William Perault
Encyclopedia
William Perault, also spelled Perauld; Latinized Peraldus or Peraltus, was a Dominican writer and preacher.
He was born at Perault, France
. He studied at the Sorbonne University of Paris, and there, being drawn to the religious life by the preaching perhaps of Jordan of Saxony, he was received into the Dominican Order
.
It is thought that Perault was somewhat advanced in years when he embraced the religious state, although the precise date of his entrance into it is also unknown. He entered the order at Paris
, but was destined, according to a custom then existing, for the convent at Lyon
s. At Lyons, where he passed his life, at once contemplative and active, he rendered service to the Church by the brilliancy of his writings and preaching and by the charm and splendour of his virtues.
His part in ecclesiastical affairs was for a time also very important. For fully ten years he performed all the episcopal functions of the Church of Lyons, having been chosen for this work during the vacancy of the see
by Philip I, Count of Savoy who, although not in Holy orders, bore the title of Archbishop of Lyon from 1245 to 1267. Because of Perault's long labours in ministering to the needs of the diocese
, he himself came to be known as the Bishop or Archbishop of Lyon. This error was further emphasized by the title of bishop which a later hand added to many of his writings. Authors such as Gerson
, Père Alexandre, Jacques Échard
, and Hurter
say that William Perault was never Archbishop of Lyons, as the Gallia christiana
asserts, Dupin
is not justified in saying that he was never more than a religious of the Order of Preachers (cf. Antoine Touron
, Hist. des hommes illust., 1, l.2, 184).
Known and reverenced far and wide for singular gifts of nature and grace, he was a man truly powerful in word and work-well deserving the triple title given him by all, of monk, doctor, and apostle. He died at Lyons.
He was born at Perault, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He studied at the Sorbonne University of Paris, and there, being drawn to the religious life by the preaching perhaps of Jordan of Saxony, he was received into the Dominican Order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
.
It is thought that Perault was somewhat advanced in years when he embraced the religious state, although the precise date of his entrance into it is also unknown. He entered the order at Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, but was destined, according to a custom then existing, for the convent at Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
s. At Lyons, where he passed his life, at once contemplative and active, he rendered service to the Church by the brilliancy of his writings and preaching and by the charm and splendour of his virtues.
His part in ecclesiastical affairs was for a time also very important. For fully ten years he performed all the episcopal functions of the Church of Lyons, having been chosen for this work during the vacancy of the see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
by Philip I, Count of Savoy who, although not in Holy orders, bore the title of Archbishop of Lyon from 1245 to 1267. Because of Perault's long labours in ministering to the needs of the diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
, he himself came to be known as the Bishop or Archbishop of Lyon. This error was further emphasized by the title of bishop which a later hand added to many of his writings. Authors such as Gerson
Gerson
Gerson may refer to:*Gérson or Gérson de Oliveira Nunes , Brazilian football player*Dora Gerson , German Jewish actress and cabaret singer killed at Auschwitz...
, Père Alexandre, Jacques Échard
Jacques Échard
Jacques Échard was a French Dominican and historian of the order.As the son of a wealthy official of the king he received a thorough classical and secular education. He entered the Dominican Order at Paris and distinguished himself for his assiduity in study...
, and Hurter
Hurter
The von Hurter family belonged to the Swiss nobility; in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries three of them were known for their conversions to Roman Catholicism, their ecclesiastical careers in Austria and their theological writings.- Life :...
say that William Perault was never Archbishop of Lyons, as the Gallia christiana
Gallia Christiana
The Gallia Christiana, a type of work of which there have been several editions, is a documentary catalogue or list, with brief historical notices, of all the Catholic dioceses and abbeys of France from the earliest times, also of their occupants....
asserts, Dupin
Dupin
Dupin may refer to:* André Marie Jean Jacques Dupin , French advocate* C. Auguste Dupin, a fictional detective* Charles Dupin , French Catholic mathematician* Jacques Dupin , French poet...
is not justified in saying that he was never more than a religious of the Order of Preachers (cf. Antoine Touron
Antoine Touron
Antoine Touron was a French Dominican biographer and historian.He was born at Graulhet, Tarn, France, the son of a merchant, and seems to have joined the Dominicans at an early age...
, Hist. des hommes illust., 1, l.2, 184).
Known and reverenced far and wide for singular gifts of nature and grace, he was a man truly powerful in word and work-well deserving the triple title given him by all, of monk, doctor, and apostle. He died at Lyons.
Writings
His most important works are:- Summa de virtutibus et vitiis (Cologne, 1497, 1618, 1629; Venice, 1492, 1497; Rome, 1557; Lyons, 1668)
- Sermones de tempore et de sanctis, which appeared under the name of William III of Paris (Paris, 1494; Cologne, 1629)
- De eruditione seu de institutione religiosorum (Paris, 1512; Louvain, 1575; Lyons, 1585)
- De regimine principum, which, as in the Roman edition of 1570, was attributed to Saint Thomas AquinasThomas AquinasThomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
and of which, in fact, St. Thomas wrote a part: "Speculum religiosorum seu institutionum vitae spiritualis", which appeared under the name of Humbert de RomansHumbert de RomansHumbert of Romans was the fifth Master general of the Dominican Order from 1254 to 1263.-Early career:...
, Master-General of the Order of Preachers.