, in particular with Alain, archbishop of Auxerre; Alan, abbot of Tewkesbury, Alain de Podio, etc. Certain facts of their lives have been attributed to him, as well as some of their works: thus the Life of St

Bernard

should be ascribed to Main of Auxerre and the Commentary upon Merlin to Alan of Tewkesbury. Neither is the philosopher of Lille the author of a Memoriale rerum difficilium, published under his name; and it is exceedingly doubtful whether the Dicta
Alani de lapide philosophico really issued from his pen. On the other hand, it now seems practically demonstrated that Alain de Lille was the author of the Ars catholicae fidei and the treatise Contra haereticos.
The works of Alain de Lille have been published by Migne, Patrologia

Latina

LATINA, VIA

, vol. cex. A

critical

CRITICAL (in alphabetical order of authors)

edition of the Anticlaudianus and of the De planctu naturae is given by Th.

Wright

in vol. ii. of the Anglo-Latin Satirical Poets and Epigrammatists of the Twelfth Century (London, 1872). See Haureau, Memoire sur la vie et quelques oeuvres d'Alain de Lille (Paris, 1885) ; M. Baumgartner, Die Philosophie des Alanus de Insulis (Munster, 1896). (P. A.)

End of Article: ALAIN DE LILLE [Alanus de Insulis] (c. 1128-1202)

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