PETER CANTORE (PETRUS CANTORE). – Theologian and preacher, born in the first half of the 12th century, died at Longpont on 22 September 1197. He was a master at Paris from 1171, cantor of the Chapter (cantor Parisiensis) from 1184, and in 1191 was elected bishop of Tournai; however, his appointment was contested as irregular due to opposition from the metropolitan, William of Champagne, archbishop of Reims. In 1196 he was elected bishop of Paris but declined; instead, he accepted the offer of the deanery of Reims made by William of Champagne, and it was on the journey to Reims that he fell ill at the abbey of Longpont, where he died after taking the Cistercian habit.
He wrote important works: *Verbum abbreviatum*, also called *Viaticum tendentis in Jerusalem*, and *Summa de vitiis et virtutibus* (PL 205, 21-55); a kind of examination of conscience for ecclesiastics, with a valuable treatment of penitential matters and a brief mention of the Novissima; *Summa de Sacramentis et animae consiliis* (two versions: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, lat. 9593 and 14521; Troyes, Bibliothèque, 276); in the 14th-century redaction, the work comprises two books, the first devoted to the dogmatic and moral doctrine of the Sacraments, the second to casuistry on various topics (vows, simony, marriage, baptism, Eucharist); *Summa Abel* (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, lat. 455; 613 etc.), an extensive alphabetical dictionary beginning with the word *Abel* (whence its name), containing 1,250 *distinctiones* on theological and liturgical topics; the work enjoyed great popularity (some passages are scattered in the form of glosses in the presumed *Clavis Melitonis*, ed. G. B. Pitra, *Spicilegium Solemense*, III, Paris 1858, pp. 1-276); *De tropis loquendi* or *De tropis theologicis* (Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, lat. 1455), also called *De contrarietatibus Scripturae*, as it constitutes a genuine attempt to resolve biblical antinomies; *Glossae super unum ex quatuor*: a harmony of the four Gospels; he also wrote brief glosses on the Acts, the Pauline and Catholic epistles, the Apocalypse, and various books of the Old Testament (the latter of doubtful authenticity).
P. C. was also an eloquent preacher, who inspired the celebrated Fulk of Neuilly, though almost none of his sermons survive. All his output is governed by practical concerns, and thus his style is simple, suited to the needs of his audience; his erudition is extensive but used sparingly, and his exegesis avoids both triumphalism and superfluous questions.