Frontmatter

Translator's Preface

This translation of Book 1 Distinctions 4 to 10 of the Ordinatio (aka Opus Oxoniense) of Blessed John Duns Scotus is complete. It is based on volume four of the Vatican critical edition of the text edited by the Scotus Commission in Rome and published by Quarrachi.

I decided not to translate volume three, containing distinction 3, because a translation of that volume has been completed by Professor John van den Bercken and published by Fordham University Press, 2015. However distinction 3 in the Commentary on the Sentences by Antonius Andreas, one of Scotus’ most faithful students, is contained at the end in an appendix.

Scotus’ Latin is tight and not seldom elliptical, exploiting to the full the grammatical resources of the language to make his meaning clear (especially the backward references of his pronouns). In English this ellipsis must, for the sake of intelligibility, often be translated with a fuller repetition of words and phrases than Scotus himself gives. The possibility of mistake thus arises if the wrong word or phrase is chosen for repetition. The only check to remove error is to ensure that the resulting English makes the sense intended by Scotus. Whether this sense has always been captured in the translation that follows must be judged by the reader. In addition there are passages where not only the argumentation but the grammar too is obscure, and I cannot vouch for the success of my attempts to penetrate the obscurity. So, for these and the like reasons, comments and notice of errors from readers are most welcome.

Peter L.P. Simpson
March, 2016

Titlepage

THE ORDINATIO OF BLESSED JOHN DUNS SCOTUS
Book One

Distinctions 4 to 10

Translated by Peter L.P. Simpson

Contents

Book One
[Third Distinction. See Appendix

Fourth Distinction

First Part

On the Predication of Otherness in Divine Generation

 

Single Question: Whether this proposition is true ‘God generates another God’

Num. 1

Second Part

On the Predication of the Name of God in the Divine Persons

   

Single Question: Whether this proposition is true ‘God is Father and Son and Holy Spirit’	Num. 7
I. To the Question	Num. 9
II. To the Principal Argument	Num. 14

Appendix
[From the Cambridge Reportatio]

Fifth Distinction

First Part

On the Generation of the Divine Essence

      

Single Question: Whether the divine essence generates is or generated Num. 1
I. To the Question
A. Opinion of Abbot Joachim against Peter Lombard	Num. 8
B. Against the Opinion of Abbott Joachim	Num. 10
C. For the Opinion of Peter Lombard	Num. 12
II. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 25

Second Part

On the Generation of the Son

        

Single Question: Whether the Son is generated from the substance of the Father	Num. 46
I. The Opinion of Others	Num. 52
II. Scotus’ own Response to the Question
A. The Son is not Generated from the Substance of the Father as from Matter or Quasi-matter	Num. 93
B. The Son is truly from the Substance of the Father	Num. 98
C. How Relation and Essence can exist in the Same Person	Num. 106
III. To the Arguments of the Opinion of Others	Num. 142
IV. To the Arguments	Num. 150

Sixth Distinction

     

Single Question: Whether God the Father generated God the Son by Will	Num. 1
I. To the Question	Num. 7
A. How the Father generates the Son willingly	Num. 8
B. How the Father does not Generate the Son by Will as by Productive Principle	Num. 16
II. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 30

Seventh Distinction

              

Question 1: Whether the Power of Generating in the Father is something Absolute or a Property of the Father	Num. 1
I. The Opinions of Others
A. First Opinion	Num. 9
B. Second Opinion	Num. 18
II. To the Question
A. On the Distinction of Powers	Num. 27
B. The Father’s Power of Generating is Something Absolute	Num. 35
C. To the Form of the Question	Num. 65
III. To the Arguments
A. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 66
B. To the Arguments against the First Opinion	Num. 74
Question 2: Whether there can be several Sons in Divine Reality	Num. 92
I. The Opinions of Others	Num. 93
II. To the Question	Num. 101

Eighth Distinction

First Part

On the Simplicity of God

                              

Question 1: Whether God is supremely Simple	Num. 1
I. To the Question	Num. 5
A. Proof of the Simplicity of God through Particular Middle Terms	Num. 6
B. Proof of the Simplicity of God through Common Middle Terms	Num. 16
II. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 20
Question 2: Whether any Creature is Simple	Num. 27
I. To the Question
A. The Opinion of Others	Num. 29
B. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 32
II. To the Arguments	Num. 35
Question 3: Whether along with the Divine Simplicity stands the fact that God, or anything formally said of God, is in a Genus	Num. 39
I. First Opinion
A. Exposition of the Opinion	Num. 44
B. Reasons against the Opinion	Num. 51
C. To the Arguments for the Opinion	Num. 80
II. Second Opinion	Num. 90
III. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 95
A. Proof of the First Part of the Opinion	Num. 96
B. Proof of the Second Part of the Opinion
1. By the Reasons of Augustine and Avicenna	Num. 97
2. By what is Proper to God	Num. 100
3. Statement and Refutation of Some People’s Proof	Num. 116
IV. To the Arguments for the Second Opinion	Num. 128
V. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 136
Question 4: Whether along with the Divine Simplicity can stand a Distinction of Essential Perfections preceding the Act of the Intellect	Num. 157
I. The Opinions of Others	Num. 159
A. First Opinion	Num. 160
B. Second Opinion	Num. 174
II. To the Question	Num. 191
III. To the Principal Argument	Num. 218

Appendix
[From the Cambridge Reportatio]

Second Part

On the Immutability of God

             

Single Question: Whether only God is Immutable	Num. 223
I. God is Simply Immutable	Num. 226
II. Nothing else besides God has Immutability	Num. 230
A. Of the Intention of the Philosophers
1. The Opinion of Henry of Ghent	Num. 232
2. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 250
B. Reasons for and against the True Intention of the Philosophers
1. Reasons on behalf of this Intention	Num. 259
2. Reasons against this Intention	Num. 263
C. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 292
III. To the Principal Arguments
A. To the Principal Argument	Num. 294
B. To the Reasons for the Intention of the Philosophers	Num. 302

Ninth Distinction

   

Single Question: Whether the Generation of the Son in Divine Reality is Eternal	Num. 1
I. Solution of the Question	Num. 6
II. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 12

Tenth Distinction

       

Single Question: Whether the Holy Spirit is produced through the Act and Mode of the Will	Num. 1
I. Solution of the Question	Num. 6
II. Doubts	Num. 10
A. Response of Henry to the Two first Doubts	Num. 13
B. Against the Response of Henry	Num. 25
C. Scotus’ own Response	Num. 30
III. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 59

Appendix
[Scotus’ extended annotation to n.41 and from the Cambridge Reportatio]