 The dates of composition and even the number of Abelard’s writings remain largely obscure and a matter of controversy among scholars. One reason for this is that Abelard constantly revised and rewrote, so that several distinct versions of a given work might be in circulation; another reason is that several of his writings might represent ‘teaching notes’ constantly evolving in courses and seminars. Hence it is not clear that ‘date of composition’ is a well-defined notion when applied to the body of Abelard’s work that we now possess. Apart from Abelard’s correspondence, which can be dated with relative precision, Abelard’s extant work falls into three categories.