Henry of Harclay's Questions on Divine Prescience and Predestination

HENRY OF HARCLAY'S QUESTIONS ON DIVINE PRESCIENCE AND PREDESTINATION1 Henry of Barclay (c. 1270-1317) was among the first expositors, if not the first, of the teachings of Duns Scotus.2 He had read the Sentences in Paris around 1300, at the time when Duns Scotus was teaching there, and this early influence is seen in Harclay's own 1 I thank the National Endowment for the Humanities for the grant I received which allowed me to participate in a workshop in editing medieval texts at Catholic University, summer 1974. I am also grateful to Frs. R. Finlay, G. Gal and I. Brady for their many useful suggestions and kind help in preparing the text of the Questions. For the encouraging support of Frs. John O'Malley. Frederick McGinnes, and John McManamon I am most thankful. 2 For Harclay's life, works and an overview of his philosophy in his "Questions ," see F. Pelster, "Heinrich von Harclay, Kanzler von Oxford und seine Quastionen," Miscellanea Francesco Ehrle, I (Studi e Testi 37), Rome 1924, 307356 ; A. B. Emden, A Biographical Register of the University of Oxford to A.D. 1500, II, Oxford 1958, 874-875. Other articles dealing with Harclay or editions of his Questions include: F. Pelster, "Die Quaestio Heinrichs von Harclay Ueber die Zweite Ankunft Christi und die Erwartung des Baldigen Weltendes zu Anfang des XIV Jahrhunderts," Archivio italiano per Ia storia della pietà, I, Rome 1951, 25-82; F. Pelster, "Theologisch und philosophisch bedeutsame Quästionen des W. von Macclesfield O.P., H. von Harclay und anonymer Autoren der englischen Hochscholastik in cod. 501 Troyes," Scholastik, 28 (1953), 222-240; G. GaI, "Henricus de Harclay: Quaestio de Significato Conceptus Universalis," Franciscan Studies, 31 (1971), 178-234; J. Kraus, "Die Universalienlehre des Oxforder Kanzlers Henrich von Harclay und ihre Mittelstellung zwischen skotistischem Realismus und ockhamistischem Nominalismus," Divus Thomas (Fribourg), 10 (1932), 36-58, 475-508; 11 (1933), 76-96, 288-314; A. Maurer, "Henry of Harclay 's Question on the Univocity of Being," Mediaeval Studies, 16 (1954), i-x8; A. Maurer, "Henry of Harclay's Questions on Immortality," Mediaeval Studies, 19 (1957), 79~io7; A. Maurer, "Henry of Harclay's Questions on the Divine Ideas," Mediaeval Studies, 23 (1961), 163-193; A. Maurer, "St. Thomas and Henry of Harclay on Created Nature," III Congresso internazionale di filosofía medioevale, Milan 1966, 542-549; A. Maurer, "Henry of Harclay's Disputed Question on the Plurality of Forms," Essays in Honor of Anton Charles Pegis, Toronto 1974, 125-159; C. Balic, Adnotationes ad nonnullas quaestiones circa Ordinationem I. Duns Scott (Iohannis Duns Scott Opera Omnia, IV, Civitas Vaticana 1956), 1-46; I68MARK C. HENNINGER commentary on the first book of the Sentences.3 A later work, a series of Questions, have come down to us in which he shows more independence and maturity, although certain elements, like his vigorous anti-Thomism, remain intact.4 The two Questions here edited are taken from this later work and show how complex Harclay's relationship in his later thinking was to Duns Scotus.6 C. Balic, "Henricus de Harc'ey et Ioannes Duns Scotus," Mélanges offerts à Etienne Gilson, Toronto-Paris 1959, 93-121, 701-702; H. Schwamm, "Das göttliche Vorherwissen bei Duns Scotus und seinen ersten Anhängern," Philosophie und Grenzwissenschaften, V. Band, 1.-4. Heft, Innsbruck 1934, 186-206. 8 C. Balic, "Henricus de Harcley" cit., 93 ff. According to C. Balic, Harclay 's commentary on the second book of the Sentences is to be found in cod. Vat. Burgh. 346, fols, ir-iov, 2ir-93v. The authenticity of this work has been disputed by A. Maier, "Zu einigen Sentenzenkommentaren des 14. Jahrhunderts" and "Der anonyme Sententiarius des Borgh. 346," Archivum Franciscanum Historicum, 51 (1958), 369-409; 53 (i960), 3-29. The question of the dubious authenticity of Harclay's commentary on the second book of the Sentences does not directly concern this study since I will be using only his commentary on the first book of the Sentences whose authenticity has in fact been established by C. Balic. 4 These Questions are found in three codices: Vat. Burgh. 171, fols. ir-32V, Worcester Cath. Lib. F. 3, fols. 181V...