Franciscan Studies

OCKHAM AND MARSILIUS ON AN ECCLESIOLOGICAL FALLACY Comparing Ockham's and Marsilius' political and ecclesiological theories has been an interesting task for scholars of medieval thought almost since a deeper both philological and philosophical scrutiny has dissipated the false impression of unanimity imposed upon the two thinkers by an inaccurate tradition.1 It turned out very soon that not only dissensions about the concrete political strategy were at stake, but also more profound differences ofopinion concerning major topics of the ecclesiological theory. In other words, the two fellow-refugees had not only Meinungsverschiedenheiten about the way the emperor should deal with the pope, or about the Maultasch affaire,2 but also 1 See for example Sigmund Riezler, Die literarischen Widersacher der Päpste zur Zeit Ludwigs des Baiers. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der Kämpfe zwischen Staat und Kirche (Leipzig, 1874; reprint New York: Franklin, 1961). This confusion has also an ancient precedent in a collatio (falsely) attributed to Clement VI, in which Ockham is presented as being the teacher of Marsilius; see Johannes Hofer, "Über die Echtheit der Kollation des Papstes Klemens VI. (1 1 Juli 1343) im Cod. Eichst, n. 269 S. 494," Archivum Franciscanum Hbtoricum 6 (1913): 664-669. Much more recently Helmut Feld, Die Anfänge der modernen biblischen Hermeneutik in der spätmittelalterlichen Theologie (Wiesbaden : Steiner, 1977) is victim of the same kind of misunderstanding— although in the opposite direction—and writes at page 36: "Von Marsilius abhängig ist Wilhelm von Ockham." 2 Reference has to be made not only to the exemplary article of Hilary S. Offler, "Meinungsverschiedenheiten am HofLudwigs des Bayern im Herbst 1331," Deutsches Archiv 11 (1954): 191-206, but to the whole problem of the relationships existing among the "parties" of the Munich Court, about which see Carlo Pincin, Marsilio (Torino:Giappichelli, 1967), especially at the pages 171-223, and Carlo Dolcini, Marsilio e Ockham. Il diploma imperiale Glorio 302ROBERTO LAMBERTINI dissented with regard to such essential issues as the infallibility of the General Council, as already pointed out by De Lagarde and Baudry in their works.3 Another important result of these studies has been the possibility to identify a real dispute between the philosophers implicitly going on in their writings. Jeannine Quillet, after reminding us that Marsilius is the polemical target of various passages both of the First and Third part of the Dialogus, concluded her historical introduction to the recent critical edition of the Defensor Minor with the following words: "C'est alors que Marsile répond aux critiques d'Ockham en écrivant le Defensor Minor".4 In his Marsilio contro Ockham, lntomo ad una recente edizione del Defensor Minor, Carlo Dolcini has been able to draw the scholars' attention to some passages of this work which escaped the scrutiny of the editors, bringing philological evidence of Ockham being the one Marsilius criticizes in some books of his later works.5 On the other hand, it is really a pity that the appendix in which Marino Damiata discusses the relationship between the two "counselors" of Lewis the Bavarian does not take into account these new evidences, limiting itself to very generic observations.6 One of the passages of the sus Deus, la memoria política Quoniam Scriptura, il Defensor Minor (Bologna: Università degli Studi di Bologna. Istituto di Storia Medioevale e Moderna, 1981). 3 Georges de Lagarde, "Marsile de Padoue et Guillaume d'Ockham," Revue de sciences religieuses 17 (1937): 165-185; 428-454. Leon Baudry, Gui'Îlaume d'Occam, sa vie, ses oeuvres, ses idées sociales et politiques, (Paris: Vrin, 1949), especially at pages 215-217. See also Mario Grignaschi, Une polémique du Moyen Age sur la primauté de Pierre et un appel pour un église evangelique (Wien: Baumgartner, 1952) and Wilhelm Kölmel, Wilhelm von Ockham und seine kirchenpolitischen Schriften (Essen: Ludgerus, 1962). 4 Jeannine Quillet, "Defensor Minor. Introduction générale," in Marsile de Padoue, Oeuvres mineures. Defensor minor. De translatione imperii, Texte établi, traduit et annoté par Colette Jeudy et Jeannine Quillet (Paris: CNRS, 1979) 147. 5 Carlo Dolcini, "Marsilio contro Ockham. Intorno ad una recente edizione del Defensor Minor" in Quaderno XU della Rubiconia Accademia dei Filopatridi (Santarcangelo de Romagna...