Two Sessions on Transcendentals at Kalamazoo 2007

There will be two sessions at next spring’s Medieval Congress in Kalamazoo devoted to the doctrine of the transcendentals. Richard Taylor (from Marquette University’s Philosophy Department) writes:

Deadline for Abstract / Proposal with title: September 15.

42nd International Congress on Medieval Studies (May 10-13, 2007) Call For Papers

(http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/congress/42cfp/index.html)

Society for Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy (2): Transcendentals in Medieval Philosophy: Sources and Doctrines I-II

Richard C. Taylor
Marquette University
Philosophy Deptartment
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881
Phone:wk) 414-288-5649;
E-mail: richard.taylor@marquette.edu
Web site: www.smrphil.org

See you at the ‘Zoo!

Ten reasons I am not a Thomist

Me: “My name is Mark, and I am not a Thomist.”

Others at the meeting: “Hi, Mark.”

Yes, I *do* hide behind the Summa!At moments I am sorely tempted to despair when I realize how much work one must do to master Saint Thomas’s teaching. Twice this past semester at Marquette University I was on a board of examiners for what we call our “doctoral qualifying exams”—usually called “comps” (for ‘comprehensive exams’)—when I realized I simply didn’t know some things that Thomas himself would have known cold, and would have assumed that most of his readers would have known, too. One of my fellow-examiners is an expert in the teaching of St. Augustine, while another is a cracker-jack reader of the Old Testament. In one instance we were talking about Augustine’s teaching on some point or other when I realized I didn’t know what book of Augustine I’d have to consult in order to track the teaching down (De doctrina christiana? De trinitate? I dunno!), and in the other I realized that I couldn’t rattle off the minor prophets if I had to.

After the exam we were sitting around just chatting, when I told my colleagues I had an announcement to make. “I am not a Thomist,” I said. “That’s too bad for us,” a colleague responded, “because that’s why we hired you!” An explanation was in order. I told them that I didn’t feel that I could really consider myself a full student of Thomas’s teaching until I had a reasonable mastery of some basic texts and skills. And so, until I acquire them, I can’t be a Thomist.

So here is a list of ten things I haven’t done yet, that I need to do. What do you think?

I am not a Thomist because:

1. I have not yet read all of the writings of Augustine, cover-to-cover.
2. I have not yet read all of the Bible (in the vulgata), cover-to-cover.
3. I have not yet read the Metaphysics, cover-to-cover.
4. I have not yet read Gratian’s Decretum, cover-to-cover (but I have read Raymond of Peñafort; does that count?).
5. Yeesh! I haven’t read Lombard, cover-to-cover (big feelings of inadequacy!).
6. I don’t know the medieval or Dominican liturgy very well at all.
7. I don’t really know the doctrine of St. Albert.
8. I haven’t memorized Isidore’s Etymologies.
9. I remember reading through Damascene’s De fide orthodoxa, but I’ve forgotten what it says!
10. I haven’t read through the whole Corpus Dionysiacum, or Maimonides’s Guide for the Perplexed, or…..ugh.

Are you a not-Thomist, too? If so, let me know why (by discussing it, or by leaving a comment).

Call for papers on Aquinas for Kalamazoo (May 10-13, 2007)

CENTER FOR THOMISTIC STUDIES (HOUSTON) and UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS (MN)

Call for papers on the thought of ST. THOMAS AQUINAS at the 42^nd INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OF MEDIEVAL STUDIES

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan (May 10-13, 2007)

There will be a total of 6 sessions devoted to Medieval philosophical and theological thought, especially Aquinas, sponsored by:

• The Center for Thomistic Studies , c/o R.E. Houser, Center for Thomistic Studies, University of St. Thomas (TX), 3800 Montrose, Houston, TX 77006-4696. FAX: (713) 942-3464. email: houser@stthom.edu. The topic for 2007 will be the theological virtue of FAITH. Papers about Aquinas, his sources, or contemporary applications of his thought on the topic of faith, in itself or in relation to philosophy, will be considered for publication in a volume to be published for the Center for Thomistic Studies by The Catholic University of America Press.
• The Thomas Aquinas Society , c/o John F. Boyle, Department of Theology #4257, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, 55105, FAX ( 651) 962-5310, email: jfboyle@stthomas.edu. Proposals on any topic dealing with Aquinas are welcome.

Papers are 20 minutes in length. Deadline for 300 word abstract for presentation at Kalamazoo: 15 Sep 2006. Deadline for completed paper on faith for consideration for publication: 1 July 2007. The Kalamazoo conference is the largest congress for Medieval Studies in the world. Cost of room and board is quite moderate, and the atmosphere congenial to those interested in Aquinas.

Three postings in Theology at Marquette University

In my Department at Marquette University we have three job-postings that might be of interest to this readership.

