The Story of a Great Medieval Book: Peter Lombard's 'Sentences' (Rethinking the Middle Ages) Paperback – Illustrated, March 1, 2007

In the midst of teaching Church History, I have looked for a thorough one-volume introduction to the Lombard and his influential Sentences. These work by Philipp W. Rosemann offers perspective on our author's method, an overview of the Sentences, and a history of the Sentences reception from Aquinas to the early Reformation era.

Professor Rosemann wrote a highly recommend book about Medieval tradition on Peter Lombard. It begins with a witty introduction about the history of the books as his effect's history on tradition. Next one chapter continues with some interesting facts about the development of commentaries by the twelfth-century, afterwards there are three chapters where he explains with interesting summaries as titles the XIIth, XIVth and XVth's centuries: Age of Commentary, The Movement away from the Sentences and Back to the Sources, respectively. I recommend this readable book as first step to know this great tradition.

Good overview of the history of the influence of Peter Lombard's Sentences on theological development, 12th-16th centuries. For more detailed studies about individual commentators, see Medieval commentaries on the Sentences of Peter Lombard ( 3. v.)

Rosemann's "Great Medieval Book" is a gem! Concise, very well written, and thoroughly researched, this is an outstanding introduction to the importance of Peter Lombard and his "Sentences". What I particularly enjoyed is how Rosemann placed the Sentences in their historical context, showing their important if overlooked influence from the twelfth century through the Council of Trent. Aquinas had nothing on Lombard for centuries.