Kirjahaku

William of Ockham was a medieval English philosopher and theologian (he was born about 1285, perhaps as late as 1288, and died in 1347 or 1348). In 1328 Ockham turned away from 'pure' philosophy and theology to polemic. From that year until the end of his life he worked to overthrow what he saw as the tyranny of Pope John XXII (1316-1334) and of his successors Popes Benedict XII (1334-1342) and Clement VI (1342-1352). This campaign led him into questions of ecclesiology (the study of the nature and structure of the Christian Church, e.g. of the functions and powers of the pope) and political philosophy. The Dialogus purports to be a transcript made by a mature student of lengthy discussions between himself and a university master about the various opinions of the learned on the matters disputed between John XXII and the dissident Franciscans. The student is usually the initiator; he chooses the topics, asks most of the questions and decides when he has heard enough. The master is, so to speak, an expert witness whom the student examines. This volume provides the first critical edition of part 3.2 of the Dialogus and deals with the relation between the empire and the nation-states and engages in the theory of property rights, natural law, and political freedom.

William of Ockham was a medieval English philosopher and theologian (he was born about 1285, perhaps as late as 1288, and died in 1347 or 1348). In 1328 Ockham turned away from 'pure' philosophy and theology to polemic. From that year until the end of his life he worked to overthrow what he saw as the tyranny of Pope John XXII (1316-1334) and of his successors Popes Benedict XII (1334-1342) and Clement VI (1342-1352). This campaign led him into questions of ecclesiology (the study of the nature and structure of the Christian Church, e.g. of the functions and powers of the pope) and political philosophy. The Dialogus purports to be a transcript made by a mature student of lengthy discussions between himself and a university master about the various opinions of the learned on the matters disputed between John XXII and the dissident Franciscans. The student is usually the initiator; he chooses the topics, asks most of the questions and decides when he has heard enough. The master is, so to speak, an expert witness whom the student examines. This volume publishes an edition of two elements of the Dialogus. Part 2 of the Dialogus is not in dialogue form and may not to be the work of Ockham himself. Part 3 is divided into two tracts. Tract 1, which is reproduced in this volume, is on the power of the Pope and clergy. Liberal thinking in modern times builds on certain earlier ancient and medieval political ideas, which Ockham reasserted, defended and helped to perpetuate. Thus there are elements in his ecclesiology and political philosophy that anticipate the views of Locke, Mill, and other modern liberals.

William Ockham intended the Dialogus to be a thorough examination (a "summa") of the doctrinal and political issues at stake during what in fact became the last major confrontation between Church and State in the waning period of the Western Middle Ages. Part I of the project, entitled “Concerning Heretics”, dealt with the problem of a Pope betraying the main values of his community, and the lengthy Book 6 described the consequent inquisition and punishment. The Dialogus is to Ockham what The Republic is to Plato or the Leviathan to Hobbes. It is one of the great treatises in the history of political thought. Cast in the form of a discussion between a master and a student, while primarily focusing on the concrete events of its time, it enunciates general principles which are easily adaptable to any socio-political situation involving human political interaction.

The Dialogus became an important reference text during the last two centuries of the Middle Ages, especially in the time of troubles associated with the Great Schism. It was printed twice in the later 15th century. One of its most elegant manuscripts was a text belonging to Pope Sixtus IV. Its ideal of an enlightened papacy ("monarchia de concilio peritorum") did not survive the Reformation, though many of its principles percolated into the writings of political philosophers, contributing along with other sources to the rise of constitutional liberalism and responsible government. This final book of Dialogus, Part I is not only a monument celebrating the possible emergence of cooperative political societies from the rubble of autocracies, but also an indication that Ockham's political orientation was essentially pragmatic.

William of Ockham was a leading English philosopher and theologian in the fourteenth century who came into controversy with Pope John XXII. His Dialogus is a survey of a wide range of matters controversial in the Catholic Church in the early fourteenth century. Topics discussed include the concepts of orthodoxy and heresy and the procedures for deciding whether a person is a heretic, the power of the pope within the Church, the power of the Church in relation to secular government, the constitution of the Church, and the constitution of secular government. The Dialogus is an important source of ideas on ecclesiology and political philosophy in the late middle ages. The present volume is concerned with heresy and heretics.