Gerard of Abbeville (1220-1272) was a theologian from the
University of Paris. He formally became a theologian in 1257 and from then was known as an opponent of the
mendicant orders, particularly in the second stage of the conflict, taking part in a concerted attack that temporarily affected their privileges.
His ''Contra adversarium perfectionis christianae'' of c. 1269, in support of
William of St Amour, argued that extreme emphasis on poverty contradicted the Aristotelian doctrine of the mean and undermined the basis of pastoral work. It provoked replies from
Thomas Aquinas and
Bonaventure. From the
Franciscan side, Bonaventure wrote ''Apologia pauperum'', and
John Peckham
John Peckham (c. 1230 – 8 December 1292) was Archbishop of Canterbury in the years 1279–1292. He was a native of Sussex who was educated at Lewes Priory and became a Friar Minor about 1250. He studied at the University of Paris under B ...
wrote his ''Tractatus pauperis''. The
Dominican Aquinas wrote his case on the "state of perfection" in ''De Perfectione Vitae Spiritualis contra Doctrinam Retrahentium a Religione'' (1270).
On
trinitarian theology, however, Gerard was much closer to the emerging Franciscan view. With Aquinas, he was one of the developers of the ''
quodlibet'' genre of open philosophical discussion, flourishing for about a century from his time. His polemics used a combination of quodlibets and sermons.
He was a major benefactor to the
Sorbonne library, leaving it around 300 books and manuscripts; his collection was based on that of
Richard de Fournival
Richard de Fournival or Richart de Fornival (1201 – ?1260) was a medieval philosopher and trouvère perhaps best known for the '' Bestiaire d'amour'' ("The Bestiary of Love").
Life
Richard de Fournival was born in Amiens on October 10, 1201. He ...
, outstanding in Europe in his time.
[Jeremiah Hackett, ''Roger Bacon and the Sciences: Commemorative Essays'' (1997), p. 16.]
Notes
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerard Of Abbeville
People from Abbeville
1272 deaths
13th-century French Catholic theologians
Scholastic philosophers
Year of birth unknown
1220 births