Franciscan Studies

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE QUAESTIONES theologicae OF STEPHEN LANGTON About the time of the seventh centenary of the death of Stephen t_Langton in 1928, there was a new surge of interest in this great figure of medieval history. At the same time authors began paying more attention to Langton's scholastic achievements. This fervor lasted about ten years, and then there was a lull. It is true that Langton's theological works have been referred to increasingly in doctrinal studies, but the publication of studies dealing with the scholastic documents as such has been on the wane. The purpose of this present study is to make a survey of what has gone before and to present a convenient, synthetic introduction to the quaestiones theologicae of our author. For this purpose, a brief biography and review of the works of Langton in general will form a fitting background. Then the problems relating to the quaestiones in particular can be treated more at length, preceded by a brief description of the eight manuscripts which contain the collected questions. We regret the fact that we have not been able as yet to study the questions which lie scattered in some of Langton's commentaries, but the present article forms a sufficient unit in itself. Life of Stephen Langton We can conveniently divide the life of Stephen Langton into two periods separated from one another by his elevation to the cardinalate in 1206. That date marks the turning point between what we may term the scholastic and the ecclesiastico-political phases of his life. As it usually happens in dealing with great men of the Middle Ages, particularly the great scholars, we must confess our ignorance concerning the dates of Langton's birth and of the early events of his life. Though we know that he was the son of Henry of Langton by Wragby in Lincolnshire , and brother of Walter and Simon,1 we must content ourselves 1 F. M. Powicke, Stephen Langton, (Oxford, 1928), p. 6 152 The Quaestiones Theologicae of Stephen Langton with mere conjectures concerning the date of his birth, of his entry into scholastic circles at Paris, and of the beginning of his work as a teacher of theology. Basing their calculations on chronological indications found in certain works of Langton, some authors believe that we can estimate with real probability that Langton was Magister in sacra pagina, teacher of theology, already about 1180 or shortly thereafter.2 If this calculation be correct, and granted that he went through the normal course of pretheological studies, we should have to place Langton's coming to Paris at about 1170 and the date of his birth about 1155, or even earlier.3 We have no more information concerning the Masters of Langton than we have for his chronology. It was once supposed that he was the pupil of Petrus Cantor4 or of Petrus Manducator (Comestor),5 but none of the arguments advanced proved sufficiently solid.6 However, we do know something of some of his pupils. One of them, Master Guerin of Corbeil, was condemned for heresy in 1210.7 Another, Richard Poore, became bishop of Salisbury and Durham, and Thomas of Marlborough became abbot of Evesham.8 Perhaps the most important of his pupils from the scholastic standpoint is Godfrey of Poitiers, who, if he was not Stephen's baccalaureus? at least shows a very marked literary dependence on his magister. 2 For the basic indications, cf. G. Lacombe and B. Smalley, "Studies on the Commentaries of Cardinal Stephen Langton," in Archives d'histoire doctrinale et littéraire du moyen âge, V (1930), 19-23, 165-166. The argument is constructed by G. Lacombe, "The Authenticity of the Summa of Cardinal Stephen Langton," in The New Scholasticism, IV (1930), 100-108. He is followed in this opinion by F. M. Powicke, "Bibliographical Note on Recent Work upon Stephen Langton," in English Historical Review, XLVTII (1933), 554. The same is to be said for B. Smalley, "Some Thirteenth-Century Commentaries on the Sapiential Books," in Dominican Studies, II (1949), 321, n.g. For earlier opinions, cf. F. M. Powicke, Stephen Langton, pp. 8, 10 (Birth: 1165; Paris: 1180), and H. Thurston...