Light and Glory: The Transfiguration of Christ in Early Franciscan and Dominican Theology

5. John of La Rochelle

86 5 JOHN OF LA ROCHELLE After Guerric’s question on the transfiguration, the next systematic reflection on the transfiguration is John of La Rochelle’s Quaestio de transfiguratione, a question that was inserted into the Summa fratris Alexandri by the original editors of that work, of whom John was one. Almost nothing is known of John’s life before he became a Franciscan master of theology at the University of Paris. He seems to have studied under Alexander of Hales and later occupied the second chair of theology in the Franciscan studium generale. In addition to teaching, John worked closely with Alexander of Hales and other Franciscan theologians to compile the Summa fratris Alexandri; indeed he may have composed much of Book One (on God) and Book Three (on Christ) before he died in 1245.1 Book Three contains John’s question on the transfiguration; this question bears the distinction of being the longest and most exhaustive examination of Christ’s transfiguration in the thirteenth century. This chapter will examine in detail both the content and literary context of John’s question and his exegesis of the transfiguration narratives of the synoptic gospels. All three of John’s commentaries survive but have received little study. As this chapter will show, John made enormous contributions to the development of scholastic theology . Not only does his question on the transfiguration demonstrate unprecedented thoroughness, but the distinctions he makes and his 1. See Ludwig Hödl,“Johannes de Rupella,” LexMA: 598. On John’s various works in the Summa fratris Alexandri, see Victorin Doucet, Prolegomena in librum III necnon in libros I et II “Summae fratris Alexandri,” in Alexander of Hales, Summa theologica, t. 4, CCXI–CCXXVII. JohN of LA roCheLLe 87 method of exegesis are more sophisticated than those of a decade or so earlier. John’s investigation of the transfiguration, along with that of Albert the Great, marks a new stage in theological reflection on this event of Christ’s life. De transfiguratione or De demonstratione resurrectionis Christi In the question on the transfiguration, John drew from Alexander’s teaching, but the format of John’s question is very different from Alexander ’s. Compared to Alexander of Hales’ Quaestio de transfiguratione Christi, this question is much longer and more thorough in its investigation and treatment of the transfiguration. Not only are many more questions raised, but John applies more sophisticated distinctions in his answers as well. Although not all of John’s answers are as complex as those of subsequent theologians, the wide range of questions he poses render this the most complete treatment of the transfiguration in the thirteenth century. Unlike Alexander’s and Guerric’s disputed questions,however,John’s question on the transfiguration has a literary context. That is, it was inserted into a summa, which possessed a certain organization. Therefore, it is appropriate to situate this question within the literary structure of the whole summa before analyzing its content. Like the Summa theologiae of Thomas Aquinas, the Summa fratris Alexandri is composed of three main sections called books. The first two books are divided into two parts each, and the third book has three parts. This organization of the Summa, however, as it exists in its unfinished state, does not reveal the full intention of the authors. The general structure of the Summa was to resemble that of Peter Lombard’s Sentences, but with far more detail. The most illuminating passage of the Summa, the prologue to Book Three is so instructive that the editors appended it as a general prologue to the entire work.2 Here are two key passages from that text: 2. See the editors’ note on the general prologue in Summa theologica, t. 1. 88 JohN of LA roCheLLe The whole discipline of the Christian faith pertains to two things: to faith and understanding of the Creator and to faith and understanding of the Savior. Hence Isaiah the prophet, speaking in the person of the Lord, says in 43:10–11,“that you may believe me, and understand that I myself am. Before me there was no God formed, and after me there shall be none. I am, I am the Lord: and there is no savior beside me.” A catholic inquiry into those things which pertain to the faith is fourfold: the first part pertains to knowledge of the substance of the divine Trinity and Unity; the second to...