The Letters Of Abelard And Heloise

Throughout the work, the Holy Trinity comes to symbolize Abelard’s work and struggles as a theologian. Before gaining notoriety himself, Abelard was actually taught by a logician who was condemned for heresy concerning the Trinity, so this is an ever-present subject in Abelard’s life that follows him to his death.

In the early 12th century, Abelard devotes much of his time to debates about the Trinity and publishes a work on the subject, which is soon burned and condemned as heretical. To him, this is a catastrophic event, and he feels unjustly persecuted for his theological ideas. Meanwhile, Abelard establishes an oratory and dedicates and names it in honor of the Trinity, drawing criticism. Two decades after the burning of his book, he is accused of heresy regarding the Trinity yet again and is condemned by Pope Innocent II. He writes that “logic has made me hated by the world,” referring to the accusation that he had heretically applied logic to understanding the Trinity (211).

Abelard strongly rejects the accusation of heresy and maintains to the very end that he did nothing contrary to the Catholic faith: “I believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; the true God who is one in nature; who comprises the Trinity of persons in such a way as to preserve Unity in substance (211).