John Baconthorpe, "Prince of the Averroists"?

JOHN BACONTHORPE, "PRINCE OF THE AVERROISTS"? The English Carmelite theologian, John Baconthorpe (c. 12901348 ),x has traditionally been listed as one of the members of the so-called "Latin Averroist" movement of the 14th century. Indeed Agostino Nifo called him the "Prince of the Averroists."2 But Etienne Gilson, following the work of B. Xiberta, disagrees with this conclusion : "From the list of Latin Averroists should be struck the name of the Carmelite John Baconthorp (Johannes Baco, d. 1345-48), who has, however, traditionally been called 'the prince of the Averroists .' "3 In order to resolve this conflict of judgments it is clearly necessary to investigate the works of Baconthorpe to discover what precisely he taught on the cluster of doctrines associated with Averroes ' name in the Middle Ages. In an article which appeared in Carmelus in 1971, I discussed at some length the position which Baconthorpe maintained on the relation of the intellective soul to the body.4 Because this problem is usually viewed as the central issue of medieval "Latin Averroism," it seemed necessary to ascertain precisely what Baconthorpe taught 1 For a discussion of the life, works and doctrinal orientation of Baconthorpe , cf. B. Xiberta, O.Carm., "De Magistro Iohanne Baconthorp, O. Carm.," Analecta Ordinis Carmelitanum, 6 (1927), 3-128 and De Scriptoribus Scholasticis Saeculi XIV ex Ordine Carmelitarum, Bibliothèque de la Revue d'Histoire Ecclésiastique , fase. 6 (Louvain, 1931), pp. 167-240. 2 Agostino Nifo, Augustini Niphi Suessani De Immortalitate Animae Libellus (Venetiis, 1518), f. 3. Authors who have put Baconthorpe in the camp of the Averroists include: Ernest Renan, Averroes et L'Averroisme (Paris: CalmannLevy , Editeurs, 1866), p. 318; B. Hauréau, Histoire de la philosophie (Paris: G. Pedone-Lauriel, 1880), part 2, tome 2, p. 441; H. Hurter, Nomenclátor Literarius Theologicae Catholicae (Oeniponte, 1906), 2nd edition, II, col. 544. 8 Etienne Gilson, History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages, (New York: Random House, 1955), p. 521. 4 James Etzwiler, "Baconthorpe and Latin Averroism," Carmelus, 18 {1971), 235-292. John Baconthorpe149 concerning the intellective soul in order to know whether he can justly be classified among the 14th century Averroists. Having examined the English Carmelite's view of the unicity of the intellect, I now propose to study his treatment of several other doctrines related to Averroism. But first one must know just what "Latin Averroism" signifies. Some historians deny that such a movement ever existed.5 Other historians wish to characterize Averroism as an attitude rather than a set of doctrines. This attitude or climate consisted, they contend, in the endeavor to explain Aristotle's views in such a way as to minimize any conflict between philosophy and the Christian faith.6 Still others view it rather more darkly as the thinly veiled attempt to subjugate faith to philosophy.7 Whatever the merits of these explanations of Averroism as an outlook or a conspiracy, they seem too vague and elusive to use in the attempt to decide whether or not John Baconthorpe was a Latin Averroist. It is better to accept a more clearly delineated notion of this movement and then investigate in detail how Baconthorpe responds to these specific issues. Pierre Madonnet, in his famous work, Siger de Brabant et l'Averroisme latin au XIIIme siècle,6 has noted four specific doctrines which seemed to characterize that movement he termed 'Latin Averroism.' These issues are: 1.)The unity of the intellect in all men. 2.)The denial of the creation and belief in the eternity of the world. 3.)The denial of divine providence. 4.)The denial of human liberty. Mandonnet contends that these four doctrines form the core of earlier Latin Averroism because these four doctrines sum up the tenets proscribed by the condemnation of Paris in 1277.' 5 See, for example, Fernand Van Steenberghen, Les oeuvres et la doctrine de Siger de Brabant, (Bruxelles: Palais des Academies, 1938), p. 181. 8 Aneliese Maier, "Wilhelm von Alnwicks Bologneser Quaestionem gegen den Averroismus," Gregorianum, 30 (1949), p. 304. 7 See, for example, Martin Grabmann, Der lateinische Averroismus des 13. Jahrhunderts und seine Stellung zur Christlichen Weltanschauung (München: Verlag der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, 1931), p. 4. 8...