sehepunkte 24 (2024), Nr. 10

Isabelle Fabre (éd.): Jean Gerson écrivain

Jean Gerson Écrivain, edited by Isabelle Fabre, is the fruit of a conference held in Montpellier in 2018. Poet, preacher, and chancellor of the University of Paris, Jean Gerson was one of the most prolific writers and influential public intellectuals of his day. He wrote in prose and in verse, in Latin and in French, in diverse genres and on a vast number of topics but with a consistent emphasis on cultivating in his readers Christian virtues. Given the heterogeneity and abundance of his work, modern scholarship has often divided along disciplinary lines, and has focused on limited works or aspects of Gerson's corpus. One of the virtues of this volume is to have brought together scholars from different disciplines who adopt diverse methodologies and critical approaches. Its 21 articles - mostly in French but a handful in English - are divided into 5 sections. An abundant bibliography rounds out the volume.

Section one focuses on the poetic and stylistic dimensions of Gerson's work. The essays herein explore questions such as how "figures" and the imaginative faculty drive Gerson's production and encourage contemplation as an avenue for understanding God, and how matière relates to both theological content and rhetorical orientation, and is adapted to context and audience. Other articles look at questions of knowledge, belief, and affect, arguing for instance that for Gerson scripture is rhetorical not logical, so though always true it's not propositionally verifiable and needs to be read as a whole, constantly and collectively interpreted in order to approach reliable (never certain) understanding. A study of the Josephina likewise addresses the question of certainty, demonstrating that the chancellor eschews the possibility of certitude to focus instead on "pious belief" which escapes the binary logic of true/false. A concluding essay studies the metrical forms of Gerson's Latin poetry and considers his relationship to the classical and early medieval poetic tradition. Gerson, clearly invested in form, uses a wide variety of meters which elevates the theological heft of his poetry.

The volume's second section takes up Gerson's devotional works, in particular as they intersect with music theory, liturgical practice, and prayer; the role of affect provides a through-line through this section, as it does through many of Gerson's texts. What prior texts and authors was Gerson reading, and how did they inform his writing of prayers and sermons? The liturgy forms the foundation of Gerson's religious experience and practice, while his production (in French and Latin) combines theological content with lyricism and drama to shape affect. One essay traces the history of compassion as it was understood throughout the Middle Ages and in relation to related concepts like pietas and miséricorde, before following the concept through Gerson's work, where it operates as a coordinating affect, like the conductor in the orchestra of the four principal passions, while another focuses on how musical theory and (to some degree) practice shape Gerson's thinking. Gerson adopted the metaphor of the musical scale to conceptualize a "polyphonic" and mobile affect that is intimate and lived.

In Section three authors address Gerson's activity on the political and the theological fronts. Gerson develops the concept of premeditated murder, a new category of crime, which foregrounds the importance of proof and motive, as well as a consideration of context. Another essay shows the strategic ways in which Gerson taps into crusade ideology, images, figures, rhetorical traditions, and prestige in an effort to direct nobles' attention and efforts towards other purposes: ending schism and the civil war. A pair of essays discuss Gerson's theological influence and innovation, for example his significance in the development of moral (i.e., practical or applied) theology, and his late-career understanding of mystical experience, which does not distinguish it absolutely from scholastic theology, but constitutes rather the crowning of a theologal existence. In this manner Gerson is able to posit continuity rather than rupture between the exercise of theology and mystical experience. Gerson's thought was diffused among a lay audience well before the Council of Constance, notably by Christine de Pizan.

Section four is the most heterogeneous section; its essays explore Gerson's reception in rights discourse and theory (to be understood in the context of moral theology), in the œuvre of Rabelais, in the development of (especially early) Jesuit thought, and in relation to conciliar theory. In the case of Rabelais, Gerson's ideas are sometimes mocked, but his formal inventiveness remains relevant. With respect to the Jesuits one can observe points of clear connection and continuity, places of transformation or adaptation, and also areas of difference. Gerson's conciliar thought develops in three distinct historico-political and ecclesiastical contexts, but the version of his thought that was most often exploited and appropriated by later authors was Gerson's later conciliarism, which posits the council as a counter-force to the papacy.

Section five takes up the challenges faced by the editors of a new Opera omnia as they grapple with a complex manuscript tradition. One essay looks at the visual depictions of Gerson in 11 manuscripts of the 15th century, grouping them chronologically and spatially. Gerson is depicted as a pilgrim, a spiritual guide, and an author. The other contributors confront the thorny problems of attribution and chronology. With regard to the former, authors point to the problems created by false attributions in modern scholarship and caution against overconfidence (a very Gersonian remark!), encouraging a return to sources in an effort to confirm or contest attribution and offering a model of such scholarship. The final essay undertakes a study of all known manuscripts of the list of Gerson's works produced by his brother Jean the Celestine and creates a critical edition of the list, provided here for scholarly use.

The volume as a whole reveals the degree to which Gerson functions as a pivotal figure between traditional and emergent thought, textual traditions, and literary forms. His robust engagement with classical sources and models marks him as an important author in early humanism, as does his revival of classical forms, while the originality of his thought situates him at the forefront of new fields, institutions, and bodies of thought.

As the volume makes abundantly clear, there remains much exciting work to be done in the field of Gerson studies, and the editor and contributors included herein offer multiple paths for future scholarship. Most of the contributions are best suited to specialists, as essays generally assume a medieval studies background. Such readers will find much to appreciate. The contributions are of very high quality overall, and advance original research questions and agendas rather than re-treading familiar territory. Some essays are disciplinary-specific and quite technical but remain accessible to those outside of the discipline in question.