ABOUT THIS TRANSLATION

The first three books of this translation are a reproduction, with the minimum necessary adjustments, of the work by Dr. I.P. Sheldon-Williams in the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies' edition of the Periphyseon (which is still in the process of completion), for which due gratitude to the Institute is hereby expressed. To this has been added the publication of a draft translation of the remaining two books, exactly as edited by H.J. Floss in Migne's Patrologia Latina 122 A massive collection of the writings of the Latin Church Fathers.. These were prepared by Sheldon-Williams and considerably revised by me. They were not, however, revised to the extent of eliminating the unusual elements of style and structure that indicate Sheldon-Williams' close and conscious affinity with Eriugena, as I wanted to maintain a desirable continuity. The marginalia marginal notes for books 4 and 5 are taken from MS Bamberg H.J.IV 6, as reproduced by M. Cappuyns in Jean Scot Érigène 207-13. The numbers and letters in the margins refer to the columns and sections of P.L. 122; the numbers (only) refer to the sequence of chapters there. The terms (N)utritor Nourisher and (A)lumnus Pupil correspond to Master and Disciple. For all references, including Biblical, notes, and some help with the use of brackets (especially in the early books), the reader is referred to the Dublin Institute's edition when it is available. I gratefully acknowledge Dumbarton Oaks, Washington D.C., for a generous grant toward this publication; the Royal Irish Academy, which generously supports the study of Eriugena; Miss Mary Brennan, Archivist of the Centre for Eriugenian Studies at University College, Dublin, for her practical help; and Professor G.H. Allard of the Institut d'Études Médiévales, Montreal, and President of the Society for the Promotion of Eriugenian Studies, to whose good offices this volume is particularly indebted.

John J. O'MEARA