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FOREWORD As each new volume in this edition of Henry of Ghent’s works appears,we learn more about Henry as a thinker. A critical edition of a medieval writer not only determines the text with a scientific exactitude, but also reveals how the author skillfully employs his authorities in order to establish his position of analysis. In Henry’s case there are a few surprises, as the reader will see who peruses the tables and notes to this edition. Henry drew from a rather extensive reading of the standard medieval authorities of his day. There is little that is new or exotic in his references. It is true that he alludes to Plato’s Phaedo1 and even to the Philebus.2 But these references are second-hand and hardly allow us to conclude that Henry had much direct knowledge of the great Greek master. Rather, Henry’s genius is discovered in the way he uses texts from Aristotle, Avicenna, and his beloved Augustine to create a concordant reading of these sometimes antithetical authorities. It is no wonder that that princeps concordiae, Pico della Mirandola, found Henry so much to his own tastes.3 As I look back over the years that it took to prepare this volume I am aware of the sources of help and grace that have allowed me finally to reach the point where this volume can find its way into print. I am grateful to God for granting me the health and stamina to finish this project. I am appreciative of the grant I received from the Fulbright Program and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars that allowed me to work in Belgium and consult with the many learned scholars there. I am obliged to the Catholic University of Leuven for conferring on me the status of guest professor during my stay at the University. Special thanks are due to the Institute of Philosophy of Leuven and to its then President, Professor Carlos Steel, for the kind reception I received at the University. I also wish to thank Professors Willy Vanhamel and the late Jos Decorte for their advice, direction, and aid in obtaining the material needed to complete this volume. I wish also to express my indebtedness to Dr. Raymond Macken who provided so much help and personal encouragement to me at the beginning of my work on the project. He generously put his remarkable knowledge of Henry of Ghent at my service and deepened my respect and love for the Solemn Doctor and his contribution to medieval thought. 1 Cf. infra, p. 119. 2 Cf. infra, p. 195. 3 Cf. G. PICO DELLA MIRANDOLA, De hominis dignitate, ed. E. GARIN, Florence, 1942, p. 140: “ . . .Henrico, ut mihi visum est, semper sublime et venerandum.” Thirteen “Conclusiones” are listed as “secundum Henricum Gandavenensem” . Cf. Opera­ omnia (reprint Georg Olms,Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1969), vol. 1, pp. 66-67 . HenricusDEF.indd 5 20-12-2007 16:01:52 VI FOREWORD I wish to offer my thanks to Professor Kent Emery, Jr., of the University of Notre Dame, for his recommendation of me for the project and for his many suggestions and invaluable conversations concerning Henry of Ghent and the critical edition; to the late Dr. Jozef Brams of the Aristoteles Latinus for looking over my references to Aristotle in Henry’s text and making many valuable suggestions and corrections; to Dr. Jules Janssens of the Catholic University of Leuven for helping me locate the many references to Avicenna in Henry’s text; to Dr. Guy Guldentops of the Thomas Institute, Cologne, and Professor Russell L. Friedman of the Catholic University of Leuven who, along with Professor Steel, provided so much help in preparing the critical Latin text of this volume; to Professor Burckhard Mojsisch of Ruhr-Universität Bochum, for reading parts of this volume and making suggestions for improvement; to Professor Gordon Wilson of the University of North Carolina, for his unfailing help in editing this volume and making suggestions for improvement; to Mr. Jan Malcheski, Theological Reference Librarian of the Archbishop Ireland Memorial Library, Saint Paul School of Divinity, for his help in locating reference material for the many notes found in this volume; and to Marialucrezia Leone and Griet Galle, postdoctoral fellows at the Catholic University of Leuven who helped in preparing the final draft of this volume. Finally, I want to thank my dear wife Sharon; my beloved son Erik; and my wonderful daughter-in-law Gosia for creating around me an atmosphere...

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