Herbert of Bosham's 'Liber melorum': Literature and sacred sciences in the twelfth century

Herbert of Bosham (1120?--1193?), one of the closest advisors of Thomas Becket throughout his career as archbishop, is well known to historians of the life and times of the archbishop. His version of the events of Thomas Becket's life, the Historia Thomae, is cited hundreds of times in the sizable body of modern historiography of his master Thomas Becket. Modern historians, however, have generally treated the corpus of hagiography of Thomas Becket by whittling it down to a concordance of events in the life of the archbishop and using this concordance as a frame to which historical, political and character-based observations can be added. This thesis examines some of the details of Herbert's writings, especially the Liber melorum , to contribute to the ongoing study of the literary and intellectual traditions of the twelfth century. Chapter One reviews what is known about the life and times of Herbert of Bosham. The second chapter treats some of the literary issues in the Historia Thomae, demonstrating the relationship of Herbert's narrative style and rhetorical ornament to his theological preoccupations. The third chapter continues in the literary vein with an examination of the musical allegory that serves as the framework for the Liber melorum. Chapter Four poses the question of the hagiographical flavor of Herbert's writing by discussing the role of three topics: the miracle, the dream, and parallelisms to the events of the Gospels. Chapter Five is dedicated to discussing contemplation and symbols in Herbert's writing. The remaining three chapters focus on the theological issues that Herbert treats in the Liber melorum. The sixth chapter outlines Herbert's discussion of what he calls the unity of nature. Under this heading, Herbert fits in a series of proofs of the existence of God and a discussion of the theory of contemplation. In Chapter Seven, I discuss the relationship between Herbert's Liber melorum and Hugh of St. Victor's Commentary on the Celestial Hierarchy. Chapter Eight reviews Herbert's discussion of spiritual history, especially the redemption, and Herbert's treatment of his principal subject, the union of the saints with God in the next world.