Frontmatter

Translator's Preface

This translation of Book 1 Distinctions 11 to 25 of the Ordinatio (aka Opus Oxoniense) of Blessed John Duns Scotus is complete. These distinctions fill volume five 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.

Peter L.P. Simpson February, 2013

Titlepage

THE ORDINATIO OF BLESSED JOHN DUNS SCOTUS

Book One

Distinctions 11 to 25

Translated by Peter L. P. Simpson

Contents

Book One

Eleventh Distinction

          

Question 1: Whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son	Num. 1
I. To the Question	Num. 9
II. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 19
Question 2: Whether, if the Holy Spirit does not proceed from the Son, a real Distinction between him and the Son could stand. Num. 24
I. On the Question itself	Num. 27
II. Response to the Question
A. Opinion of Others	Num. 35
B. Against the Opinion	Num. 39
III. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 49
IV. To the Reasons for the Opinion of Others on the Question Num. 51

Twelfth Distinction

           

Question One: Whether the Father and the Son inspirit the Holy Spirit insofar as they are altogether One or insofar as they are Distinct Num. 1
I. Response to the Question	Num. 7
II. Whether the Father and the Son inspirit more by the Will insofar as it is One or insofar as it is Concordant	Num. 8
A. Opinion of Henry of Ghent	Num. 9
B. Against the Opinion of Henry	Num. 14
C. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 36
III. Whether the Father and the Son are one Inspiriter or two Inspiriters	Num. 42
IV. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 48
Question Two: Whether the Father and the Son uniformly inspirit the Holy Spirit	Num. 54
I. To the Question	Num. 60
II. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 63

Thirteenth Distinction

             

Single Question: Whether the Holy Spirit is generated, or whether the Production of the Holy Spirit is Generation or is Distinct from it	Num. 1
I. The Opinions of Others	Num. 7
A. First Opinion	Num. 8
B. Second Opinion	Num. 12
C. Third Opinion	Num. 16
D. Fourth Opinion	Num. 24
E. Fifth Opinion	Num. 27
F. Sixth Opinion
1. Exposition of the Opinion	Num. 30
2. Rejection of the Opinion	Num. 31
G. Seventh Opinion	Num. 43
II. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 77
III. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 82

Fourteenth, Fifteenth, and Sixteenth Distinctions

       

Single Question: Whether any Person at all may send any Person at all	Num. 1
I. Opinion of Peter Lombard	Num. 5
II. To the Question	Num. 11
III. To the Reasons of Peter Lombard	Num. 13
IV. How the Opinion of Lombard might be Held	Num. 15
V. To the Arguments against the Opinion of Lombard	Num. 17
IV. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 20

Seventeenth Distinction First Part On the Habit of Charity

                         

Question One: Whether it is necessary to posit a created Charity that formally inheres in a Nature capable of Beatification	Num. 1
Question Two: Whether it is necessary to posit in a Habit the idea of
Active Principle with respect to Act	Num. 6
I. To the Second Question
A. Five Ways of Giving a Solution are Expounded and Examined
1. First Way	Num. 21
2. Second Way	Num. 27
3. Third Way	Num. 32
4. Fourth Way	Num. 46
5. What one should think about the Four Ways	Num. 53
6. Fifth Way	Num. 55
B. Solution of the Question by Maintaining the Third Way	Num. 69
C. To the Arguments when Maintaining the Third Way	Num. 71
D. To the Principal Positive Arguments when Maintaining the Fourth Way	Num. 87
E. To the Arguments for the Fifth Way
II. To the First Question	Num. 92
A. The Opinion which is Attributed to Peter Lombard	Num. 101
1. Arguments for the Opinion attributed to Peter Lombard	Num. 102
2. Arguments against the Opinion attributed to Peter Lombard	Num. 113
B. Scotus’ own Response	Num. 125
1. Whether some Supernatural Habit needs to be Posited that gives Grace to a Nature Capable of being Beatified	Num. 126
2. Whether a Supernatural Habit giving it Grace has to be posited so that a Nature Capable of Beatification may be Beatified	Num. 160
3. About the Opinion of Peter Lombard	Num. 165
C. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 171
D. To the Arguments for the Opinion which is attributed to Peter Lombard	Num. 178

Appendix A

Seventeenth Distinction

Second Part

On the Manner of Increase in Charity

          

Question One: Whether the whole of pre-existing Charity is corrupted so that no Reality the same in Number remains in a greater and a lesser Charity	Num. 195
I. Opinion of Godfrey of Fontaines
A. Exposition of the Opinion	Num. 198
B. Rejection of the Opinion	Num. 202
II. To the Question	Num. 225
III. To the Arguments	Num. 226
Question Two: Whether that which is Positive in the Preexisting Charity, and which remains when there is Increase of Charity, is the whole Essence of the Intensified Charity	Num. 235
I. Opinion of Others	Num. 241
II. Scotus’ own Response to the Question	Num. 249
III. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 250

[Eighteenth Distinction On Gift and the Holy Spirit as Gift Lacking in the Ordinatio]

Nineteenth Distinction

                

Question One: Whether the Divine Persons are Equal in Magnitude	Num. 1
I. To the Question	Num. 5
A. About Equality Taken Properly	Num. 6
B. About Equality Taken Generally	Num. 8
C. How there is Equality in the Proposed Case	Num. 10
D. About Equality in the Divine Persons	Num. 11
II. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 18
Question Two: Whether each Person is in the other Person	Num. 29
I. To the Question	Num. 37
A. About the Mode in which a Person is in a Person
1. The Opinion of Henry of Ghent	Num. 38
2. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 50
3. To the Arguments for the Opinion of Henry	Num. 55
B. What the Idea is of the Being in of the Divine Persons	Num. 58
C. There is no Like Example in Creatures for the Being in of the Divine Persons	Num. 63
II. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 68

Twentieth Distinction

      

Single Question: Whether the Three Persons are Equal in Power	Num. 1
I. To the Question
A. Determination of the Question	Num. 11
B. Opinion of Others	Num. 16
C. Scotus’ own Opinion	Num. 24
II. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 35

Twenty First Distinction

   

Single Question: Whether this Proposition is true, ‘Only the Father is God’	Num. 1
I. To the Question	Num. 7
II. To the Principal Arguments	Num. 14

Twenty Second Distinction

   

Single Question: Whether God is Nameable by us with some Name signifying the Divine Essence in itself, as it is a ‘This’	Num. 1
I. The Opinion of Others	Num. 2
II. Scotus’ own Response	Num. 4

Appendix A

Twenty Third Distinction

   

Single Question: Whether Person, according as it says Something Common to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, says precisely Something of Second Intention	Num. 1
I. Opinion of Others	Num. 4
II. Scotus’ own Response	Num. 15

Twenty Fourth Distinction

 

Single Question: Whether Number properly exists in Divine Reality Num. 1

Twenty Fifth Distinction

   

Single Question: Whether Person in Divine Reality states Substance or Relation	Num. 1
I. Response to the Question	Num. 3
II. The Objections of Others	Num. 8