Bellarmine · De Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis · On the Ecclesiastical Writers
Chapter 33: The Late Thirteenth and Early Fourteenth Century: Innocent V, Durand, Giles of Rome, Lull, Henry of Ghent, Duns Scotus, Nicephorus Callistus
Our translation, from the Latin of the Opera Omnia (Paris: Vivès, 1870–74), vol. XII, De Scriptoribus Ecclesiasticis, of the New Testament, thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. The Latin source text is public domain; this English rendering is released with the site. Scripture quotations follow Bellarmine's Vulgate citations, rendered in Douay-Rheims wording where he quotes exactly. Click “Show the Latin” for the original (raw OCR of the scan; scanning errors remain — the scan itself is the authority).
Peter of Tarentaise. 1265
Peter of Tarentaise, of the Order of St. Dominic, created Cardinal of Ostia by the Pontiff Gregory X together with St. Bonaventure, succeeding Gregory himself and called Innocent V, died in the fifth month, in the year of the Lord 1276. He wrote on the four books of the Sentences; he is said also to have written on the Pentateuch, on the Psalms, on the Gospel of Luke and on the letters of St. Paul; and lastly a compendium of Theology. There were not lacking those who blamed more than a hundred of his propositions; but by order of John of Vercelli, Master general of the Order of Preachers, they were defended by St. Thomas, as is plain from his little work.
Henry Stero. 1263
Henry Stero, a Monk, wrote a Chronicle from the first year of Frederick I to Rudolf of Habsburg, that is, from the year of the Lord 1152 [“4132” printed] to the year 1273; see Henricus Canisius, volume 1 of the Ancient Readings.
Ulrich of Strasbourg. 1280
Ulrich of Strasbourg, of the Order of Preachers and a hearer of Albert the Great, wrote on the four books of the Master of the Sentences, and a summa of Theology, and a book On the soul. He was famous in the year of the Lord 1280.
Rupert, or Robert, of Russia. 1280
Rupert, or Robert, of Russia [as printed], of the Order of Minors, was famous at the same time, about the year of the Lord 1280. He wrote commentaries on the four books of the sentences, an exposition of the rule of St. Francis, and a book On the soul.
William Durand. 1280
William Durand, called the Speculator, a Gascon by nation, Bishop of Mende, a notable jurist, wrote the Mirror, divided into three volumes, to Cardinal Ottobuono, who was afterwards Pope Hadrian V. He wrote also the Rationale of the divine offices in eight books, a repertory of law, and commentaries on the Canons of the Council of Lyons. He was living in the time of the Pontiff Nicholas III, in the year of the Lord 1280.
Guido the Archdeacon. 1283
Guido de Baysio, Archdeacon of Bologna, wrote a commentary on the decree of Gratian which he called the Rosary. He wrote also on the decretal letters. He was famous in the year 1283.
Giles of Rome. 1290
Giles of Rome, of the noble family of the Colonna, Prior general of the Order of St. Augustine, and afterwards Archbishop of Bourges, a hearer of St. Thomas and a most ardent defender of his teaching, wrote very many things, both philosophical and theological; but for the great part they are not extant, except in manuscript in various libraries. The theological ones that are extant printed are these: commentaries on the first and second of the sentences; two books on the Hexameron; nineteen lectures on the Canticle of Canticles; lectures on the letter to the Romans; an exposition on the chapter Firmiter and the chapter Marthae; an explanation of the Lord's Prayer and the Angelic salutation; Treatises On the body of Christ, On the distinction of the articles of Faith, and On Noah's ark; Theorems on the Sacrament of the altar and on the body of Christ; a Treatise On the renunciation of the Pope; a little book written on the occasion of a cleric insufficiently promoted to the Subdiaconate; How Kings can give the goods of the kingdom to Churches; three books On the rule of princes; Quodlibets; a Treatise against the exempt; On the divine influence on the blessed; On the praises of divine wisdom; On the failure of the evils of guilt; On predestination, foreknowledge, paradise and hell; On original sin; the Castigatorium on the Corruptorium of the books of Thomas Aquinas. There is extant also a manuscript book, which I have seen, On ecclesiastical power. Of the philosophical these are found put into print: the exposition on the metaphysics of Aristotle; on his books On the soul; on his books On generation; on his books of the prior analytics; on his books of rhetoric; On the matter of the heavens; On the formation of the human body; on the author of the book On causes; On being and essence; On the motion of Angels; On the measure of Angels; On the knowledge of Angels. But these last three treatises can be counted among the theological works. This author flourished about the year of the Lord 1290.
