Readings in the History of Education | Page 8

in religious matters faith
precedes reason. One might seek to justify one's faith by reason, but
preliminary doubt as to what should be the specific articles of one's
faith was inadmissible. As they supposed, these articles had been
determined by the church fathers--Augustine, Jerome, and others--and
by the Bible. Their view had been formulated by Anselm of Canterbury
in the preceding century:
"I do not seek to know in order that I may believe, but I believe in order
that I may know." "The Christian ought to advance to knowledge
through faith, not come to faith through knowledge." "The proper order
demands that we believe the deep things of Christian faith before we
presume to reason about them."
With his keenly critical, questioning mind Abelard found a flaw in this
position: on many questions of faith the authorities themselves
disagreed. "In such cases,"--he said in effect,--"how shall I come to any
definite belief unless I first reason it out?" "By doubting we are led to
inquiry, and by inquiry we attain the truth." His attitude--as contrasted

with that of Anselm, given above--is set forth in the prologue to his Sic
et Non (Yes and No):
In truth, constant or frequent questioning is the first key to wisdom; and
it is, indeed, to the acquiring of this [habit of] questioning with
absorbing eagerness that the famous philosopher, Aristotle, the most
clear sighted of all, urges the studious when he says: "It is perhaps
difficult to speak confidently in matters of this sort unless they have
often been investigated. Indeed, to doubt in special cases will not be
without advantage." For through doubting we come to inquiry and
through inquiry we perceive the truth. As the Truth Himself says: "Seek
and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you." And He also,
instructing us by His own example, about the twelfth year of His life
wished to be found sitting in the midst of the doctors, asking them
questions, exhibiting to us by His asking of questions the appearance of
a pupil, rather than, by preaching, that of a teacher, although there is in
Him, nevertheless, the full and perfect wisdom of God.
Now when a number of quotations from [various] writings are
introduced they spur on the reader and allure him into seeking the truth
in proportion as the authority of the writing itself is commended ...
In accordance, then, with these forecasts it is our pleasure to collect
different sayings of the holy Fathers as we planned, just as they have
come to mind, suggesting (as they do) some questioning from their
apparent disagreement, in order that they may stimulate tender readers
to the utmost effort in seeking the truth and may make them keener as
the result of their seeking.[8]
(2) The new method which Abelard formed for discovering the truth is
presented in the "Yes and No." He first stated in the form of a thesis for
debate the question on which doubt existed. The book contains one
hundred and fifty-eight such questions. He then brought together under
each question the conflicting opinions of various authorities, and,
without stating his own view, left the student to reason for himself in
the matter. There is no doubt that this method served his purpose to
"stimulate tender readers to the utmost effort in seeking the truth." His
boldness in considering some of these questions debatable at all, the

novelty of the doubt which they imply, and their incisive challenge to
keen thinking are evident from the following list:
1. That faith is based upon reason, et contra.
5. That God is not single, et contra.
6. That God is tripartite, et contra.
8. That in the Trinity it is not to be stated that there is more than one
Eternal being, et contra.
11. That the Divine Persons mutually differ, et contra.
12. That in the Trinity each is one with the other, et contra.
13. That God the Father is the cause of the son, et contra.
14. That the Son is without beginning, et contra.
27. That God judges with foreknowledge, et non.
28. That the providence of God is the cause of things happening, et
non.
32. That to God all things are possible, et non.
36. That God does whatever he wishes, et non.
37. That nothing happens contrary to the will of God, _et contra._
38. That God knows all things, et non.
53. That Adam's sin was great, et non.
84. That man's first sin did not begin through the persuasion of the
devil, et contra.
55. That Eve only, not Adam, was beguiled, et contra.

56. That by sinning man lost free will, et non.
69. That the Son of God was predestinated, et contra.
79. That Christ was a deceiver, et non.