The Ordinatio of John Duns Scotus :: Ordinatio. Book 4. Distinctions 43

Frontmatter

Titlepage

The Ordinatio of Blessed John Duns Scotus

Book 4. Distinctions 4 - 49

Translated by Peter L.P. Simpson

Translator's Preface

This translation of Book IV dd.43-49 of the Ordinatio (aka Opus Oxoniense) of Blessed John Duns Scotus is complete. These distinctions fill volume fourteen of the Vatican critical edition of the Latin text edited by the Scotus Commission in Rome and published by Quarrachi.

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.

Note: this volume of the critical text seems to be less well edited than most earlier volumes, and has some infelicities of division and subtitle, as well as of punctuation and grammatical marking, that have had to be changed in the translation. Not all these changes seemed significant enough to need indicating in footnotes.

Peter L.P. Simpson January, 2020

Book Four

Forty Third Distinction

Question One: Whether there will be a General Resurrection of Men	Num. 1
I. To the Question	Num. 9
A. About the Possibility of the Resurrection
1. First Opinion
a. Exposition of the Opinion	Num. 10
b. Rejection of the Opinion	Num. 13
2. Second Opinion
a. Exposition of the Opinion	Num. 26
b. Rejection of the Opinion	Num. 27
3. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 30
B. About the Fact of the Resurrection	Num. 34
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 38
Question Two: Whether it can be Known by Natural Reason that there will be a General Resurrection of Men	Num. 44
I. To the Question	Num. 52
A. About the Three Propositions for Proving the Resurrection of Man	Num. 53
1. About the First Proposition, that ‘the Intellective Soul is the Form of Man’
a. The Opinion of Others and the Weighing and Putting Together of it	Num. 55
α. Proof by Authorities from Philosophers	Num. 57
β. Proof by Natural Reasons	Num. 60
2. About the Second Proposition, that ‘the Intellective Soul is Incorruptible or Immortal’	Num. 93
a. Proof through Authorities of Philosophers	Num. 94
b. Proof through Authorities of Doctors	Num. 100
α. The Proofs of the Philosophers are not Demonstrative	Num. 103
β. To the Arguments of the Doctors	Num. 123
3. About the Third Proposition, that ‘The Specific Form of Man will not Perpetually Remain Outside its Whole’	Num. 125
B. Recapitulation of the Things Said about the Three Propositions	Num. 131
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 138
Question Three: Whether Nature Could be the Active Cause of Resurrection	Num. 156
I. To the Question	Num. 162
A. Whether Nature Can Universally Bring Back Some Corruptible Thing the Same in Number
1. First Opinion, which is That of the Philosophers
a. Exposition of the Opinion by Augustine	Num. 164
b. Rejection of the Opinion
α. Through Scriptural Authorities	Num. 166
β. By Reason	Num. 167
2. Second Opinion	Num. 173
3. Third Opinion	Num. 182
4. Scotus’ own Judgment about these Opinions	Num. 190
5. To the Arguments for the Second and Third Opinions	Num. 192
B. Whether it is Possible for Nature to Bring Back the Same Mixed Body	Num. 212
C. Whether Nature Could Reunite the Intellective Soul to the Dissolved Mixed Body so that it be the Same Man
1. Opinion of Others and its Refutation	Num. 215
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 221
Question Four: Whether the Resurrection is Natural	Num. 225
I. To the Question
A. About the Meaning of the Term ‘Natural’	Num. 231
B. Objection against What has been Said and its Solution	Num. 238
C. Conclusion of What has been Said	Num. 243
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 246
Question Five: Whether the Future Resurrection will be Instantaneous	Num. 248
I. To the Question	Num. 256
A. About the Collection of the Parts of the Body	Num. 257
B. About the Inducing of the Form of the Body into the Matter	Num. 259
C. About the Union of the Soul with the Body	Num. 267
D. Two Small Doubts	Num. 274
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 283

Forty Fourth Distinction

First Part

About the Resurrection of the Whole Man in Truth of Human Nature

Single Question: Whether, in the Case of Every Man, the Whole that Belonged to the Truth of Human Nature in him will Rise Again	Num. 1
I. To the Question	Num. 8
A. About the Manner of Nutrition
1. First Opinion
a. Exposition of the Opinion	Num. 9
b. Rejection of the Opinion	Num. 10
2. Second Opinion
a. Exposition of the Opinion	Num. 13
b. Rejection of the Opinion	Num. 17
3. Scotus’ own Response
a. First Conclusion	Num. 20
b. Second Conclusion	Num. 22
c. Third Conclusion	Num. 24
d. Fourth Conclusion	Num. 27
4. To the Foundations of the Second Opinion	Num. 35
B. How in the Resurrection the Flesh Returns the Same
1. First Conclusion	Num. 42
2. Second Conclusion	Num. 44
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 52

Second Part

About the Condition of Malignant Spirits and Damned Men in Respect of Infernal Fire

