John De La Rochelle, O.F.M. (also known as Jean de La Rochelle, John of Rupella, and Johannes de Rupella; 1200 – 8 February 1245), was a French

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 ...

and

theologian Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

Life

He was born in

La Rochelle La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...

(

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

: ''Rupella''), towards the end of the 12th century, and seems to have entered the Franciscan Order at an early age. He was a pupil of

Alexander of Hales Alexander of Hales (also Halensis, Alensis, Halesius, Alesius ; 21 August 1245), also called ''Doctor Irrefragibilis'' (by Pope Alexander IV in the ''Bull De Fontibus Paradisi'') and ''Theologorum Monarcha'', was a Franciscan friar, theologian a ...

and was the first Franciscan to receive a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

of theology from 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 ...

. He produced multiple treatises, sermons, commentaries on scripture, and also played a large role in the ''Summa fratris Alexandri'', a theological ''

Summa Summa and its diminutive summula (plural ''summae'' and ''summulae'', respectively) was a medieval didactics literary genre written in Latin, born during the 12th century, and popularized in 13th century Europe. In its simplest sense, they might ...

'' written by Alexander. “Hales left the beginnings of the theological Summa, and it was completed by John of la Rochelle and others”. By 1238, he was a master of theology, with his own pupils, for his name is found in the list of masters convoked in that year by

William of Auvergne, Bishop of Paris William of Auvergne (1180/90–1249) was a French theologian and philosopher who served as Bishop of Paris from 1228 until his death. He was one of the first western European philosophers to engage with and comment extensively upon Aristotelia ...

, to discuss the question of ecclesiastical

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

s. “For Jean de la Rochelle, theology is essentially wisdom…Jean deems that three things are required for a theologian: knowledge, a holy life, and teaching. Someone who teaches Scripture should have a solid doctoral formation, but should also embody in himself sacred knowledge by his good will and moral actions, before practicing his profession upon others through teaching and preaching”. In dissensions which rent the Franciscan order, John was one of the opponents of Brother Elias, and with Alexander of Hales was involved in discussions that led to the plot which brought about Elias' downfall in 1239. When the 1241 Chapter of

Definitor {{Catholic Church hierarchy sidebar, Administrative and pastoral titles In the Catholic Church, a definitor (Latin for 'one who defines') is a title with different specific uses. There are secular definitors, who have a limited amount of oversight ...

s called for comments on disputed questions on the Franciscan Rule, the Province of Paris asked John of La Rochelle, together with

, Robert of Bascia and Odo of Rigaud, to furnish an explanation of the

Rule of St. Francis Francis of Assisi founded three orders and gave each of them a special rule. Here, only the rule of the first order is discussed, i.e., that of the Order of Friars Minor. Origin and contents of the rule Origin Whether St. Francis wrote several ...

. The work received the approbation of the

General Chapter A chapter ( la, capitulum or ') is one of several bodies of clergy in Roman Catholic, Old Catholic, Anglican, and Nordic Lutheran churches or their gatherings. Name The name derives from the habit of convening monks or canons for the read ...

of the Order held at

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

in 1242, and subsequently became known as the "Exposition of the Four Masters." He died in 1245, the same year as his teacher Alexander of Hales.

Works

His works, the ''Tractatus de divisione potentiarum animae'' (''A Treatise on the Multiple Divisions of the Soul’s Power''), written c. 1233, and ''Summa de anima'' (''Summa on the Soul''), written c. 1235, were arguably some of his best. Father Fidelis of

Fanna Fanna ( Standard Friulian: ; Western Friulian: ; german: Fuan) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pordenone in the Italian region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, located about northwest of Trieste and about northeast of Pordenone. Fanna ...

says (on the ''Summa'') that no subject is to be found so frequently in manuscripts of the 13th and 14th centuries in the many European libraries he searched. There also exist ''summae'' on the virtue, vices, the articles of the faith, and the ten commandments; many biblical commentaries; sermons, and disputed questions on grace and other theological topics. John was among those who declared against the general lawfulness of plurality. He appears to have enjoyed a favorable reputation, and is described by

Bernard of Besse Bernard of Besse was a French Friar Minor and chronicler. He was a native of Aquitaine, with date of birth uncertain; he belonged to the custody of Cahors and was secretary to St. Bonaventure. He took up the pen after the Seraphic Doctor, he tells ...

as a professor of great fame for holiness and learning, whose writings were both solid and extremely useful. The main aim of the ''Summa de anima'' is to set out Jean's position on being and essence in the context of the debate between those who defend the theory that all of created being is composed of matter and form, and those who, like Thomas Aquinas later would, rejected the doctrine which attributed a composite nature to the soul. Jean investigates the soul according to the four Aristotelian causes: material, efficient, formal, and final. He states what he believes to be intellectual cognition, “while nonetheless retaining certain Avicennian doctrines”.Gracia, Jorge J. E. and Timothy B. Noone (eds). ''A companion to Philosophy in the Middle Ages'' (Malden MA: Blackwell 2003) Going deeper into the investigation of the soul, Jean introduces a doctrine that distinguishes the soul into two levels of reason: higher and lower. The levels of the soul are distinguished according to their objects: the objects of higher reasoning can be classified as a spiritual being, and the objects of lower reasoning are classified as corporeal. “Following Augustine, Jean classifies the objects of knowledge further by dividing them into four categories: beings above, beside, in, or beneath the soul”.Bowman, Leonard ''The Development of the Doctrine of the Agent Intellect in the Franciscan School of the Thirteenth Century''. Modern Schoolman: A Quarterly Journal of Philosophy, Volume 50, 1973 He also proposes a different agent intellect for each class of objects: the immanent agent intellect suitable for corporeal beings, and two further agent intellects: one for beings outside the soul, such as angels, and one for the being above the soul, God himself. The distinction between the agent intellect outside the soul and the one above the soul, also shows Augustine's heavy influence on Jean, since similar doctrines are found in Augustine's work ''On Spirit and the Soul''. Jean's idea here is similar to Avicenna's views on separate intelligence, in relation to a separate ''angelic'' agent intellect that acts upon the soul's immanent agent intellect. John's ''Treatise on the Multiple Divisions of the Soul’s Power'' (''Tractatus'') gives another detailed view of his conception of the soul. "Fortunately it shows more clearly than his Summa how he appropriates and begins to transform his philosophical sources”. The Tractatus is divided into three parts that correspond to the three ways of looking at the soul: definition, division, and completion or perfection. “Jean’s typical procedure in each of the three parts of the Tractatus is to assemble authoritative texts on the point at hand and then to analyze their competing vocabularies”.Craig, Edward ''Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' Volume 5, Published by Routledge 1998 His analysis of competing vocabularies of the soul includes a wide range of sources, including Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, the book of Genesis, Nemesius of Emesa, and Avicenna. Jean's Tractatus was a great example of how challenging it was for theologians to organize and clarify much of the newly translated material of the 13th century. Jean made significant progress as a philosopher in a time when Parisian theologians abstained from philosophical studies. Jean had many influences and referenced many works from theologians and philosophers alike; however, much of his work, especially that in philosophy of the soul, indicates much originality.

Notes

References

External links

Guide to Thirteenth Century Theologians
(Gary Macy, University of San Diego)

(Université de Napierville) {{DEFAULTSORT:John of la Rochelle 1200s births 1245 deaths People from La Rochelle French Friars Minor Franciscan scholars Scholastic philosophers 13th-century French Roman Catholic priests 13th-century French Catholic theologians 13th-century philosophers