Note. The little work on the Lord's Prayer and the Angelic salutation, and the treatise On the body of Christ, are not altogether certain works of Giles. A book on the fourth of the Sentences is usually cited under Giles's name, as also a book On the possible intellect, against Averroes, and On the degrees of forms; but whether those books are extant I do not know.
Raymond Lull. 1290
Raymond Lull, of the island of Majorca, lived in the time of Philip the Fair, King of the Franks, about the year of the Lord 1290. He wrote in his vulgar tongue many works, some of which have been turned into the Latin tongue, as the great art and the small. Eymerich, in the Directory of Inquisitors, writes that this Raymond was accused before Pope Gregory XI, or rather that his writings were accused, of containing more than three hundred errors; and Bernard of Luxemburg puts this Raymond in the Catalogue of Heretics. On the other side there are not lacking those who honour the same Raymond as a holy Martyr, and call him the enlightened Doctor, and affirm that his writings are orthodox; on which a book was published in the year 1604 with this title: “Definitive sentence in favour of the Lullian teaching, given in the order of law and by Apostolic authority, and printed again for the triumph of truth and in memory of its glorious vindication, and fortified with the chief rescripts.” What is to be held in this controversy does not yet seem to be defined by the Apostolic See, since both the directory of Eymerich and the book opposed to it are read publicly and without prohibition.
Richard of Middleton. 1290
Richard of Middleton, an Englishman by nation, of the Order of St. Francis, wrote clear commentaries on the four books of the Sentences, in which he seemed to imitate the teaching of St. Thomas. He wrote also on the four Gospels, and on the rule of the Friars Minor, and one book against Peter John [Olivi]. He is said also to have written On the Conception of the Blessed Virgin, on the letters of St. Paul, and On the order of judgements; whether this is so is not clear to me.
Henry of Ghent. 1290
Henry of Ghent, a Belgian by nation, Archdeacon of Tournai, a most learned man, wrote an excellent work of quodlibets; likewise a summa of ordinary questions; likewise On Virginity and penance; lastly also commentaries on the books of the physics and metaphysics of Aristotle. He is said also to have written a book On illustrious men. He died in the year of the Lord 1293.
John of Paris. 1296
John of Paris, of the Order of Preachers, was famous about the year 1296. He wrote on the four books of the Sentences, and various quodlibets; but chiefly On royal and papal power; and because he fell in turbulent times, from the discord between the Pontiff Boniface VIII and Philip the Fair, King of the Gauls, and he himself was living and teaching at Paris, he seems to have been more inclined toward the king than toward the Pontiff.
Dino of Mugello. 1299
Dino of Mugello wrote on the title On the rules of law in the Sext. He was famous in the time of Pope Boniface VIII, in the year 1299.
The fourteenth century, from the year 1300 to 1400
John Duns Scotus
John Duns Scotus, an Englishman [a Scot] by nation, of the Order of Minors, was a man endowed with a most keen mind; and, having taught first at Oxford and then at Paris, he is said to have ended his last day by an untimely death in the year of the Lord 1308. He wrote these: the Oxford writing on the four books of the Sentences; the Paris writing on the same books; a book of quodlibets; a book of Paris conferences; a book On the first principle of things; a book of theorems; a book On the knowledge of God; certain Tetragrammata; sermons on the season and on the saints; commentaries on Genesis, on the Gospels and on the Letters, very obscure. Likewise in philosophy he wrote questions on Porphyry, likewise on the categories of Aristotle, the Peri hermeneias, the prior and posterior analytics, the Sophistical refutations, On the soul, the metaphysics and the physics.
Augustine of Ancona. 1301
Augustinus Triumphus, of Ancona by birth, a religious of St. Augustine by profession, a pious and learned man, flourished at the beginning of the year 1300, but died in the year 1328, being eighty-five years old, as is clear from the inscription of his tomb, which is at Naples in the Church of the Hermit Friars of St. Augustine. He wrote an excellent summa On the power of the Church, which is extant published at Rome in the year 1584. He wrote also a commentary on the Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is extant printed at Rome in the year 1590. He wrote very many other things, on sacred Scripture, on the Master of the Sentences, and also on Aristotle, and sermons and various treatises, which are said to be extant in the Vatican Library.