Question One: Whether Infernal Fire will Torment the Malignant Spirits	Num. 61
I. To the Question
A. First Opinion and its Rejection	Num. 70
B. Second Opinion and its Rejection	Num. 73
C. Scotus’ own Response to the Question	Num. 77
1. About Pain Properly Speaking	Num. 79
2. About Sadness	Num. 83
a. About the Disagreeable Object or About the Infernal Fire Definitively Detaining a Spirit	Num. 85
b. About the Disagreeable Object or About the Infernal Fire Objectively Affecting a Spirit	Num. 95
c. Objections Against Both Ways	Num. 104
d. Response to the Objections	Num. 108
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 113
Question Two: Whether Damned Men will be Tormented by Infernal Fire after the Judgment	Num. 121
I. To the Question
A. About the Action, Real and Intentional, of the Infernal Fire on the Damned	Num. 125
B. About the Sufficiency of the Intentional Action for Causing Pain in the Damned	Num. 128
C. About the Sufficiency of the Intentional Effect Alone	Num. 133
D. About the More Probable Possibility of Admitting Real Effect	Num. 142
E. Objections to the Third Article	Num. 147
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 154

Forty Fifth Distinction

Overview of Questions	Num. 1
Question One: Whether in God there is Justice	Num. 3
I. To the Question
A. First Opinion about the Definition of Justice and its Distinctions	Num. 7
B. Scotus’ own Response	Num. 28
1. About the Justice that is in God
2. About Justice in Creatures	Num. 35
C. Difficulties as to the Definition of Divine Justice, and the Solution of Them	Num. 37
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 46
Question Two: Whether in God there is Mercy	Num. 48
I. To the Question	Num. 52
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 58
Question Three: Whether in God Justice is Distinguished from Mercy	Num. 60
I. To the Question	Num. 63
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 67
Question Four: Whether, in the Punishment of the Bad, Mercy Goes Along with Justice on the Part of God as Punisher	Num. 79
I. To the Question
A. The Common Response
1. Exposition of It	Num. 86
2. Weighing of It	Num. 90
B. Scotus’ own Response	Num. 94
1. What the Punishment of the Bad is
a. About the Essence of Punishment or about Sadness	Num. 95
b. About the Four Forms of Sadness
α. About the Privation of the Honorable Good, or of Grace, by Guilt	Num. 97
β. About the Privation of the Advantageous Good, namely Beatitude	Num. 98
γ. About the Double Positive Disagreeable	Num. 99
2. Whether the Punishment of the Bad is from God, or about the Four Penalties
a. About the First and Second Penalty or Punishment	Num. 101
b. About the Third and Fourth Penalty or Punishment	Num. 102
3. Whether Justice Goes Along with the Aforesaid Punishments or Penalties of the Bad	Num. 105
a. About God’s Justice in the First Penalty	Num. 107
b. About God’s Justice in the Second Penalty
α. Exposition	Num. 110
β. Two Objections and Response to the First	Num. 112
γ. Response to the Second	Num. 122
c. About God’s Justice in the Third Penalty	Num. 127
d. About God’s Justice in the Fourth Penalty	Num. 128
e. About God’s Justice in the Other Four Penalties	Num. 129
4. Whether Mercy Goes Along with the Punishment of the Bad	Num. 130
a. Opinion of Thomas Aquinas
α. Exposition of the Opinion	Num. 131
β. Refutation of the Opinion	Num. 134
b. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 139
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 145

Question One: Whether there is a Future Universal Judgment	Num. 1
I. To the Question
A. About the Divisions of Judgment	Num. 11
B. About the General Judgment	Num. 20
C. About the Acts of Judgment to be Passed that Precede and Complete it	Num. 26
D. Doubts about the Universal Judgment
1. First Doubt	Num. 27
2. Second Doubt	Num. 34
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 36
Question Two: Whether the World is to be Purged by Fire	Num. 40
I. To the Question
A. Needed Preliminaries	Num. 43
B. About the Production of Infernal Fire	Num. 46
C. About the Place of Infernal Fire	Num. 48
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 52

Question One: Whether Christ will Judge in Human Form	Num. 1
I. To the Question
A. Opinion of Thomas Aquinas
1. Exposition of the Opinion	Num. 8
2. Rejection of the Opinion in Itself	Num. 16
3. Rejection of the Conclusions of the Opinion	Num. 20
B. Scotus’ own Response to the Question	Num. 29
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 36
Question Two: Whether in or after the Judgment the Motion of the Heavenly Bodies will Cease	Num. 43
I. To the Question	Num. 53
A. About the Opinion of Aristotle	Num. 64
B. About the Opinion of the Theologians	Num. 65
C. Scotus’ own Response
1. Neither Way or Conclusion is Proved Necessarily	Num. 72
2. A More Probable Proof of Both Ways	Num. 75
3. Objections against the Second Way	Num. 80
4. Rejection of the Aforesaid Objections	Num. 84
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 91
III. To the Reasons for Aristotle’s Opinion	Num. 97

