From the Circle of Alcuin to the School of Auxerre: Logic, Theology and Philosophy in the Early Middle Ages

229 Pages·2006·6.46 MB·English

by  John Marenbon

Cambridge studies in medieval life and thought
Edited by WALTER ULLMANN, LITT.D., F.B.A.
Professor of Medieval History in the
University of Cambridge
Third series, vol. 13
FROM THE CIRCLE OF ALCUIN TO
THE SCHOOL OF AUXERRE
CAMBRIDGE STUDIES IN
MEDIEVAL LIFE AND THOUGHT
THIRD SERIES
1 The King's Hall within the University of Cambridge in the Later Middle
Ages. ALAN B. COBBAN
2 Monarchy and Community, A. j. BLACK
3 The Church and the Two Nations in Medieval Ireland, j. A. WATT
4 The Spanish Church and the Papacy in the Thirteenth Century.
PETER LINEHAN
5 Law and Society in the Visigothic Kingdom, P. D. KING
6 Durham Priory: 1400-1430. R. B. DOBSON
7 The Political Thought of William ofOckham. A. s. MCGRADE
8 The Just War in the Middle Ages. FREDERICK H. RUSSELL
9 The Two Italies: Economic Relations between the Norman Kingdom of
Sicily and the Northern Communes, DAVID ABULAFIA
10 The Church and Politics in Fourteenth-Century England: The Career of
Adam Orleton c. 1275-1345. ROY MARTIN HAINES
11 The Staffords, Earls of Stafford and Dukes of Buckingham, 1394-1521.
CAROLE RAWCLIFFE
12 Universities, Academics and the Great Schism, R. N. SWANSON
13 The Diplomas of King Aethelred 'the Unready9, 978-1016: A Study in
Their Use as Historical Evidence, SIMON KEYNES
14 Robert Winchelsey and the Crown 1294-1313: A Study in the Defence of
Ecclesiastical Liberty. JEFFREY H. DENTON
FROM THE CIRCLE OF ALCUIN
TO THE SCHOOL OF AUXERRE
LOGIC, THEOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY
IN THE EARLY MIDDLE AGES
JOHN MARENBON
Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
CAMBRIDGE
LONDON NEW YORK NEW ROCHELLE
MELBOURNE SYDNEY
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
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Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521234283
© Cambridge University Press 1981
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception
and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements,
no reproduction of any part may take place without
the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published 1981
This digitally printed first paperback version 2006
A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library
ISBN-13 978-0-521-23428-3 hardback
ISBN-10 0-521-23428-X hardback
ISBN-13 978-0-521 -02462-4 paperback
ISBN-10 0-521-02462-5 paperback
TO MY PARENTS

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements viii
Introduction i
1. Aristotle's Categories and the problems of essence and the
Universals: sources for early medieval philosophy 12
2. Logic and theology at the court of Charlemagne 30
3. Problems of the Categories, essence and the Universals in
the work of John Scottus and Ratramnus of Corbie 67
4. The circle of John Scottus Eriugena 88
5. Early medieval glosses on the problems of the Categories 116
Conclusion 139
APPENDIX 1. Texts from the circle ofAlcuin 144
APPENDIX 2. A Periphyseon Jlorilegium 171
APPENDIX 3. Glosses to the Categoriae Decem 173
Bibliography (including index of manuscripts and list of
abbreviations) 207
Index 215
Vll
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I have been extremely fortunate in the help, support and encourage-
ment I have received, both from individuals and institutions, in the
course of the research and writing which have resulted in this book.
In Peter Dronke I had a liberal supervisor, who left me free to shape
my work according to my own inclinations, whilst giving me much
welcome encouragement and advice. Edouard Jeauneau, who super-
vised my work during six months spent in Paris, has been the kindest
of advisers, and I have profited greatly from many enjoyable hours of
conversation with him about John Scottus and his contemporaries.
Dr Michael Lapidge and Professor David Luscombe, who examined
my Cambridge Ph.D. thesis, contributed a number of valuable sug-
gestions for changes which have been incorporated in this book. And
I should like to express an especial gratitude to Professor Walter
Ullmann, both for his kindness in including my book in his series,
and for all the help he has given me in preparing my work for
publication; and Miss Sheila Lawlor, for checking my proofs.
Many scholars who have had no formal connection with my
studies have aided my research. In particular, I wish to thank Pro-
fessor Bernhard Bischoff, for allowing me to use his transcripts of
glosses from a Leningrad manuscript, and for providing me with
palaeographical information about a number of other codices; and
my friend, Mr Peter Godman, whose learning and good sense have
made this book much less bad than it might have been. Other
scholars who have discussed my work with me, or read parts of it in
earlier drafts include: Professor D. Bullough; Dr C. Burnett; Dr J.
Contreni; M. J. Devisse; Mr D. Ganz; Dr M. Gibson; Dr C.
Ineichen-Eder; Mr P. Meyvaert; M. J. Vezin.
My work would have been impossible without the co-operation
of a large number of libraries throughout Europe, who allowed me
to examine their manuscripts or sent me microfilms of them. In
Vlll
Acknowledgements
particular, I should like to thank the staff of the Warburg Library in
London, a treasure-trove for anyone who works on medieval intel-
lectual history; and the curator and staff of the Bibliotheque
Nationale in Paris, for their efficiency and courtesy.
I would also like to thank the Syndics and Staff of the Cambridge
University Press for the great patience and care they have shown in
the production of this book.
My research has been supported by a scholarship from the French
Government and a grant from the Department of Education and
Science. But, above all, it has been Trinity College which has made
my research financially possible; I count myself very lucky indeed, to
be part of this College which supports scholarship with such genero-
sity and constancy.
Trinity College October 1979
Cambridge
IX