Walter of Bruges
Encyclopedia
Walter of Bruges was a Franciscan
theologian, who flourished at the University of Paris
1267-9.
in about 1240 and was sent to Paris for his studies. A student of Bonaventure
, he was regent master
at Paris from 1267 to 1269. He was elected minister provincial of the French province in 1269, then became bishop
of Poitiers
in 1279, a post which he held until 1306, when he retired because of ill health. He died the following year.
His family name was probably Van den Zande. He wrote Sermones per totum annum and Excerpta ex sanctis Patribus (Augustine, Gregory, Jerome, Ambrose, Hilary, Isadore and others) but was not widely-known until the publication of Quaestiones Disputatae. With Bonaventure, he was a teacher of Matthew of Aquasparta
.
, Walter accepted that the existence of God is "the first truth" and therefore could not be proved a priori
. In this, the school of which he formed part differed slightly from Thomas Aquinas
, who contended that being itself was the first object of knowledge.
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....
theologian, who flourished 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...
1267-9.
Life
He entered the Franciscans in BrugesBruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
in about 1240 and was sent to Paris for his studies. A student of Bonaventure
Bonaventure
Saint Bonaventure, O.F.M., , born John of Fidanza , was an Italian medieval scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, he was also a Cardinal Bishop of Albano. He was canonized on 14 April 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV and declared a Doctor of the...
, he was regent master
Regent master
Regent master was a title conferred in the medieval universities upon a student who had acquired a master's degree. The degree meant simply the right to teach, the Licentia docendi, a right which could be granted, in the University of Paris, only by the Chancellor of the Cathedral of Notre Dame,...
at Paris from 1267 to 1269. He was elected minister provincial of the French province in 1269, then became bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
in 1279, a post which he held until 1306, when he retired because of ill health. He died the following year.
His family name was probably Van den Zande. He wrote Sermones per totum annum and Excerpta ex sanctis Patribus (Augustine, Gregory, Jerome, Ambrose, Hilary, Isadore and others) but was not widely-known until the publication of Quaestiones Disputatae. With Bonaventure, he was a teacher of Matthew of Aquasparta
Matthew of Aquasparta
Matthew of Aquasparta was an Italian Franciscan and scholastic philosopher.-Life:Born in Acquasparta, Umbria, he was a member of the Bentivenghi family, to which belonged his fellow Franciscan, Cardinal Bentivenga de' Bentivenghi, bishop of Albano...
.
Philosophy
As a follower of BonaventureBonaventure
Saint Bonaventure, O.F.M., , born John of Fidanza , was an Italian medieval scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, he was also a Cardinal Bishop of Albano. He was canonized on 14 April 1482 by Pope Sixtus IV and declared a Doctor of the...
, Walter accepted that the existence of God is "the first truth" and therefore could not be proved a priori
A priori and a posteriori (philosophy)
The terms a priori and a posteriori are used in philosophy to distinguish two types of knowledge, justifications or arguments...
. In this, the school of which he formed part differed slightly from Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas
Thomas Aquinas, O.P. , also Thomas of Aquin or Aquino, was an Italian Dominican priest of the Catholic Church, and an immensely influential philosopher and theologian in the tradition of scholasticism, known as Doctor Angelicus, Doctor Communis, or Doctor Universalis...
, who contended that being itself was the first object of knowledge.
Works
His surviving works include:- Super libros primus, secundus et quattuor sententiarumSentencesThe 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...
: For MSS, see P. Glorieux, Répertoire des Maîtres en Theologie de Paris, vol. 2, pp. 84–6. Three questions from book one have been edited by E. Longpré, "Questiones inédits du commentaire sur les Sentences de Guathier de Bruges," Archives d'histoire doctrinale et littéraire du moyen age, 7 (1932): 251-75. Part of book four has been edited by P. de Mattia, Le questioni sull'Eucaristia di Gualtiero di Bruges. Rome, 1962 - Questiones disputatae Edited by E. Longpré, Questiones disputatae du B. Gauthier de Bruges. Les Philosophes Belges, Textes et études, 10. Louvain, 1928.
- Instructiones circa divinum officium: Edited M. DePoorter, Un traité de théologie inédit de Gauthier de Bruges: Instructiones circa divinum officium. Sociétié d'émulation de Bruges. Mélanges 5. Bruges, 1911 vol. 12.
- Tabula originalium: Unedited, for MSS see Glorieux, Répertoire, vol. 2, pp. 84–6
- Sermones: See Schneyer, 2 (1970): 103-9
- Lectura super Peryermenias, Commentarium in librum Perihermenias
Sources
- Eardley, P. S., "The Foundations of Freedom in Later Medieval Philosophy: Giles of Rome and his Contemporaries", Journal of the History of Philosophy - Volume 44, Number 3, July 2006, pp. 353–376
- M. J. Grajewski, "Walter of Bruges," New Catholic Encyclopedia 14: 786-7
- F. L. R. Sassen. "Walter von Brügge," Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche, 10 (1965): 947
- Anscar Zawart, The History of Franciscan Preaching and of Franciscan Preachers (1209-1927): A Bio-bibliographical Study, J. F. Wagner, 1928