Petrus Aureolus
Encyclopedia
Petrus Aureolus was a scholastic philosopher
and theologian. We know little of his life before 1312. After this time, he taught at the Franciscan
convent in Bologna
, then at the convent in Toulouse
, around 1314. He went to Paris in 1316 in order to qualify for his doctorate, where he read the Sentences
. In 1318 he was appointed master of theology at the University of Paris
. In 1321, he was appointed by his mentor, Pope John XXII
, to the position of Archbishop of Aix-en-Provence
, but died not long after in 1322.
and conventuals
. He is best known for the enormous Scriptum super primum Sententiarum, his commentary on the Sentences
of Peter Lombard
, which runs to more than 1100 folio pages and was eventually printed in Rome
in 1596. He also wrote Tractatus de principiis, a non-theological work, while he was lector at the Franciscan convent in Bologna
some time before 1312, and some treatises on the Immaculate Conception
at the Franciscan convent in Toulouse
.
Auriol was at first a Scotist. Later, he arrived at a position closer to that of the nominalist Durandus
. He denied the reality of universals, the existence of species and of the active intellect, the distinction between essence and existence, and the distinction between the soul and its faculties. These doctrines are considered by some to have prepared the way for the conceptualism
of Ockham
. Ockham was certainly aware of Auriol's work.
His ability earned for him the titles of Doctor Facundus and Doctor Abundans.
Scholasticism
Scholasticism is a method of critical thought which dominated teaching by the academics of medieval universities in Europe from about 1100–1500, and a program of employing that method in articulating and defending orthodoxy in an increasingly pluralistic context...
and theologian. We know little of his life before 1312. After this time, he taught at the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
convent in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, then at the convent in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, around 1314. He went to Paris in 1316 in order to qualify for his doctorate, where he read 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...
. In 1318 he was appointed master of theology at the University of Paris
University of Paris
The University of Paris was a university located in Paris, France and one of the earliest to be established in Europe. It was founded in the mid 12th century, and officially recognized as a university probably between 1160 and 1250...
. In 1321, he was appointed by his mentor, 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...
, to the position of Archbishop of Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, but died not long after in 1322.
Works and doctrine
Auriol's first work was on evangelical poverty, where he argued for a moderate position between those of the spiritualsFraticelli
The Fraticelli, sometimes confusingly called Fratricelli, were medieval Roman Catholic groups that could trace their origins to the Franciscans, but which came into being as a separate entity. The Fraticelli were declared heretical by the Church in 1296 by Boniface VIII...
and conventuals
Conventual Franciscans
The Order of Friars Minor Conventual , commonly known as the Conventual Franciscans, is a branch of the order of Catholic Friars founded by Francis of Assisi in 1209.-History:...
. He is best known for the enormous Scriptum super primum Sententiarum, his 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...
, which runs to more than 1100 folio pages and was eventually printed in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1596. He also wrote Tractatus de principiis, a non-theological work, while he was lector at the Franciscan convent in Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
some time before 1312, and some treatises on the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception
The Immaculate Conception of Mary is a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, according to which the Virgin Mary was conceived without any stain of original sin. It is one of the four dogmata in Roman Catholic Mariology...
at the Franciscan convent in Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Auriol was at first a Scotist. Later, he arrived at a position closer to that of the nominalist Durandus
Durandus of Saint-Pourçain
Durandus of Saint-Pourçain , was a French philosopher and theologian.He was born at Saint-Pourçain, Auvergne, and entered the Dominican Order at Clermont, and obtained the doctoral degree at Paris in 1313...
. He denied the reality of universals, the existence of species and of the active intellect, the distinction between essence and existence, and the distinction between the soul and its faculties. These doctrines are considered by some to have prepared the way for the conceptualism
Conceptualism
Conceptualism is a philosophical theory that explains universality of particulars as conceptualized frameworks situated within the thinking mind. Intermediate between Nominalism and Realism, the conceptualist view approaches the metaphysical concept of universals from a perspective that denies...
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...
. Ockham was certainly aware of Auriol's work.
His ability earned for him the titles of Doctor Facundus and Doctor Abundans.
Primary sources
- Quodlibeta, Rome (1596-1605)
- Commentariorum in primum librum Sententiarum pars prima et secunda, Rome 1596
- Commentariorum in secundum, tertium et quartum Sententiarum et Quodlibeti tomus secundus, Rome 1605
- Scriptum super primum Sententiarum: Distinction I, ed. E.M. Buytaert Franciscan Institute publications, Text series number 3, St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute 1952.
- Scriptum super primum Sententiarum: Distinctions II - VIII, ed. E.M. Buytaert Franciscan Institute publications, Text series number 3, St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute 1956.
- De unitate conceptus entis, ed. Stephen F. Brown, in Petrus Aureoli': De unitate conceptus entis (Reportatio Parisiensis in I Sententiarum, dist. 2. p. 1, qq. 1-3 et p. 2 qq 1-2), Traditio 50, pp 199–248.
Secondary sources
- Friedman, Russell (2002) "Peter Auriol", in The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
External links
- The Peter Auriol Homepage
- Peter Auriol in the Franciscan Authors catalogue
- Petrus Aureoli at the Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...