The Notabilia Scoti in Libros Topicorum: An Assessment of Authenticity

THE NOTABILIA SCOTI IN LIBROS TOPICORUM: An Assessment of Authenticity The name of John Duns Scotus has often been attached to works of dubious authenticity. Like Aristotle in antiquity, Boethius in the early Middle Ages, and Thomas Aquinas and Albert of a generation preceding, Scotus had a reputation which attracted unwarranted attributions. The most striking witness of this is the Wadding edition of Scotus' works, which contains at least ten inauthentic philosophical works.1 The editor, Luke Wadding, made no secret of his willingness to err on the side of inclusiveness. The fact that a work by such a different thinker as the nominalist Marsilius of Inghen (the real author of the Expositio et Quaestiones in VIII libros Physicorum) could be attributed to Scotus shows the lengths to which credulity can be stretched. Other works which have never seen publication also have been attributed to Scotus.2 One of those is the Notabilia Scoti in libros Topicorum? It has escaped the notice of Scotus scholars, although it is found in an important manuscript which has been studied extensively, Vatican Ottob. lat. 318, which contains several works of 'The following are inauthentic: Grammatica Speculativa, Quaestiones in librum I et U Priorum Analyticorum, Quaestiones in librum I et II Posteriorum Analyticorum, Expositio et Quaestiones in VlU libros Physicorum, Meteorologicorum, Expositio in XII libros Metaphysicorum, Conclusiones utilissimae ex libris Metaphysicorum Aristotelis collectae, books 10 and 12 of the Quaestiones subtilissimae super libros Metaphysicorum, Quaestiones disputatae De rerum principio, Quaestiones miscellaneae de formalitatibus (except the first question, the Lógica Scoti), and De cognitwne Dei. See Relatio a Commissione Scotistica exhibita Capitulo Generali Fratrum Minorum Assisii A.D. 1939 Celebrando; Ratio cnticae editionis Operum omnium I. D. Scoti I (Rome: ex schola tipographica Pió X, 1939): 95-96. 2See H. Sbaralea, Supplementum et castigatio ad Scriptores trium Ordinum S. Francisa II (Rome: Attilio Nardecchia, 1908): 68. Another such work is the Quaestiones Doctoris Subtilis super librum Divisionum Boethii in Oxford Magdalen 38, f. 16ra-b, a single sheet of five brief questions or question outlines; Titulus: "Hie incipit Quaestiones Doctoris Subtilis «super» librum Dwisionum Boethii;" Inc.: [Q. 1] "Primo quaeritur hie, cum cuilibet divisioni correspondeat compositio sibi opposita, propter quid non est aliquis tractatus specialiter editus de compositione;" Expl.: "patet satis plane per Philosophum in libro Ethicorum." 3I assisted Professor Girard Etzkorn in transcribing the complete text. The intention is to eventually publish an edition, either as part of Dubia et spuria for the Opera Philosophica of Scotus, or as an independent volume. 65 Franciscan Studies, Vol. 56 (1998) 66Robert Andrews authors operating at Bologna in the first half of the fourteenth century, and includes Ángelus of Arezzo, Anselm of Como, John of Jandun, Matthew of Gubbio, Thaddeus of Parma, and William of Alnwick. The manuscript has been described in several places.4 The first mention of the Notabilia was in a manuscript survey: "In fine Codicis exstant Notabilia super libros Topicorum Scoto adscripta."5 Annelise Maier also made mention of the work.6 The description of the work is as follows: Notabilia Scoti in libros Topicorum, Bibl. Vat. Ottob. lat., cod. 318 (1495), ff. 247ra-296vb. Titulus: "Incipiunt Notabilia Scoti super libro(!) Topicorum Aristotelis." Inc. f. 247ra: "'Propositum quidem negotii est.' (100al9) Notandum in principio quod convenientius est poneré subiectum libri huius syllogismum dialecticum quam disputationem dialecticam..." Expl. f. 296vb: "Secundo addit quod si contra eos disputetur, oportet habere orationes factas, et hoc ibi: Oportet autem, quia difficile est contra eos, et maxime ad interrogationes universales, abundare rationibus prius non factis continuo' (164b 16-19). Explicit." 4Annelise Maier, "Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des italienischen Averroismus in 14. Jahrhundert," Quellen und Forschungen aus italienischen Archiven und Bibliotheken 33 (1943): 136-187; Annelise Maier, Die Vorläufer Galileis im 14. Jahrhundert (Rome: Edizioni di storia e letteratura, 1966): 253-278; C. Piaña, "Nuovo contributo alio studio delle correnti dottrinali nell'Università di Bologna nel sec. XIV," Antonianum 23 (1948): 221-254. 'Victorinus Doucet, "Descriptio Codicis 172 Bibliothecae Communalis Assisiensis," Archivum Franciscanum Historicum 25 (1932):386-7. 6Annelise Maier cites it in a debate with Philotheus Boehner over the title 'Notabilia'; Annelise Maier, note 15 to "Handschriftliches zu Wilhelm Ockham und Walter Burley," Ausgehendes Mittelalter...