Theological Ethics (one position)

Marquette University announces a position in theological ethics to begin 16 August 2007. The Department of Theology seeks a specialist in the Catholic ethical tradition with expertise in Catholic social teaching, along with research and teaching interests in health care ethics. Undergraduate teaching interests in areas such as family and work desirable. Open rank.

Systematic Theology (two positions)

Marquette University ’s Department of Theology announces two positions in systematic and constructive theology to begin 16 August 2007. The desirable candidates will have competencies in one or more of the following areas: hermeneutics/post modern theology, global/contextual theologies, and theological aesthetics and/or von Balthasar. Open rank.

Candidates must have a Ph.D. in theology. Teaching experience is desirable; research scholarship and publication plans are required. Responsibilities include teaching five courses per year, including general introductory courses in theology at the undergraduate level and specialized courses at the graduate level.

Candidates must support the Catholic and Jesuit ideals and mission of the University. Minorities and women strongly encouraged to apply. Review of applications will begin on 12 October, 2006, and will continue until position is filled.

Complete credentials, including letter of application, c.v., and letters of recommendation, should be sent to:

Dr. John Laurance, S.J., Chairperson
Department of Theology
Marquette University
100 Coughlin Hall
P. O. Box 1881
Milwaukee, WI 53201-1881

EOE/AA

You can download a PDF file for either the Theological Ethics or Systematic Theology announcement.

The University of Toronto Colloquium in Mediaeval Philosophy 2006

Friday, 22 September:

4:30 - 6:30 opening remarks

SESSION I: Chair, Stephen Dumont (University of Notre Dame)

Hester Gelber (Stanford University): “The Fate of Providence”

Neil Lewis (Georgetown University), commentary

6:30 reception

Saturday, 23 September:

10:00 - 12:00

SESSION II: Chair, Robert Wisnovsky (McGill University)

Peter Adamson (King’s College, London): “The Baghdad Peripatetics and the Knowledge of Universals”

Richard Taylor (Marquette University), commentary

lunch break

2:30 - 4:30

SESSION III: Chair, Jorge Gracia (SUNY Buffalo)

Gareth Matthews (U. Mass. Amherst): “On the Very Idea of Infused Virtues”

Eleonore Stump (St. Louis University), commentary

7:00 Conference Dinner (reservation required)

All sessions will be held in Alumni Hall, Room 400 (St. Michael’s College, 121 St. Joseph Street). The sessions are free and open to the public. If you plan to attend please let us know: medieval.philosophy@utoronto.ca and be sure to let us know if you intend to participate in the conference dinner!

The colloquium is sponsored by the Department of Philosophy, Department of Classics, and Centre for Medieval Studies, University of Toronto; University of St. Michael’s College; Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.

Information about the conference is available online at: http://chass.utoronto.ca/~cpamp/pages/utcmp.html.

Organizers: Deborah Black, Peter King, Martin Pickave.

Accomodations:

The Holiday Inn Midtown in Toronto, located on Bloor Street next to the St. George campus, is offering rooms at a reduced rate for the conference.

Please reserve online at Toronto’s Holiday Inn Midtown using the Corporate ID #100217931.

The Medieval Tradition of Natural Law (Kalamazoo 2007)

From Harvey Brown at the University of Western Ontario comes a call for papers for next year’s Kalamazoo conference:

The Medieval Tradition of Natural Law

The International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, May 2007.

1. Natural Law & Political Philosophy
2. Natural Law & Moral Philosophy

Proposals should be sent, by September 15, 2006, to:

Harvey Brown
Political Science Dept.
University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario, Canada

His e-mail address is: hbrown2@uwo.ca

One year position at College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University

Wanted to get this posted quickly:

The College of Saint Benedict/Saint John’s University announces a one-year full-time adjunct position in the department of theology for the 2006-2007 academic year. The teaching load will consist mostly (or perhaps entirely) of three sections each semester of the introductory theology course titled “The Christian Tradition.” Ph.D. or ABD preferred. Please send curriculum vitae, transcripts, two letters of reference, and evidence of teaching effectiveness to:

Dr. John Merkle, Chair
Department of Theology
College of Saint Benedict
Saint Joseph, MN 56374

For more information, please contact Dr. Merkle at jmerkle@csbsju.edu or (320) 363-5925.

Basic bibliography for the Lectura romana from Santiago Argüello

I wanted to post this a while back, but forgot!

Santiago Argüello has been working on some texts from the Lectura romana this past year at PIMS in Toronto, and he kindly send along the following bibliographical notes, listing the basic bibliography for the Lectura:

Biographers of St. Thomas referring the fact

Bernardus Gui , Legenda sancti Thomae Aquinatis, in Angelico F errua , S. Thomae Aquinatis vitae fontes praecipuae, Edizioni Dominicane, Alba, 1968, 127-95: vid. 189.

Ptolomeus de Lucca , Historia ecclesiastica nova, in A. F errua , op. cit., 355-69: vid. 368.

