What was the purpose of Peter Abelard’s Sic et non?

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Peter Abelard Peter Abelard, with Héloïse, miniature portrait by Jean de Meun, 14th century; in the Musee Conde, Chantilly, France.

Peter Abelard’s Sic et non (1115–17), which translates to "Yes and No," was a compilation of quotations from the Bible and the Church Fathers that appeared to represent inconsistencies in Christian teaching.1

The purpose of the work was to serve as a tool for theological inquiry. As a logician, Abelard intended for students to use the text to reconcile these apparent contradictions. In the preface, he formulated basic rules to help scholars analyze these conflicting statements, allowing them to distinguish the various senses in which words had been used over the centuries to reach a correct solution. By citing authoritative sources on both sides of theological questions, Abelard pioneered a dialectical method that significantly contributed to the development of Scholasticism.12