Barlaam. 1303
Barlaam, Bishop of Gerace, lived about the year of the Lord 1303 [as printed], and wrote many Letters to the Greeks on union with the Roman Church, which Henricus Canisius published in volume 6 of the Ancient Readings.
Siffrid. 1303
Siffrid, a Presbyter of Meissen, at the same time wrote an epitome of histories comprised in two books, from the year of the Lord 458 to the year of the Lord 1307 [“1507” printed]. This work is extant printed with other historians of Germany.
Nicephorus Callistus. 1305
Nicephorus Callistus, a Greek historian, lived in the time of the emperor Andronicus the elder, to whom he dedicated his history; so he lived after the year of the Lord 1300. The history of Nicephorus Callistus that is now extant is contained in eighteen books, and begins from the birth of Christ and ends at the year of the same 625 [610]. And it is credible that many more books were written by him, but have perished. Further, in the history of this author, as a Greek and a Schismatic, it should not seem strange if errors proper to the Greeks are found, as about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father alone, in the very preface. It is more strange that not a few errors are found in historical matters, as is clear from the annals of Cardinal Baronius.
Eberhard. 1305
Eberhard, Archdeacon of Regensburg, wrote a chronicle from the year 1273 to the year 1305. See Henricus Canisius, first volume of the Ancient Readings.
Show the Latin (Vives edition, OCR)
De Petro Tarantasiensi. 1265. Petrus Tarantasiensi ordinis S. Dominici Cardinalis Ilortiensis a Gregorio X. Pontifice cum S. Bonaventura creatus, ipsi Gregorio succedens, et Innocentius V. appellatus; quinto mense obiit, anno Dom. 127G. AB ANNO DOM. 1200. AD 1300. 433 Scripsit in quatuor libros Sententiarum : dicitur etiam scripsisse in Pentateuchum, in Psalmos, in Evangelium Lucae, et in episto - las S. Pauli ; et denique compendium Theo¬ logiae. Non defuerunt, qui plusquam centum propositiones ejus reprehenderent : sed jussu . Joannis Vercellensis Magistri generalis Or¬ dinis praedicatorum a S. Thoma defensae sunt, ut ex opusculo ejus perspicuum est. De Henrico Sterone. 1263. Henricus Stero Monachus Chronicam scri¬ psit ab an.no 1. Friderici I. usque ad Rodul- phum Aspurgium, id est, ab anno Dom. 4132, usque ad annum 1273 .vide Henricum Canisium tomo 1 . antiquae lectionis. Dp Udalrico Argentinensi. 1280. Udalricus de Argentina ordinis praedica¬ torum, et Alberti Magni auditor, scripsit in libros quatuor Magistri Sententiarum : et summam Theologiae, ac librum de anima, claruit anno Dom. 1280. De Ruperto de Russia. 1 280. Rupertus, sive Robertus de Russia, ordinis Minorum, claruit eodem tempore, et circa annum Dom. 1280. Scripsit commentaria in quatuor libros sententiarum : expositio¬ nem regulae S. Francisci, et librum de ani¬ ma. De Gulielmo Durante. 1230. Gulielmus Durantes, dictus Speculator, natione Vasco, Episcopus Mimatensis, jure consultus insignis, scripsit Speculum in tria volumina distinctum ad Cardinalem Othobo- num, qui fuit postea Hadrianus Papa V. Scripsit etiam rationale divinorum officiorum libris octo, et repertorium juris, et commen¬ taria in Canones Concilii Lugdunensis. Vive¬ bat tempore Nicolai III Pontificis anno Dom. 1280. De Guidone Archidiacono. 1283. Guido Baifius, Archidiaconus Bononiensis, scripsit commentarium in decretum Gra¬ tiani', quod Rosarium appellavit. Scripsit etiam in epistolas decretales : claruit anno 1283. De sEgidio Romano. 