God and Creatures; The Quodlibetal Questions

by John Duns Scotus, Felix Alluntis (Translator), Allan B. Wolter (Translator)

This is the first major work of the famous mediaeval scholastic theologian John Duns Scotus to be translated into English in its entirety. One of the towering intellectual figures of his age, Scotus has had a lasting influence on Western philosophy comparable only to that of Thomas Aquinas.

The questions Scotus discusses on the subject "God and Creatures" were originally presented to him in the course of a quodlibetal dispute, a public debate popular in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. In revising the questions for publication, Scotus wove in much of his basic philosophy and theology, making this work one of the mainstays on which his reputation as a thinker depends.

The text of the English translation is based on the most authoritative version of the original Latin text. The extensive annotation and a glossary of technical terms permit each question to be read as an integral treatise in its own right.

Originally published in 1975.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Genres: Philosophy, Medieval

584 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 1975

About the author

John Duns, commonly called Duns Scotus (c. 1266 – 1308), is generally considered to be one of the three most important philosopher-theologians of the High Middle Ages. Scotus has had considerable influence on both Catholic and secular thought. The doctrines for which he is best known are the "univocity of being," that existence is the most abstract concept we have, applicable to everything that exists; the formal distinction, a way of distinguishing between different aspects of the same thing; and the idea of haecceity, the property supposed to be in each individual thing that makes it an individual. Scotus also developed a complex argument for the existence of God, and argued for the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

Duns Scotus was given the scholastic accolade Doctor Subtilis (Subtle Doctor) for his penetrating and subtle manner of thought. He was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1993.