Torrell , Jean-Pierre, Initiation à saint Thomas d’Aquin. Sa personne et son oeuvre, Éditions Universitaires (Fribourg, Suisse) – Éditions du Cerf (Paris), 1993: vid. 66-9 and 210.

Weisheipl , James Athanasius, Friar Thomas d’Aquino. His Life, Thought, and Works, The Catholic University of America Press, Washington, D. C., 1983 (with Corrigenda and Addenda): vid. 216-7 and 359.

Bibliography referring the fact

Bataillon , Louis Jacques, “Bulletin d’histoire des doctrines médiévales. Le treizième siècle: Th omas d’Aquin”, Revue des sciences philosophiques et théologiques, 73 (1989), 584-604; especially: 590-1.

Biffi , Inos, “Il Co mmento di S. Tommaso alle «Sentenze» di Pietro Lombardo”, Sacra Doctrina, 46,5 (2001), 11-122: repr. of his “Introduzione generale” to italian ed. of the Scriptum (2000).

Dondaine , Antoine, “Autor de secrétaires de saint Thomas”, in Paul Wilpert (ed.) Miscellanea Medievalia, Band 2: “Die Metaphysik im Mittelalter”, Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin, 1963, 745-54. ————- This is the first time in which is announced the existence of the texts in the margins of the Ms. Lincoln College.

——. “ Hayen A. S. Thomas a-t-il édité deux fois son Commentaire sur le livre des Sentences. – Rech. théol. anc. et méd. IX (1937), pp. 219-236”, Bulletin Thomiste, 6 (Anées XVII-XIX: 1940-2), 100-8.

Hayen, A., “S. Thomas a-t-il édité deux fois son Commentaire sur le livre des Sentences?”, Recherches de théologie ancienne et médiévale, 9 (1937), 219-236.

Mandonnet, Pierre, Des écrits authentiques de saint Thomas d’Aquin, Imprimerie de l’oeuvre de Saint-Paul, Fribourg (Suisse), 1910 (2 ^e éd. Revue et corrigée).

Merriell, Juvenal, To the Image of the Trinity. A Study in the Development of Aquinas’ Teaching, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, 1990.

Motte, A.-R., “ Dondaine , A., O. P. Saint Thomas a-t-il disputé à Rome la question des «Attributs Divins»? (I Sent., d. 2, q. 1, a. 3). – Notes et Comm. du Bull. Thom., I (1931-33), pp. 171*-182*”, Bulletin Thomiste, 4 (Anées XI-XIII: 1934-6), 135-6.

Ramírez, Santiago, “Introducción general” a Santo Tomás de Aquino , Suma teológica, B.A.C., Madrid, 1947, 1*-237*: vid. 33* and 183*-4*.

Torrell , J.-P., “Introduction” to Boyle , L.E., Facing History…, especially xviii-xxiv.

Vansteenkiste, P. Clemente, “ Boyle , Leonard E., A.P., «Alia lectura fratris thome» . MSt 1983 (45) 418-429”, Rassegna di Letteratura Tomistica (Nuova serie del «Bulletin Thomiste» - Vol. XXXI), 19 (1986: letteratura dell’anno 1983), p. 40, n. 73.

“ Boyle , Leonard E., The setting of the Summa Theologiae of Saint Thomas . (The Etienne Gilson series, 5). Toronto Pontif. Institute of Mediaeval Studies, 1982”, Rassegna di Letteratura Tomistica (Nuova serie del «Bulletin Thomiste» - Vol. XXX), 18 (1985: letteratura dell’anno 1982), 45-6.

“Dondaine , H.-F., Alia lectura fratris Thome? (Super 1 Sent.)”. MSt 1980 (42) 308-336.

Thanks for your help, Santiago.

Notre Dame: CARA Summer Latin Scholarship

Interested in working on your medieval Latin?

The Medieval Academy generously supports the study of medieval Latin by funding two scholarships through CARA which may be used for course work at the University of Notre Dame during its summer session.

The application deadline of April 25 is approaching. Please alert potential students at your institution about this program and encourage them to apply.

Two students (graduate-level or qualified undergraduates) taking "Medieval Latin" or "Paleography" for credit will be awarded full tuition scholarships. Scholarship applicants must be student members of the Medieval Academy. To apply for one of these scholarships, please send a letter of intent, two letters of recommendation, and a transcript to the address below. The deadline for Summer 2006 is April 25, 2006.

CARA Summer Scholarships
Medieval Institute
715 Hesburgh Library
University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN 46556-5629

Course descriptions are available, as is information about summer registration, application fees, housing, etc. If you need further details, please feel free to contact:

Roberta Baranowski Assistant Director
Medieval Institute University of Notre Dame
715 Hesburgh Library
Notre Dame, IN 46556
(574) 631-8304 (telephone)
(574) 631-8644 (fax)