THE INVESTIGATION INTO WILLIAM of OCKHAM in the Early 1320S

CHAPTER FIVE THE INVESTIGATION INTO WILLIAM OF OCKHAM In the early 1320s, William of Ockham found himself in diffi culty over his writings. He was investigated by his own order, and subsequently summoned to Avignon so that his writings could be examined for errors. While Ockham’s confl ict with the papacy is an important event in the history of medieval religion, much of it took place outside the confi nes of Oxford and England in general, and are therefore outside the general scope of this book. As a result, only the earliest develop- ments will be examined in detail here. William of Ockham and John Lutterell Ockham was born at Ockham in Surrey around 1287.1 He was received into the Franciscan order quite young, before he was 14, and most likely received his basic philosophical education at the Franciscan house at London. He was probably ordained as a subdeacon in Southwark in 1306, and was licensed to hear confessions by the bishop of Lincoln in 1318.2 Th ere is some possibility, but no evidence, that he studied briefl y at Paris; eventually he was sent to Oxford, where he lectured on the Sentences of Lombard from 1317 to 1319 (although it is possible that he lectured fi rst at London and then at Oxford in that period).3 He would have lectured on the Bible for a year starting in 1319. In 1321, he was appointed lecturer in philosophy at one of the Franciscan schools, most likely the London house. As a ‘formed bachelor’, he was waiting for his order to assign him the opportunity to proceed to the doctorate, but because the number of positions was limited and the waiting list substantial, as events turned out he never received that opportunity; consequently he was nicknamed ‘the 1 William Courtenay, “Ockham, William (c.1287–1347)”, in ODNB, 41:422–28; William Courtenay, Ockham and Ockhamism: Studies in the Dissemination and Impact of His Th ought, (Leiden, 2008), pp. 91–105. 2 Emden, BRUO, 2:1384–87; Courtenay, “Ockham, William,” p. 423. 3 Courtenay, Ockham and Ockhamism, pp. 97–98. the investigation into william of ockham 77 Venerable Inceptor’, since he never received his doctorate.4 During the period down to 1324, Ockham was writing prolifi cally, producing commentaries on Porphyry and several of Aristotle’s works, a Summa on logic, a treatise on predestination and future contingents, several Quodlibets, and possibly his treatises on the Eucharist.5 Ockham’s writings began to attract attention from those in his order, and John of Reading, Walter Chatton, and Pseudo-Campsall all opposed him, particularly on issues related to universals, but also on questions of grace and justifi cation and transubstantiation. In 1323, or more probably 1324 as we will see, he was investigated at a Franciscan provincial chapter. Soon thereaft er he was summoned to Avignon to answer charges of error directed against his writings. While at Avignon he came into close contact with Michael of Cesena and Bonagratia of Bergamo, who were coming to the conclusion that John XXII’s position on the poverty of Christ was heretical. On May 26th, 1328, he fl ed with them to the court of Emperor Ludwig IV, and ultimately wound up at the Franciscan house at Munich, where he died in 1347. Th e other major fi gure we must consider here is John Lutterell.6 About his early life we know nothing other than that he was illegiti- mate, was ordained a priest before 1304, and received dispensation to be absent from his benefi ces while studying at Oxford. He received a doctorate in theology by 1317; in October of that year he was elected as chancellor of the university of Oxford.7 As we saw in the previous chapter, the Dominicans had disputed a rule of the university that required a period of regency in arts as a precondition for inception in theology. In 1313, they submitted to arbitration on the issue, but were dissatisfi ed when it was ruled that they would have to obey the university’s statutes. Th ey appealed the ruling to the papal curia, and upon becoming chancellor, Lutterell traveled to Avignon to pursue the university’s case against them. In 1318, he returned to England and helped present the university’s position in front of a cardinal who ruled largely in the university’s favor.8 Despite this, the confl ict with the friars continued 4 Courtenay, “Ockham, William,” p. 423. 5 Philotheus Boehner, “Der Stand der Ockham-Forschung,” in Philotheus Boehner, Collected Articles on Ockham, ed. Eligius M. Buytaert, (St Bonventure, 1958), pp. 1–23, at pp. 7–13; Courtenay, “Ockham, William,” p. 423; Ockham and Ockhamism, pp. 98–99. 6 Emden, BRUO, 2:1384–87; William Courtenay, “Lutterell, John (d.1335),” in ODNB, 34:805–06. 7 Snappe’s Formulary, pp. 70–71. 8 Emden, BRUO, 2:1181; Courtenay, “Lutterell, John.”.

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