Synopses & Reviews
This study gives the first English translation of Lectura I 39, a key text of the medieval theologian and philosopher John Duns Scotus (1266--1308), together with an introduction and a commentary. In the history of thought, Scotus is the first scholar to develop a consistent analysis of the basic Christian notions of contingency and freedom. This analysis can be found in his important early work, Lectura I 39, in which the question of whether God has knowledge of future contingents is discussed. Reality is contingent, which means that reality in its factual shape could have been otherwise; God does not rule by determinism nor is He ruled by it -- nor is man, neither is their relationship. This fundamental insight made Christian thought turn away from the ancient conception that everything is (at bottom) necessary. For graduate students, philosophers and theologians.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 191-196) and indexes.
Table of Contents
Preface. Introduction.
1. Lectura I 39 of John Duns Scotus: a key text.
2. John Duns Scotus' development.
3. The
Lectura, a course on the
Sentences in Oxford.
4. The structure of
Lectura I 39.
5. The target of
Lectura I 39.
6. Scotus' theory of contingency.
7. The theory of synchronic contingency as a key to the
Lectura.
8. The logical tools used.
9. On the translation.
Lectura I 39 Text, English and Latin [even pages].
Lectura I 39 Commentary [uneven pages]. Bibliography. Index of names. Index of subjects.