1290. • ^Egidius Romanus ex nobili familia Co- lumnensium. Ordinis S. Augustini prior ge¬ neralis, ac postea Archiepiscopus Bituricen- sis, S. Thomae auditor, et ejus doctrinae de¬ fensor acerrimus, plurima scripsit tum phi¬ losophica, tum theologica; sed magna ex parte non exstant, nisi manuscripta in variis bibliothecis. Quae exstant theologica im¬ pressa, haec sunt : In primum et secundum sententiarum commentaria. In Hexameron libri duo. In Cantica canticorum lectiones novem de- cim. In epistolam ad Romanos lectiones. In cap. Firmiter, et in cap. Marthae expo¬ sitio. In orationem Dominicam, et salutationem Angelicam explanatio. Tractatus de corpore Christi, de distin¬ ctione articulorum Fidei, et de arca Noe. Theoremata de Sacramento altaris et de corpore Christi. Tractatus de renuntiatione Papre. Libellus scriptus occasione clerici minus sufficienter ad Subdiaconum promoti. Quomodo Reges possint bona regni Eccle¬ siis elargiri. De regimine principum libri tres. Quodlibeta. Tractatus contra exemptos. De divina influentia in beatos. De laudibus divinae sapientiae. De defectu malorum culpae. De praedestinatione, praescientia, paradi¬ so, et inferno. De peccato originali. Castigatorium in corruptorium librorum Thomae Aquinatis. Exstat etiam manuscriptus liber, quem ego vidi, De potestate Ecclesiastica. Ex philosophicis haec habentur typis man¬ data : In metaphysicam Aristotelis, expositio. In ejusdem libros de anima. In ejusdem libros de generatione. In ejusdem libros priores analyticos. In ejusdem libros rhetoricorum. De materia coeli. De formatione corporis humani. Super auctorem libri de causis. De esse, et essentia. 454 DI- SCRIPTORIBUS ECCLESIASTICIS De motu Angelorum. De mensura Angelorum. De cognitione Angelorum. Sed hi tres postremi tractatus possunt in¬ ter opera theologica numerari. Floruit hic auctor circa annum Dom. 1290. Observatio. Opusculum in orationem Dominicam, et salutationem Angelicam, et tractatus de cor¬ pore Christi ; non sunt omnino certa opera ^Egidii. Solet citari liber in quartum Sen¬ tentiarum nomine iEgidii, ut etiam liber de intellectu 'possibili contra Averroem et de gradibus formarum : sed utrum ii libri ex¬ stent, ignoro. De Raymundo Lullo. 1290. Raymundus Lullus ex insula Majorica, vixit tempore Philippi Pulchri Regis Fran¬ corum, circa annum Domini 1290. Scripsit lingua sua vulgari, multa opera, quorum aliqua versa sunt in linguam Latinam, ut ars magna, et parva. Hunc Raymundum Eimericus in directorio Inquisitorum, scribit accusatum fuisse ad Gregorium XI. Papam, vel potius accusata fuisse scripta ejus, quod continerent plusquam trecentos errores : et Bernardus de Lutzemburgo Raymundum hunc ponit in Catalogo Haereticorum. Contra autem non desunt, qui eumdem Raymundus colant, ut S. Martyrem, et vocent Doctorem illuminatum, et scripta ejus orthodoxa esse confirment : de qua re editus est liber anno 1604. cum hac inscriptione :« Sententia de¬ finitiva in favorem Lulliante doctrinae juris ordine, et Apostolica auctoritate lata, et in veritatis triumphum, inque gloriosae vindi¬ cationis memoriam, denuo impressa, et principalibus rescriptis munita. » Quid in hac controversia tenendum sit, nondum vi¬ detur esse definitum ab Apostolica Sede, cum tam directorium Eimerici, quam liber illi oppositus, publice, et sine prohibitione legatur. De Richardo de media Villa. 1290. Richardus de media Villa , natione Anglus Ordinis S. Francisci, scripsit in libros qua- tuor Sententiarum dilucida commentaria, in quibus S. Thomee doctrinam imitari visus est, Scripsit etiam in quatuor Evangelia, et in regulam Fratrum Minorum, et contra Pe¬ trum Joannem librum unum. Dicitur etiam scripsisse de Conceptione B. Virginis, et in epistolas S. Pauli, et de ordine judiciorum, quod an ita sit, non mihi constat. De Henrico Gandaversi. 