Fourteenth-Century Oxford Theology at the University of Vienna

God`s knowledge was the subject of considerable debate at the two most important Western universities of the Middle Ages, Paris and Oxford. At Oxford, theologians from William of Ockham to Thomas Bradwardine devoted themselves to debates especially concerning God`s knowledge of future contingent events. The influence of related Oxonian considerations or of the subtilitates anglicanae on the European continent has already been demonstrated for the University of Paris. In this project, I intend to consider the transposition of the Oxford debates to the oldest German university in Central Europe, precisely to the Faculty of Theology in Vienna, in ist early years. Indeed, much of the theological debate at Vienna entailed discussions regarding God`s knowledge and related issues: Henry of Langenstein in his Genesis Commentary, Henry Totting of Oyta in Question 10 to Book I of the Sentences or disputed questions from the Faculty of Theology all examine the content and influence of God`s knowledge. In these discussions, theologians at Vienna demonstrate a thorough awareness of Oxford thought on the matter, frequently citing Robert Holcot, Thomas Bradwardine or Richard FitzRalph. The period investigated covers the time from the foundation of the Theological Faculty of the University of Vienna (1384) to roughly the end of the Great Western Schism (1417). The corpus comprises the mainly manuscript scholarly writings of the first two generations of Viennese theologians from Henry of Langenstein to Peter Czech of Pulkau as well as anonymous and collective works conceived at the Faculty of Theology. The inquiry will thus examine (1) Bible Commentaries, (2) Commentaries on the Sentences, and (3) disputed questions. The project aims to provide a substantial contribution to medieval intellectual history. Covering an ample corpus, for the most part composed of unexplored theological writings, the project`s goal is to discover Oxonian theses and their Viennese reception, both dependency and originality of thought concerning God`s knowledge. This will be achieved through an innovative approach: for the first time, this evolution in theological thought will be examined from the comparative perspective of two generations of theologians and will take into account Bible Commentaries and Commentaries on the Sentences, as well as disputed questions.

The theological tradition at the new University of Vienna (1384ca.1420) was not entirely new. While adhering to Christian dogmas as defined by the University of Paris, where most of the first teachers received their education, some of the Viennese professors developed a consistent rejection of theses articulated by English theologians or philosophers (William of Ockham/blasphemous syllogisms, Robert Holcot/hypothesis of the lying Christ, Thomas Bradwardineheological determinism). Having examined all three genres of teaching at the Faculty of Theology, i.e. disputations, commentaries on the Sentences and commentaries on the Bible, this project developed a focus on the Biblical lectures of three German masters: 1) Henry of Langenstein (Genesis), 2) Henry Totting of Oyta (Psalms 150), and 3) Lambert of Gelria (Minor Prophets). Contrary to the commentaries on the New Testament by the generation of theologians following Nicholas of Dinkelsbühls transformation of Viennese teaching around 1400, the commentaries of these three masters contain extended philosophical discussions, especially of the English views. Their reactions cannot be reduced to mere rejections of the Englishmens theses, but rather have to be considered as thoughtful and constructive counterarguments, each different in content and scope, and thus as a neglected part of the classical, ever-debated extension of the freedom of human will. In addition to developing this first diachronic insight into Biblical lectures at Vienna, the project concluded several short text editions, including the first edition of a Bible course, corrected attributions, recovered parts of Nicholas of Dinkelsbühls inaugural lectures on the Sentences, and described some crucial manuscripts with disputations from the early University. The insights created thereby highlight the first decades of the new institution as one of its most creative and fascinating periods, when diverse academic influences (Paris, Oxford, and Prague) impregnated the Viennese reflection.