Giles of Rome (c.1243/7–1316)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Del punta ◽  
Cecilia Trifogli
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Natural Philosophy ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Medieval Philosophy ◽  
The Real ◽  
Substantial Form ◽  
Time And Motion ◽  
The University ◽  
Theological Thought ◽  
The Relationship

Giles of Rome was one of the most eminent theologians and commentators on the works of Aristotle at the University of Paris in the second half of the thirteenth century. He was probably a pupil of Thomas Aquinas, who exerted a deep influence on Giles’ metaphysical and theological thought. Giles’ reception of Aquinas’ positions, however, was often critical and original. For historians of medieval philosophy, Giles’ name is mainly associated with the doctrine of ‘the real distinction’ between essence (essentia) and existence (esse). According to this doctrine, essence and existence are two completely distinct things (res) of which the ontological structure of every created being is composed. On the issue of the relationship between essence and existence Giles took a firm position against his contemporary Henry of Ghent, who maintained that existence is a mere relation of the essence of a created being to its creator. Giles was also involved in the debate over the unity of the substantial form in composite substances, another burning issue in the thirteenth century. As a commentator on Aristotle’s works, Giles made original contributions to the tradition of Aristotelian natural philosophy, especially in his treatment of extension, place, time and motion in a vacuum.

Thirteenth-Century Engagements with Thomas Aquinas

2021 ◽  
pp. 21-37
Author(s):  
Corey L. Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Substantial Form ◽  
The Status ◽  
Henry Of Ghent ◽  
Siger Of Brabant ◽  
The Relationship

Before he gained the status of received authority, Thomas Aquinas influenced scholastic thought by shaping conversations around and by establishing approaches to specific topics. Scholastic thinkers engaged in these conversations and with these specific topics in various ways, both directly and indirectly. While the Correctoria controversy reflected direct engagements with Aquinas, whether critical or supportive, the majority of scholastic engagements with Thomas was more indirect. Typical examples can be found in the works of Giles of Rome, Siger of Brabant, Godfrey of Fontaines, and Henry of Ghent. Among other topics, these thinkers engaged with Thomas on the possibility of an eternal world, on the unicity of substantial form, and on the relationship between esse and essentia. Engagements with Aquinas were complicated by Stephen Tempier’s condemnations of 1277, which touched upon some Thomistic positions and more generally reframed scholastic approaches to philosophical speculations with theological bearings.

Twelfth-century Cosmography, theDe secretis philosophie, and Māshā'allāh (Attr. to),Liber de Orbe

Traditio ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 67 ◽  
pp. 235-276
Author(s):  
Barbara Obrist
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Natural Philosophy ◽  
Lunar Eclipse ◽  
Latin Text ◽  
Central Section ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The University ◽  
University Of Manchester ◽  
The Universe

TheLiber de orbe, attributed to Māshā'allāh (fl. 762–ca. 815) in the list of Gerard of Cremona's translations, stands out as one of the few identifiable sources for the indirect knowledge of Peripatetic physics and cosmology at the very time Aristotle's works on natural philosophy themselves were translated into Latin, from the 1130s onward. This physics is expounded in an opening series of chapters on the bodily constitution of the universe, while the central section of the treatise covers astronomical subjects, and the remaining parts deal with meteorology and the vegetal realm. Assuming that Gerard of Cremona's translation of theLiber de orbecorresponds to the twenty-seven chapter version that circulated especially during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, it was, however, not this version, but a forty-chapter expansion thereof that became influential as early as the 1140s. It may have originated in Spain, as indicated, among others, by a reference to the difference of visibility of a lunar eclipse between Spain and Mecca. Unlike the twenty-seven chapterLiber de orbe, this expanded and also partly modified text remains in manuscript, and none of the three copies known so far gives a title or mentions Māshā'allāh as an author. Instead, the thirteenth-century witness that is now in New York attributes the work to an Alcantarus:Explicit liber Alcantari Caldeorum philosophi. While no Arabic original of the twenty-seven chapterLiber de orbehas come to light yet, Taro Mimura of the University of Manchester recently identified a manuscript that partly corresponds to the forty-chapter Latin text, as well as a shorter version thereof.

