Editing Alger of Liège

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'''Alger of Liège''' (1055–1131), known also as Alger of Cluny and Algerus Magister, was a learned [[clergyman]] and canonist from [[Liège]], author of several notable works.

Alger was first [[deacon]] and [[scholaster]] of [[St Bartholomew's Church, Liège|church of St Bartholomew]] in his native [[Liège]] and was then appointed ({{circa|1100}}) as a canon in [[St. Lambert's Cathedral, Liège|St. Lambert's Cathedral]]. Moreover, he acted as the personal secretary of bishop [[Otbert of Liège|Otbert]] from 1103.<ref name = "DeJong">F.P.C. De Jong, "A Comparative Study of Schoolmasters in Eleventh Century Normandy and the Southern Low Countries", Ph.D. thesis, 2018</ref> He declined offers from German bishops and finally retired to the monastery of [[Cluny]] after 1121, where he died at a high age, leaving behind a solid reputation for piety and intelligence.<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Alger of Liége|volume=1|page=642}} This cites:
* [[Jacques Paul Migne|Migne]], ''[[Patrologia Latina|Patrol Ser. Lat.]]'' vol. clxxx. pp. 739–972
* [[Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge|Herzog-Hauck, ''Realencyk. für prot. Theol.'']], art, by S. M. Deutsch.</ref>

He played a leading role in the trial of [[Rupert of Deutz]] in 1116.<ref name ="DeJong"  />

His ''History of the Church of Liège'', and many of his other works, are lost. The most important remaining are:
#''De Misericordia et Justitia'' (On Mercy and Justice), a collection of biblical extracts and sayings of Church Fathers with commentary (an important work for the history of church law and discipline), which is to be found in the ''Anecdota'' of [[Edmond Martène|Martène]], vol. v.  This work has been suggested as influential on Gratian's  [[Decretum_Gratiani|Decretum]]  <ref>{{cite journal |last1=Falzone |first1=Emmanuël |title=Alger of Liège |journal=Great Christian Jurists in the Low Countries |date=30 September 2021 |pages=19–37 |doi=10.1017/9781108555388.002|isbn=978-1-108-55538-8 }}</ref>{{rp|33}}  
#''De Sacramentis Corporis et Sanguinis Domini''; a treatise, in three books, against the [[Berengar of Tours|Berengar]]ian heresy, highly commended by [[Peter of Cluny]] and [[Desiderius Erasmus|Erasmus]], who [[Erasmus#Patristic_and_classical_editions|published]] it in 1530. In this book, Alger also took on Rupert of Deutz' views on the Eucharist and predestination.<ref>John H. Van Engen, "Rupert of Deutz", University of California Press, 1983,  pp. 163,169</ref>
#''De Gratia et Libero Arbitrio''; given in Bernard Pez's ''Anecdota'', vol. iv.
#''De Sacrificio Missae''; given in the ''Collectio Scriptor. Vet.'' of [[Angelo Mai]], vol. ix. p.&nbsp;371.<ref name="EB1911"/>
#''De dignitate ecclesie Leodiensis'', which established the reciprocal obligations of the primary and secondary churches; inserted in the Liber officiorum ecclesie Leodiensis (1323).<ref>J.L.Kupper "Liège et l'église impériale XIe-XIIe siècles",1981. Pp. 329-330</ref>

A biography was written by Nicholas of Liège: De Algero veterum testimonia.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01310c.htm |title=Alger of Liège |encyclopedia=Catholic Encyclopedia |access-date=8 April 2015}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alger of Liege}}
[[Category:12th-century Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:1055 births]]
[[Category:1131 deaths]]
[[Category:11th-century Roman Catholic priests]]
[[Category:Clergy from the Prince-Bishopric of Liège]]
[[Category:Clergy from Liège]]