University of 91吃瓜 Professor and his team have been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant to produce the first critical edition of a key work by medieval theologian and philosopher John Duns Scotus.
The three-year, $300,000 grant was one of the largest awarded by the NEH this year, according to Emery, a professor in the (PLS) in 91吃瓜鈥檚 and the University鈥檚 .
Beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1993, Scotus is 鈥渙ne of the most important of all medieval philosophers and theologians, on the same level with Thomas Aquinas,鈥� Emery notes, adding that Scotus is perhaps best known for his work defending the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary against its many critics in the Middle Ages.
Scotus鈥� arguments about Mary, Emery says, 鈥渨ere crucial for the Church鈥檚 authorities to accept this as a teaching of the Catholic faith.鈥�
In universities and in schools of religious orders, Peter Lombard鈥檚 鈥淪entences鈥� was 鈥渢he textbook for teaching theology from the 13th through the 16th centuries,鈥� Emery says, 鈥渁nd anyone who wanted to get a doctorate in theology had to write a commentary on the questions it contained.鈥�
Scotus first did so while at Oxford University, in a version known as the 鈥淥rdinatio,鈥� which he continued to expand upon throughout his life. The Franciscans at the International Scotistic Commission in Rome have been working since 1950 to prepare a critical edition of the "Ordinatio"鈥攁nd are still far from finished, Emery says.
鈥淭hese works are huge, and they are many volumes,鈥� he explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 become apparent they will never be able to do all of Duns Scotus鈥� other works, the most important of which were done after he left Oxford and was appointed to the University of Paris, which was the most prestigious of all theology faculties.
鈥淪o the Scotistic Commission in Rome agreed that all of the Parisian works, including his lectures on the 鈥淪entences鈥� that he gave there, should be done by our American team.鈥�
The NEH grant establishes the Scotistic Commission of America at 91吃瓜 and helps fund its first major project on Scotus鈥� 鈥淪entences鈥� lectures in Paris.
Led by Emery and his co-director, Catholic University of America鈥檚 Timothy B. Noone, the editorial team includes four scholars from the 91吃瓜 College of Arts and Letters: Philosophy Professor ; PLS Assistant Professor ; and and , both Ph.D candidates from the Medieval Institute.
While Scotus鈥� Parisian lectures on the 鈥淪entences鈥� are largely unknown, they 鈥渞epresent his most mature, authoritative teaching,鈥� Emery says.
To produce the first critical edition of this work, Emery and his team must gather and compare dozens of medieval manuscripts containing lecture notes written by Scotus and his students, analyze and translate them, and find and explain all of the references to the teachings of earlier scholars such as Aristotle and Augustine.
鈥淭his is a long and very patient work, but it鈥檚 at the center of medieval studies,鈥� Emery says, 鈥渂ecause everything in medieval studies is in handwritten books, and the ones that survived are scattered in libraries across the world.鈥�
With its 鈥渦nparalleled library in medieval studies鈥� and a group of scholars who are experts on Scotus and the philosophy and theology of his time, 91吃瓜 is an ideal site for this work in the United States, he says, adding that it is particularly appropriate because the University鈥檚 founder, Father Sorin, 鈥渉ad a great piety to our Lady鈥檚 Immaculate Conception.鈥�
Over the next three years, Emery and his team plan to complete Scotus鈥� lectures on the first of the four books in Lombard鈥檚 鈥淪entences鈥� and a large part of another.
鈥淲e hope that we will be able to build on this and to continue to receive grants from the NEH to edit the rest, and also the other Parisian works of Duns Scotus,鈥� Emery says. 鈥淲e are envisioning a many-year project centered at 91吃瓜 in the Medieval Institute.鈥�
Contact: Kent Emery Jr., 574-631-6110, Kent.Emery.1@nd.edu
Originally published by at on November 11, 2011.