Ethical Writings: Ethics and A Dialogue between a Philosopher, a Jew, and a Christian by Peter Abelard. (review)

BOOK REVIEWS349 In sum, the OCB adds another to the number of relatively recent and very recent bible dictionaries, the best of which are: the one-volume Harper's Bible Dictionary (1985), and the multi-volume Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (1962), and monumental Anchor Bible Dictionary (1992). With the OCB's appearance the Franciscan expert and student alike now have another excellent and indispensable one-volume critical bible dictionary that can assist them when working with biblical sources. Christ the King SeminaryCHARLES J. O'CONNOR, O.F.M. Easl Aurora, NY Peter Abelard. Ethical Writings: Ethics and A Dialogue between a Philosopher, a Jew, and a Christian. Trans. Paul Vincent Spade. Introduction by Marilyn McCord Adams. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Co., 1995. Cloth, $32.50. Paper, $9.95. My method of reviewing this work was to read it through and note any questions I had about it, checking them against the D.E. Luscombe edition of the Elhics (Peier Abelard's Elhics, Clarendon Press, Oxford 1971 which has both Latin and English in facing pages; and the Pierre Payer translation of the Dialogue (A Dialogue between a Philosopher, a Jew, and a Chrisiian, Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 1979 and the Latin critical edition of Rudolf Thomas (Dialogue inter Philosophum, Judaeum, et Christianum, Stuttgart, 1971) The last task was difficult, since Spade's translation is paragraphed differently in many cases. To turn to the translation of the Elhics first, I found it to be generally readable, though occasionally too literal for my taste. E.g. para. 5, "depart from goods," is better rendered I think, "abandon what is good"; 39, "bounds of permission," better, "moral weaklings." Also, in paragraph 125, "sins," where the sense is "errs logically"; 151, "cheapness," where the sense is "vile character" or "meanness of spirit." Most of the footnotes were quite helpful, although in cases of ellipsis (e.g. page. 1, n. 1, page.2, n.3, it might have helped to 350BOOK REVIEWS render the footnotes as text. I think a note calling attention to Aristotle's discussion of the voluntary and involuntary in the Nicomachean Elhics, 1109b. 3Off, not available to Abelard in Latin translation at the time, would have rendered Abelard, more intelligible. Again the material in paragraph 84 (Circumcision as a punishment for Original Sin) seems to call out for an explanation. I found the Introduction by Marilyn McCord Adams much more helpful after I had read both texts, and would recommend readers to move right to Abelard. I think her assessment of Abelard's views, especially their ambiguity, is generally accurate. Speaking of Abelard's equation of "morality with divinity" (xxiii) seems to be making too much of an expression that Abelard explains as a way of speaking (Dialogue between a Philosopher and the Christian, 148). She does well to point out the comment of Abelard that damnation might well occur without any personal fault (which is heresy). Luscombe in the Introduction to his Latin-English Edition of Ethics, (Peler Abelard's Ethics, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1971, p. xxxvii) had noted Ableard's generous use of sexual examples, and that might have been something to point out. It occurs to me that such style might well have accounted for some of his popularity as a teacher of young men. Spade's numbering of the paragraphs in the text is helpful. However, I found it difficult to use the reference section. Perhaps a future edition could line up the references vertically rather than horizontally, with one reference per line. The Index is well done and helpful. My observations on the Dialogue between a Philosopher, a Jew, and a Christian mirror those already made regarding the Ethics. I found the translation too literal in 11, (I would prefer "debate" or "verbal conflict" for "fight"; 12, ("of religious faiths" than "inclined to religious faiths"); 61, "Note" instead of "Look", 269, ("Temperance" instead of "moderation"), 302, ("changing case endings," rather than "changing the genders"). Again, Spade's notes are very helpful, though in one or another case, he could have put his comments in the text, e.g. the ellipsis in n. 43, p. 106; n. 52, p. 1 13 (Noting Abelard's use...