Translator's Preface

This translation of Book I d.3 of the Ordinatio (aka Opus Oxoniense) of Blessed John Duns Scotus is complete. This distinction fills volume three 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 text has already been translated by John van den Bercken, On Being and Cognition: Ordinatio 1.3 Fordham University Press, 2016. The translation given here, while cognizant of that translation and benefiting much from it, is independent of it and is offered for the sake of completeness, so as not to leave unfinished this project to translate online all the volumes of the new critical text of the Ordinatio. Quod cum factum sit, Deo gratias.

Peter L.P. Simpson

October, 2020