Louis-Jacques Bataillon, O.P.

It is with great sorrow that we have learned of the death, on 13 February 2009, of Père Louis-Jacques Bataillon, O.P.; he was 94 years old. His funeral will take place on 17 February 2009, at the church of the Convent of Saint-Jacques, 20 rue des Tanneries, 75013 Paris; he will then be buried at Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris.

 A longtime member of the Leonine Commission, Père Bataillon founded, with Gloria Cigman, the International Medieval Sermon Studies Society. Père Bataillon was quite simply, for all of us working on medieval sermons, a beacon of wisdom, knowledge and kindness. Many of us had the privilege of learning from him, whether directly at our Society's symposia, at his residences (in Grottaferrata, then Paris); in the reading room of a manuscript library; or through his publications.

 Here are some of Père Bataillon's important publications, in addition to his regular "Bulletin d'histoire des doctrines médiévales" in the Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques:

 “Un sermon de saint Thomas d’Aquin sur la parabole du festin,” Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques 58 (1974) 451-56.

 "Approaches to the Study of Medieval Sermons," Leeds Studies in English 11 (1980) 19-35.

 “Le sermon inédit de saint Thomas, Homo quidam fecit cenam magnam: Introduction et édition,” Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques 67 (1983) 353-68.

 "Similitudines et exempla dans les sermons du XIIIe siècle," in The Bible in the Medieval World: Essays in Memory of Beryl Smalley, ed. K. Walsh & D. Wood, Studies in Church History, Subsidia 4 (Oxford, 1985) 191-205.

 "Les sermons attribués à saint Thomas: Questions d’authenticité,” in Thomas von Aquin, ed. Albert Zimmermann, Miscellanea Mediaevalia 19 (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1988) 325-41.

 "Sermons rédigés, sermons réportés (XIIIe siècle)," Medioevo e Rinascimento 3 (1989) 69-86.

 "Early Scholastic and Mendicant Preaching as Exegesis of Scripture," in Ad Litteram. Authoritative Texts and Their Medieval Readers, ed. Mark D. Jordan & Kent Emery Jr. (Notre Dame-London, 1992) 165-198.

 La prédication au XIIIe siècle en France et Italie: études et documents, ed. David d'Avray and Nicole Bériou  (Variorum, 1993).

 "Sermoni e orazioni d’ambiente universitario parigino nel sec. XIII," Documenti e studi sulla tradizione filosofica medievale 5 (1994) 297-329.

 “Béatitudes et types de sainteté,” Revue Mabillon 7 (1996) 79-104.

 "L’activité intellectuelle des Dominicains de la première génération," in Lector et Compilator. Vincent de Beauvais, frère prêcheur: Un intellectuel et son milieu au XIIIe siècle, ed. Serge Lusignan et Monique Paulmier-Foucart (Éditions Créaphis, Grâne, 1997) 9-19.

 "Les sermons du franciscain Bindo da Siena pour les dimanches," Archivum Franciscanum Historicum 92 (1999) 95-116.

 "Chronique de doctrines médiévales: Étude et prédication," Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques 84 (2000) 357-366.

 "Compléments au Repertorium de Schneyer: I," Medieval Sermon Studies 44 (2000) 15-36.

 "Compléments au Repertorium de Schneyer: II," Medieval Sermon Studies 45 (2001) 11-39.

 Here is a brief video of a presentation by Père Bataillon, "L'exemplum biblique existe-t-il?"

http://www.archivesaudiovisuelles.fr/FR/_video.asp?id=423&ress=1415&video=97058&format=68#0

The Society will surely commemorate, in a more concrete fashion, Père Bataillon’s invaluable contributions to medieval sermon studies. In the meantime, let us each think of him and be grateful for the profound and positive influence he had on our research, and on many of our lives.

 Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,

And let perpetual light shine upon him.