This is the first of two volumes on theological quodlibeta, records of special disputations held before Christmas and Easter ca. 1230-1330, mostly at the University of Paris, in which audience members asked the great masters of theology the questions for debate, questions de quolibet, "about anything." The variety of the material and the authors' stature make the genre uniquely fascinating. In Volume I, chapters by acknowledged experts introduce the genre, cover the quodlibeta of Thomas Aquinas, Henry of Ghent, Giles of Rome, Godfrey of Fontaines, and 13th-century Franciscans, and demonstrate...

Famous for his role as Minister General of the Franciscan Order after the flight of Michael of Cesena and company, Gerald Odonis (ca. 1285-1348) has in recent years attracted attention for his scholarly work. At an increasing pace, studies of specific areas of Odonis' thought reveal another side to the man often portrayed as Pope John XXII's creature: a philosopher and theologian who held unique, often controversial positions and defended them with zeal and integrity, whose impact extended beyond the religious and chronological confines of medieval Christendom. Building on the recent...