1290. Henricus a Gandavo natione Belga Archi- * diacoftus Tornacensis, vir doctissimus, scri¬ psit egregium opus quodlibetorum. Item summam quaestionum ordinariarum. Item de Virginitate, et poenitentia. Denique etiam commentaria in libros physicorum, et meta- physicorum Aristotelis. Dicitur etiam scri¬ psisse librum De viris illustribus. Obiit anno Domini 1293. De Joanne Parisiensi. 1296. Joannes Parisiensis, ordinis Praedicato¬ rum, claruit circa annum 1296. Scripsit in quatuor libros Sententiarum, et, quoblibeta varia : sed praecipue de potestate regia, et Papali : et quoniam incidit in tempora tur¬ bulenta ob discordiam inter Bonifacium VIII. Pontificem, et Philippum Pulchrum Regem Gallorum, et ipse Parisiis agebat, et docebat, videtur propensior fuisse erga regem, quam erga Pontificem. De Dino Mugelano. 1299. Dinus Mugelanus scripsit in titulum de regulis juris in sexto, claruit, tempore Boni* facii Papae VIII. anno 1299. SICULUM DECIMUM QUARTUM AB ANNO 1300. AD 1400. De Joanne Duns Scoto. Joannes Duns Scotus, natione Anglus, or¬ dinis minorum, vir fuit acutissimo ingenio praeditus, et cum docuisset primum Oxonii, deinde Parisiis , immatura morte diem ex¬ tremum obiisse dicitur anno Domini 1308. Scripsit haec. Scriptum Oxoniensein quatuor libros Sen¬ tentiarum. Scriptum Parisiense in eosdem libros. Librum quodljbetorum Librum collationum Parisiensum. Librum de primo principio rerum. AB ANNO DOM. 1300. AD 1400. 455 Librum theorematum. Librum de cognitione Dei. Tetragrammata quaedam. Sermones de tempore, et de sanctis. Commentaria in Genesim, in Evangelia, et in Epistolas, valde obscura. Item in philosophicis. Scripsit quaestiones in Porphyrium, item in Aristotelis praedicamenta perihermenias, priora, posteriora, Elenchos, de anima, me- taphysica, et physica. De Augustino Anconitano. 1301. Augustinus Triumphus patriaAnconitanus professione religiosus Sancti Augustini, vir pius, et doctus, floruit ad initium anni 1300. sed obiit anno 1328. cum esset annorum oc¬ toginta quinque, ut ex inscriptione sepulcri ipsius constat, quod habetur Neapoli in Ec¬ clesia Fratrum Eremitarum Sancti Augu¬ stini. Scripsit egregiam summam de potestate Ecclesiae, quae exstat Romae edita anno 1584. Scripsit etiam commentarium in Canticum Beatae Virginis Mariae, quod exstat Romae excusum anno 1590. Scripsit plurima alia tum in sanctam Scripturam, tum in Magi¬ strum Sententiarum, tum etiam in Ari¬ stotelem, et sermones, ac tractatus varios, qui exstare dicuntur in Bibliotheca Vaticana. De Barlaamo. 1303. Barlaamus Episcopus Hieracensis, vixit circaannum Dom. 1303. et scripsit Epistolas multas ad Graecos de unione cum Ecclesia Romana, quas edidit Henricus Canisius num. 6. antiquae lectionis. De Diffrido. 1303. • Siffridus Presbyter Misnensis eodem tem¬ pore scripsit epitomen historiarum libris duobus comprehensam ab anno Domini 458. usque ad annum Dom. 1507. Exstat hoc opus impressum cum aliis historicis Germa¬ niae. De Nicephoro Callisto. 1305. Nicephorus Callistus historicus Graecus, vixit tempore Andronici Senioris imperato¬ ris, cui dedicavit historiam suam : proinde vixit post annum Dom. 1300. Historia, quae nunc exstat Nicephori Callisti, continetur li¬ bris octodecim, et incipit a nativitate Chri¬ sti, ac desinit in annum ejusdem 625. Cre¬ dibile autem est, multo plures ab eo libros scriptos fuisse, sed periisse. Porro in historia hujus auctoris, ut Graeci, et Schismatici, non mirum videri debet, si inveniantur errores proprii Graecorum, ut de processione Spiritus sancti a solo Patre, in ipsa praefatione. Magis mirum est, inveniri non paucos errores in rebus historicis, ut ex annalibus Card. Baronii constat. De E b er ardo. 1205. Eberardus Archidiaconus Ratisponensis scripsit chronicum ab anno 1273. usque ad annum 1305. Vide Henricum Canisium pri¬ mo tomo antiquae lectionis.