The Theology Of John Duns Scotus

John Duns Scotus is arguably one of the most significant philosopher theologians of the middle ages who has often been overlooked. This book serves to recover his rightful place in the history of Western philosophy revealing that he is in fact one of the great masters of our philosophical heritage. Among the fields to which Scotus has made an immense contribution are logic, metaphysics, philosophy of mind and action, and ethical theory.The Philosophy of John Duns Scotus provides a formidable yet comprehensive overview of the life and works of this Scottish-born philosopher. Vos has successfully combined his lifetime of dedicated study with the significant body of biographical literature, resulting in a unique look at the life and works of this philosopher theologian.

In this volume, Antonie Vos offers a comprehensive analysis of the philosophy and theological thought of John Duns Scotus, including this Trinitarian theology and Christology, the theory of Creation, ethics justification and predestination, and the sacraments. The volume concludes with an overview of historical dilemmas in Scotus' theological thought.

In John Duns Scotus on Grace and the Trinitarian Missions, Mitchell J. Kennard argues that Franciscan theologian John Duns Scotus (d. 1308) has been wrongly inscribed in the narrative of the late medieval theology of grace. Scotus is presented here not as the initiation or cause of the low fourteenth-century theology of grace but as the last great contributor to the high thirteenth-century theology of grace as deifying participation in the divine nature. This book argues that Scotus’s signature reflections on the relationship between grace and the Trinitarian missions—the Incarnation of the Son and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit—warrant closer attention by both historical and systematic theologians alike.

This is an accessible introduction to the life and thought of John Duns Scotus (c. 1266--1308), the scholastic philosopher and theologian who came to be called the Subtle Doctor. A native of Scotland (as his name implies), Scotus became a Franciscan and taught in Oxford, Paris, and Cologne. In his writings he put Aristotelian thought to the service of Christian theology and was the founder of a school of scholasticism called Scotism, which was often opposed to the Thomism of the followers of Thomas Aquinas. In particular, Scotus is well known for his defense of contra-causal free will and logical possibility and for his account of individuation in terms of "haecceity" or "thisness." Cross offers a clear introductory account of the most significant aspects of Scotus's theological thought. Theology is here construed broadly to include Scotus's philosophical investigation of God's existence and attributes. In addition to providing a clear, though not always uncritical, outline of Scotus's positions, Cross aims to show how Scotus's theories fit into modern debates, particularly contemporary debates in philosophical theology, and to point out Scotus's historical significance in the development of theology.

The Franciscan John Duns Scotus (c. 1266-1308) is the philosopher's theologian par excellence: more than any of his contemporaries, he is interested in arguments for their own sake. Making use of the tools of modern philosophy, Richard Cross presents a thorough account of Duns Scotus's arguments on God and the Trinity. Providing extensive commentary on central passages from Scotus, many of which are presented in translation in this book, Cross offers clear expositions of Scotus's sometimes elliptical writing. Cross's account shows that, in addition to being a philosopher of note, Scotus is a creative and original theologian who offers new insights into many old problems.

This work features forty-one original essays which reflect a broad range of perspectives and methodological assumptions. It focuses on standard epistemic concepts that are usually thought of as questions about norms and sources of theology (including reasoning, experience, tradition, scripture, and revelation). Furthermore it explores general epistemic concepts that can be related to theology (i.e. wisdom, understanding, virtue, evidence, testimony, scepticism, and disagreement). Each chapter provides an analysis of the crucial issues and debates while identifying and articulating the relevant epistemic considerations. This work will stimulate future research.