Constructing ‘Orthodoxy’, Creating Identity. The Sermons of Master Alan of Lille (d. 1202/03)

Abstract

This paper suggests a fresh look at the sermons of Alan of Lille, teaching Arts and Theology in Paris in the second half of the 12th century. It takes two recently developed concepts as a starting point: Firstly, Clare Monagle’s thesis of the “Scholastic Project”, which highlights the socially exclusive effects of scholasticism; secondly, the concept of “blurred boundaries” between ‘orthodoxy’ and ‘heresy’ that helps bearing in mind the fluid character of ‘orthodoxy’. Rather than being a homogenous entity, it is equally as instable as ‘heterodoxy’, and subject to the interests of its proponents. This is of particular importance for the period considered here, in which the Paris masters had not yet acquired the status of theological experts as the later university masters would have. Against this background, this paper argues that Alan did not only disseminate theological doctrine, but at the same time contributed to his self-fashioning as an orthodox theologian in a time of transition at the Paris schools. It becomes clear how the promotion of ‘orthodoxy’ is linked to social and personal circumstances.

Keywords

• alan of lille
• 12th-century schools
• paris
• sermons
• orthodoxy