The Reception of Thomas Aquinas by Neo-Scholastic Philosophers in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

2021 ◽  
pp. 375-391
Author(s):  
Bernard N. Schumacher
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Theory Of Knowledge ◽  
Medieval Philosophy ◽  
Historical Approach ◽  
Philosophical Reflection ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Arena ◽  
The University

Thomism at the beginning of the twentieth century was situated largely within the context of the secular university that regarded medieval thought as nothing more than an archaic system belonging to a period devoid of philosophical reflection. The renewal of Thomism during the first two decades of the twentieth century was of very little concern to most academics and was marked principally by a debate, often polemical, over the theory of knowledge launched by Blondel. The Thomists of the period between the two world wars wanted to bring Thomism to the university scene and into the public arena by addressing contemporary questions in terms provided by Thomas Aquinas, while affirming that philosophy gains in depth and strength when it is rooted in theology and faith. Gilson developed a historical approach of medieval philosophy and theology, while Maritain and Pieper proposed to rethink contemporary problems analytically according to the method of Thomas Aquinas.

Godfrey of Fontaines and the Real Distinction between Essence and Existence

Traditio ◽  
1964 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 385-410 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Wippel
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
The Real ◽  
Duns Scotus ◽  
History Of ◽  
Henry Of Ghent ◽  
Siger Of Brabant

If a definitive history of the controversy during the final decades of the thirteenth century regarding the real distinction between essence and existence still remains to be written, an exposition of the views expressed by Godfrey of Fontaines on this point may provide one more step in this direction. It seems probable that Godfrey had studied in Paris during Thomas' final years there (1269-1272) and that he may have studied under Henry of Ghent as well as under Siger of Brabant. He lectured as Master of theology at Paris for some thirteen years (1285-1297), and again around 1303-1304, when he composed his fifteenth Quodlibetal Question. Giles of Rome had also studied at Paris under Thomas (1269-1272) and served there as Bachelor in theology (1276-1277), and later as Master in theology (1285-1291). Henry of Ghent had taught at Paris around 1271 (apparently on the faculty of Arts) and later, beginning in 1276, on the faculty of Theology. Between 1276 and 1292 he delivered the courses which resulted in his Summa and in his Quaestiones Quodlibetales. Because Godfrey was familiar with the work of Thomas Aquinas (in Q[uodlibet] 2 q.3 one finds an almost verbatim reproduction of a section of Thomas' De aeternitate mundi), because he witnessed the famed debate on the real distinction between Henry of Ghent and Giles of Rome, and because his work was well known to Duns Scotus, clarification of his own position should be of historical interest. In addition, it is to be hoped that such a study will show that his views are distinctive enough to merit investigation for their own sake.

scholarly journals The Aristotelian Context of the Existence-Essence Distinction in De Ente Et Essentia

Metaphysica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-173
Author(s):  
Angus Brook
Keyword(s):  
Causal Explanation ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
The Real ◽  
Analogous Relation ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract This paper explores the Aristotelian context of the real distinction between existence and essence thought to be posited in Thomas Aquinas’ early work De Ente Et Essentia. In doing so, the paper situates its own position in the context of contemporary scholarship and in relation to the contemporary trend to downplay Aristotle’s influence in Thomas Aquinas’ philosophy. The paper argues that re-reading De Ente Et Essentia in this way sheds new light on some of the crucial debates in contemporary Thomist scholarship, particularly with respect to the analogous relation between potency and act: essence and existence, the distinction between conceptual and causal explanation, and the relationship between philosophy and theology in the thought of Thomas Aquinas.

Chaucer’s “Summoner’s Tale” and the Logic of Literature

Poetics Today ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-57
Author(s):  
R. D. Perry
Keyword(s):  
Natural Philosophy ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Logical Thinking ◽  
Medieval Philosophy ◽  
Medieval Logic ◽  
The Way

This essay discusses the fart joke that ends Geoffrey Chaucer’s “Summoner’s Tale.” It argues that the joke uses the language of medieval philosophy to satirize the work of medieval Scholastic philosophers. The essay begins by examining Chaucer’s relationship to philosophy more broadly and the scholarly controversies over Chaucer’s familiarity with this field of knowledge. It focuses on the way Chaucer uses disciplinary-specific jargon from philosophy, and from medieval logic more particularly, in “The Summoner’s Tale.” The language and content of the joke in “The Summoner’s Tale” are a burlesque play on the interests of the Merton Calculators, who used the logical thinking Scholasticism had developed in response to theological problems to investigate problems associated with natural philosophy. Chaucer’s joke reveals the way that the logical work of philosophers like Thomas Aquinas and the Merton Calculators relies on formal qualities more closely associated with literature, namely, character and narrative. In making a case that literature and logic rely on these same formal structures, Chaucer affirms literature’s capacity to present examples, concrete manifestations of philosophical or logical problems. He suggests that logic is attempting to make stories to work out problems, something that literature can do more effectively.

