Jean Gerson - apostle of unity : his church politics and ecclesiology

Title Page 5 Copyright Page 6 Dedication 7 Table of Contents 9 Preface 13 List of illustrations 17 Introduction 27 PART ONE GERSON’S CHURCH POLITICS 35 Chapter One Gerson and the ecclesiastical policy of the University of Paris until 1395 37 Chapter Two First years as Chancellor of the University, 1395–1398 75 Chapter Three On the basis of substraction, 1398–1403 97 Chapter Four Obedience restored, 1403–1406 124 Chapter Five On the way to the Council of Pisa, 1406–1408 148 Chapter Six Gerson and the Council of Pisa, 1409 172 Chapter Seven From Pisa to the Council of Constance, 1409–1418 203 PART TWO GERSON’S ECCLESIOLOGY 231 Chapter Eight Church and Law 233 1. Theology and Canon law 236 2. Lex divina–lex naturalis–lex humana 258 3. The concept of epikie 268 Chapter Nine Church, Hierarchy, and General Council I: The treatise De potestate ecclesiastica et de origine iuris et legum 273 1. Ecclesiastical power A 278 1. Power of order 279 a. super corpus Christi verum 279 b. super corpus Christi mysticum 279 2. Power of Jurisdiction 281 a. inforo interiori 281 b. inforo exteriori 283 2. Ecclesiastical power B 285 1. Ecclesiastical power in the absolute sense 287 2. Ecclesiastical power in the material sense 290 3. Ecclesiastical power in the executive sense 292 3. Plenitude of ecclesiastical power 294 1. Plenitudo potestatis in respect to the papal office 295 2. Plenitudo potestatis in respect to the Church 299 3. Plenitudo potestatis in respect to the State and the temporal possessions of the Church 304 Chapter Ten Church, Hierarchy, and General Council II: The essentials of Gerson’s ecclesiology 313 1. The hierarchy of the Church as totality 315 2. The Cosmos and the State as mystical bodies 324 3. The Church as a mystical body 328 4. General Council and infallibility 335 Chapter Eleven Church, Scriptures, and Tradition 340 1. The general interpretation of the Scriptures 342 2. Church, Scriptures, and Tradition in the anti-heretical treatises 343 3. Church, Scriptures, and Tradition in the catalogue of the faith 353 4. The Church and the Doctors 356 5. Scriptures and Theology 361 Chapter Twelve The Sources of Gerson’s ecclesiology 366 1. Marsilius of Padua and Dietrich of Niem 368 2. Ockham 374 3. Ockhamists 378 a. Pierre d’Ailly 378 b. Conrad of Gelnhausen and Henry of Langenstein 379 4. John of Paris 385 5. Bonaventure 390 6. Durand of St Pourçain 393 7. Henry of Ghent 399 8. The Curialists 403 Conclusion 407 Appendices 415 I. The author of the treatise De concilio unius oboedientiae 415 II. The dating of the Liber de vita spirituali animae 418 III. Whom did Gerson hold up to Benedict XIII as a warning example in his sermon Apparuit gratia Dei 420 IV. The dating of the sermon Vade in pace 423 Abbreviations 427 Bibliography 429 Indexes 443 Index of Biblical texts 443 Index of legal texts 445 Index of works of Gerson 446 Index of persons 452 Index of subjects, terms, and expressions 458 Studies In the History of Christian Thought 463 The first part of this study on the famous chancellor of the Paris University, contains a chronological survey of Gerson's position in the development of the church-politics of his days. It is shown how he became a convinced adherent of a conciliar solution of the Western schism, without betraying the idea of the Church as hierarchical entity. In the second part his ecclesiological ideas are treated more systematically. Gerson's critical attitude towards canon lawyers and papal absolutism is examined, followed by an analysis of the background of his ideas about the Church as hierarchy and as mystical body, his conciliar thought, his concept of tradition, and his sources. The author tries to make clear that Gerson, far from being a radical, rather should be considered as a careful and conservative theologian. The book comprises a revised and extended version of an originally in Dutch written thesis, for which the author was awarded the Mallinckrodt-prize of the University of Groningen