Question One: Whether Beatitude Consists per se in Operation	Num. 1
Question Two: Whether Beatitude Perfects the Essence of the Blessed more Immediately than the Power	Num. 15
I. To the Second Question
A. Opinion of Henry of Ghent
1. Exposition of the Opinion
a. About the Opinion Itself and the Manner of Positing it	Num. 20
b. Reasons Adduced for the Opinion	Num. 23
2. Rejection of the Opinion
a. Against the Opinion in Itself	Num. 29
b. Against the Reasons Adduced for the Opinion Num. 33
α. About the First Reason	Num. 34
β. About the Second Reason	Num. 38
γ. About the Third Reason	Num. 43
δ. About the Fourth Reason	Num. 47
B. Scotus’ own Response
1. A Double Understanding of the Question is Possible Num. 51
2. What View Should be Held	Num. 57
C. To the Initial Arguments of the Second Question
1. Response to the Individual Arguments	Num. 73
2. An Objection to these Responses and its Solution	Num. 77
II. To the First Question	Num.
A. About the Thing of Beatitude
1. First Conclusion	Num. 80
2. Second Conclusion	Num. 86
3. Third Conclusion	Num. 95
B. About the Name of Beatitude	Num. 106
C. Response to the Question	Num. 113
D. To the Initial Arguments of the First Question
1. To the First Argument	Num. 117
2. To the Second Argument	Num. 120
3. To the Third and Fourth	Num. 122
4. To the Fifth	Num. 130
Question Three: Whether Beatitude Consists per se in Several Operations Together	Num. 138
I. To the Question
A. Opinions of Others
1. Opinion of Richard of Middleton	Num. 147
2. Opinion of Thomas Aquinas	Num. 152
B. Scotus’ own Response	Num. 155
C. To the Arguments for the Opinion of Richard	Num. 164
D. To the Reason for the Opinion of Thomas	Num. 169
II. To the Initial Arguments for Each Part	Num. 170
Question Four: Whether Beatitude Consists per se in an Act of Intellect or of Will	Num. 174
I. To the Question	Num. 182
A. Opinion of Thomas Aquinas
1. Exposition of the Opinion	Num. 183
2. Rejection of the Opinion	Num. 189
B. Scotus’ own Response to Each Part of the Question	Num. 210
1. Argumentation from the First Middle Term, namely from the Object, and the Weighing of it	Num. 211
2. Argumentation from the Second Middle Term, namely from the Habit, and the Weighing of it	Num. 225
3. Argumentation from the Third Middle Term, namely from the Comparison of Act with Act, and the Weighing of it	Num. 234
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 262
Question Five: Whether Beatitude Simply Consists in the Act of Will that is Enjoyment	Num. 267
I. To the Question
A. Two Possible Conclusions	Num. 275
1. About the First Conclusion	Num. 276
2. About the Second Conclusion	Num. 286
B. A Difficulty	Num. 289
1. First Solution	Num. 290
2. Another Solution	Num. 297
3. Conclusion	Num. 300
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 302
Question Six: Whether Perpetual Security of Possession Belongs to the Essence of Beatitude	Num. 307
I. To the Question	Num. 314
A. About the Perpetuity of Beatitude
1. About the Reality of such Perpetuity	Num. 315
2. Doubts about such Perpetuity	Num. 320
a. Three Positions or Opinions are Set Down about the First Doubt	Num. 321
α. Reasons for and against the First Opinion	Num. 324
β. Reply to the Aforesaid Reasons	Num. 332
γ. What is to be Said about the Second Opinion	Num. 340
δ. What is to be Said about the Third Opinion	Num. 344
ε. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 348
ζ. A Doubt and its Solution	Num. 349
η. To the Authorities from Augustine	Num. 353
θ. Further Explanation of the Aforesaid, to Make it More Evident	Num. 364
b. About the Second Doubt	Num. 372
α. Scotus’ own Response	Num. 379
c. About the Third Doubt	Num. 380
α. Rejection of Thomas’ Reasons	Num. 382
B. On the Secure Possession of the Blessed	Num. 392
1. Explication of Possession, Taken in Four Ways	Num. 397
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 402

Single Question: Whether the Body of a Blessed Man will, after the Resurrection, be Impassible	Num. 406
I. To the Question	Num. 412
A. A Doubt about the Cause of Impassibility, and its Rejection	Num. 414
1. Scotus’ own Explanation of the Reasons about Impassibility	Num. 420
a. About the First Opinion of Others	Num. 427
b. About the Second Opinion of Others	Num. 439
c. About the Third Opinion of Others	Num. 434
B. Scotus’ own Response	Num. 437
1. Objections against Scotus’ own Response	Num. 438
2. Confutation of the Objections
a. To the First Objection	Num. 441
b. To the Second Objection	Num. 444
c. To the Third Objection	Num. 446
3. Scotus’ own Response to Others’ Reasons	Num. 447
II. To the Initial Arguments	Num. 450

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Frontmatter

Titlepage

Translator's Preface

Contents