John Lutterell
Encyclopedia
John Lutterell was an Oxford University theologian who came to Avignon
in 1323. He hoped to advance his career at the papal court
. He carried with him a booklet of 56 errors taken from a commentary on the Sentences
of Peter Lombard
by William of Ockham
. Lutterell presented this to Pope John XXII
. Lutterell may have been given the task of compiling a report on Ockham's views.
Lutterell believed that a reality (God's essence) can have rational differences (ideas). Opposing Ockham, he argued that these ideas cannot be created things. Instead these ideas are eternal and immutable, but creatures are not.
Ockham was questioned by Lutterell and five other theologians. They found difficulties with the young friar's ideas. He was not condemned formally but was forced to remain in Avignon under a type of house arrest.
Lutterell had been so disliked by the regent masters at Oxford that he was expelled as chancellor there. Even though he was a doctor of theology, he demonstrated a poor understanding of Ockham's ideas. As a result the papal commission appointed to examine Ockham was forced to revise the list of 56 errors prior to beginning its own inquiry.
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
in 1323. He hoped to advance his career at the papal court
Papal court
The Papal Household or Pontifical Household , called until 1968 the Papal Court , consists of dignitaries who assist the Pope in carrying out particular ceremonies of either a religious or a civil character....
. He carried with him a booklet of 56 errors taken from a commentary on the Sentences
Sentences
The Four Books of Sentences is a book of theology written by Peter Lombard in the twelfth century. It is a systematic compilation of theology, written around 1150; it derives its name from the sententiae or authoritative statements on biblical passages that it gathered together.-Origin and...
of Peter Lombard
Peter Lombard
Peter Lombard was a scholastic theologian and bishop and author of Four Books of Sentences, which became the standard textbook of theology, for which he is also known as Magister Sententiarum-Biography:Peter Lombard was born in Lumellogno , in...
by William of Ockham
William of Ockham
William of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar and scholastic philosopher, who is believed to have been born in Ockham, a small village in Surrey. He is considered to be one of the major figures of medieval thought and was at the centre of the major intellectual and political controversies of...
. Lutterell presented this to Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII
Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...
. Lutterell may have been given the task of compiling a report on Ockham's views.
Lutterell believed that a reality (God's essence) can have rational differences (ideas). Opposing Ockham, he argued that these ideas cannot be created things. Instead these ideas are eternal and immutable, but creatures are not.
Ockham was questioned by Lutterell and five other theologians. They found difficulties with the young friar's ideas. He was not condemned formally but was forced to remain in Avignon under a type of house arrest.
Lutterell had been so disliked by the regent masters at Oxford that he was expelled as chancellor there. Even though he was a doctor of theology, he demonstrated a poor understanding of Ockham's ideas. As a result the papal commission appointed to examine Ockham was forced to revise the list of 56 errors prior to beginning its own inquiry.