Gonsalvus Hispanus ( es, Gonzalo de España; 1255 – 1313) was a Spanish

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

theologian and

scholastic philosopher Scholasticism was a medieval school of philosophy that employed a critical organic method of philosophical analysis predicated upon the Aristotelian 10 Categories. Christian scholasticism emerged within the monastic schools that translat ...

, who became

Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor Minister General is the term used for the leader or Superior General of the different branches of the Order of Friars Minor. It is a term exclusive to them, and comes directly from its founder, St. Francis of Assisi. He chose this word over "Super ...

. He was born at

Lugo Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population ...

. He taught at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

, where he carried out a disputation with

Meister Eckhart Eckhart von Hochheim ( – ), commonly known as Meister Eckhart, Master Eckhart

of the Franciscans there in 1304.

Dispute with Meister Eckhart

The origin of Gonsalvus's dispute with Eckhart has to do with the relative superiority of the will to that of the intellect in knowing God. Gonsalvus held that the will was superior since, through it, God is known as he actually is whereas the intellect only knows the image of God in the mind. Eckhart believed that the intellect was superior to the will in this regard since through it, God can be known without any of the human qualities with which the will invests its image of him. (Maurer's introduction)

Notes

External links

Bibliography of the works of Gonsalvus
{{Authority control 1250s births 1313 deaths Spanish Friars Minor Scholastic philosophers 14th-century Spanish Roman Catholic priests Ministers General of the Order of Friars Minor