French Literature Reviews - 2026

Y. Delègue, Théologie et poésie ou la parole de vérité.
Medieval and Renaissance Studies

Yves Delègue, THÉOLOGIE ET POÉSIE OU LA PAROLE DE VÉRITÉ. The Dispute between Jacques Locher and Jacques Wimpheling (1500-1510)

Paris, Honoré Champion, "Études, Essais sur la Renaissance" series, 2008.

EAN: 9782745315274

45 €

Publisher's overview:

During the first decade of the 16th century, a fierce intellectual dispute stirred the minds of the educated elite: the clash between Jacques Wimpheling, the revered "præceptor Germaniæ," and Jacques Locher, the young and fiery "poeta coronatus," professor of poetry at Ingolstadt. This volume brings together a selection of the texts born from this controversy. It deserves to be remembered, as it marked an early ideological split within Humanism. The profound upheaval of the Reformation that soon followed can be partially understood in light of the stakes at the heart of this debate: What is the nature of truth? Through which language does it express itself—the scholastic language of concepts, or the poetic language of the heart? Today, this question remains as relevant as ever.

The intellectual climate of the early 16th century was defined by a tension between traditional scholasticism and the emerging humanist movement. This period saw scholars grappling with the authority of classical texts and the role of rhetoric in theological discourse. The debate between Jacques Wimpheling and Jacques Locher reflects a broader European shift in how intellectuals approached the relationship between human expression and divine truth. This controversy marked an early ideological split within Humanism, highlighting the period's preoccupation with the nature of truth and the limits of language.

Théologie et poésie ou la parole de vérité brings together a selection of texts from the dispute between Jacques Wimpheling and Jacques Locher. The volume documents the disagreement over whether truth is best articulated through scholastic language or poetic language. It highlights the challenge of reconciling classical literary forms with Christian doctrine. Readers interested in the history of Renaissance intellectual debates may find this collection of primary sources relevant.