The Bollandist dossier on St. Albert of Jerusalem

"Daniel Papenbroeck's commentary on St Albert of Jerusalem (1675) is probably the most controversial work that has been published on the origins of the Carmelites. Demonstrating the lack of any historical evidence to support the existence of the Carmelites before the final decades of the twelfth century and questioning the claim that the Old Testament prophet, Elijah, has been their founder, Papenbroeck recognised St Albert of Jerusalem (c. I 150-1214) Formula of Life (c. 1206-14) as the earliest extant document of the group that would later become known as the Carmelites. Although the commentary was praised by those who reviewed it prior to publication, it led to a controversy between the Bollandists and the Carmelites that resulted in the formal excommunication of its author and the placing of the work on the index of forbidden books. In time, however the lack of historical evidence highlighted by Papenbroeck could not be ignored and the alleged Carmelite Saints of the first millennium were eventually dropped from the Carmelite calendar of Saints. The key role of St Albert of Jerusalem in the origins of the Carmelites has now been almost universally recognised. Papenbroeck's Latin text has not been translated before and the introduction and notes accompanying this translation are designed to provide the necessary context and background for the modern reader. For centuries, Papenbroeck was both the most significant and most neglected study of the origins of the Carmelites and it remains essential reading for those seeking to discover the authentic sources of the Carmelite charism."--Back cover.