Raoul De Flaix

Raoul de Flaix a French monastic, flourished near the middle of the 12th century. It is difficult to enumerate definitely his works. He is undoubtedly the author of Commentaire sur le Levitique (Cologne, 1536, fol.). The authors of the Literary History of France claim for him a discourse abridged from the Work of Six Days, which is found in a manuscript in the King's Library, No. 647; also a Commentary on the Proverbs, of which they mention a copy at Cambridge in the library of Pembroke College; and a Commentary on the Epistles of St. Paul. They add that Raoul de Flaix commented on Nahum and the Apocalypse. These glossaries on Nahum and the Apocalypse exist, in fact, under the name of Master Raoul (Magistri Radulfi), in a volume of Clairvaux, which is numbered at present 227 in the library of Troyes. But this is a mistake into which Lelong led the authors of the Literary History. A commentary on the Song of Songs, published in some ancient editions of Gregory the Great, had been attributed to Raoul de Flaix. Lelong and Mabillon having proved that this work is by Robert de Tombelaine, abbey of St. Vign de Bayeux, the authors of the Literary History have thought it necessary, in consequence, to strike the Canticle of Canticles from the list of sacred books annotated by our Raoul. But in that they appear to be mistaken. In fact, the volume of Clairvaux which is to- day preserved in the library of Troyes offers us, besides the glossaries on the Apocalypse and Nahum, glossaries on the Canticles entirely different from those which have been published under the name of Gregory and restored to the abbot Robert. Sanders mentions also, among the works of Raoul de Flaix, a theological summary — Summa Radulfi Flaviacensis — and a treatise, De Amore Carnis et Odio Carnis — works of which we have no other account. — Hoefer. Nouv. Biog. Generale, s.v.