Peter of Auvergne (d. 1304)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Andrews
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Natural Philosophy ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Independent Synthesis ◽  
Henry Of Ghent

Peter of Auvergne, a thirteenth-century Parisian master, wrote extensively on logic, natural philosophy and theology. His thought progresses from modism in logic to an independent synthesis of Aristotelian philosophy along the lines begun by Thomas Aquinas, culminating in a theology reconciling the ideas of his teachers Henry of Ghent and Godfrey of Fontaines. His reputation has been based largely on his association with Aquinas, but recent investigations have shown the independence of his thought.

Catholic Studies Programs and Catholic Identity

2021 ◽  
pp. 217-230
Author(s):  
James L. Heft
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Thomas Aquinas ◽  
Second Vatican Council ◽  
Moral Formation ◽  
Credit Hours ◽  
Vatican Council ◽  
The University ◽  
Required Courses ◽  
Theology And Philosophy ◽  
Catholic Studies

After the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), the structure of required courses dramatically changed at most Catholic universities. Before the council, it was typical that all students, regardless of their major, were required to take at least eighteen credit hours (six courses) mainly in philosophy and some theology (mostly grounded in the thinking of the thirteenth-century theologian Thomas Aquinas). Once those requirements were dramatically reduced and what was then offered covered more than Christian religions, doubts began to spread among some faculty as to whether the university had lost its Catholic character. By the 1980s, Catholic studies programs began to be created that included more disciplines than theology and philosophy and typically also offered opportunities for the moral formation of students. Controversies erupted between faculty who questioned the academic legitimacy of these programs. This chapter provides an evaluation of the nature and academic legitimacy of these programs.

scholarly journals Estate Management and Inflation: The Honor of Gloucester, 1183–1263

2002 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Latimer
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
The Real ◽  
Price Increases ◽  
Valuable Study ◽  
Real Increase ◽  
Estate Management ◽  
The Relationship

Long ago, in an ambitious and valuable study, Sidney Painter sought to trace the progress of incomes from the estates of lay baronies between 1086 and 1350. While Painter suggested that some of the nominal growth in baronial incomes he found represented a real increase, especially before 1250, he was astute enough to realise that at least most of the nominal growth had probably arisen from price increases. Since Painter wrote, opinions about the success or otherwise of estate management in outpacing or at least matching rises in prices during the period of the “long thirteenth century” have differed considerably, from the decidedly optimistic to the somewhat pessimistic.This is certainly an important question. If the fortunes of landlords cannot tell us directly about the fortunes of peasants, they can, in conjunction with a view of the progress of the economy as a whole, throw some light on the relationship between the two groups. Dealing largely with the aggregates of the incomes of entire honours, as Painter did, is a pragmatic and useful approach. However, it does have the disadvantage of conflating two questions: the success or failure of a family or institution in preserving or increasing its estates, and their success or otherwise in preserving or increasing the real profits of individual holdings.

STEPHEN OF BESANÇON'S PRINCIPIUM IN AULA (1286): AN EPISTEMOLOGICAL APPROACH TO THE RELATION BETWEEN PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY

Traditio ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 76 ◽  
pp. 319-336
Author(s):  
ALEXANDER FIDORA
Keyword(s):  
Thirteenth Century ◽  
Dominican Order ◽  
Theological Discourse ◽  
Epistemological Status ◽  
History Of ◽  
University Of Paris ◽  
History Of Theology ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Considerable Detail

The inception speeches delivered by graduating masters of theology during the thirteenth century are of paramount interest for the study of the history of theology. Much like the introductions to philosophy written within the Faculty of Arts at Paris during the same period, the so-called principia articulated the image that theology entertained of itself at that time. Interestingly enough, some graduating masters took the opportunity to present a detailed discussion of the relation between philosophy and theology in an attempt to demonstrate the preeminence of the latter. Thus, they reflected not only upon the epistemological status of theology, but also — and sometimes in considerable detail — upon that of the secular sciences. One very eloquent example of such a comparative inception speech is the principium by Stephen of Bensançon (1286), who later became Master General of the Dominican Order. In this article, I focus on Stephen's discussion of the relationship between philosophy and theology, and show that the epistemological criteria he applied to both were drawn directly from one of the most important introductions to philosophy of the thirteenth century, that is, Robert Kilwardby's De ortu scientiarum. Stephen's case yields further evidence, therefore, of the interconnectedness of both genres, that is, philosophical introductions and theological inception speeches, and confirms the productive intellectual exchanges between philosophical and theological discourse at the University of Paris during the thirteenth century.

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