SFS 546 - FOUNDATIONS OF FRANCISCAN THEOLOGY
Summer 2010 - Joshua C. Benson
June 28 – July 30 MWF 1:00-3:45
How to contact outside of class: email - bensonj@cua.edu; 716-375-2551
DESCRIPTION: This course will study Franciscan Theology as a distinct theological tradition arising out of the religious experience of Francis of Assisi. After describing the origins of the Franciscan School at Paris, Oxford, Bologna, and Padua, the focus will be given to a study of the key founding figures of the school (Bonaventure, Scotus, Ockham) and the general contours of their thought, as well as the distinctive nature of this school as compared with that of their contemporaries. The focus of the course will be given to a presentation of the Franciscan approach to select theological questions concerning God,
Creation, the Human person, the Church, and Eschatology. The contribution of the
Franciscan tradition to contemporary theology will be included in the discussion.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Goal I: Students will become knowledgeable about the Franciscan Theological Tradition from its origins through the Early Modern Period.
Objectives: Students will …
1) contextualize the work of Franciscan theologians within the historical development of theology in the western church (e.g., patristic, monastic, scholastic, vernacular).
2) investigate the origins of Franciscan theology in the religious experience of Francis of
Assisi.
3) identify the impact of the Universities on the development of Franciscan Theology.
4) analyze the writings of major representative Franciscan theologians, e.g., Bonaventure,
Olivi, Scotus, Ockham, Peter Aureoli, etc.
5) investigate the development of specific Franciscan themes and approaches to theological issues, e.g., Trinity, Creation, Incarnation and Redemption,
Eschatology, etc.
6) describe the contribution of Franciscan women to Franciscan theology, e.g., Clare,
Angela of Foligno, etc.
Goal 2: Students will read and analyze primary texts in translation of Franciscan theologians.
Objectives: Students will …
1) analyze Franciscan theological texts in their social, historical, ecclesial and intellectual contexts.
2) interpret texts using appropriate theological methodology and hermeneutical theory.
3) compare and contrast specific Franciscan theological positions with their contemporaries, e.g., Aquinas, Henry of Ghent, Eckhart, etc.
4) make connections where possible between the Franciscan form of life and Franciscan theological positions.
5) retrieve specific Franciscan theological positions and communicate these to specific audiences today.
REQUIRED TEXTS

Kenan B. Osborne. The Franciscan Intellectual Tradition : Tracing Its Origins and
Identifying Its Central Components . St. Bonaventure: The Franciscan Institute, 2003.
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
Kenan B. Osborne, ed. The History of Franciscan Theology . St. Bonaventure: The
Franciscan Institute, 1994.

Damian McElrath, ed. Franciscan Christology : Selected Texts, Translations and
Introductory Essays . St. Bonaventure: The Franciscan Institute, 1980.

Bonaventure, Breviloquium trans. Dominic Monti. St. Bonaventure: The Franciscan
Institute, 2005.

NOTE : If possible, students should read Osborne’s History of Franciscan Theology before arriving on campus.
SYLLABUS: (subject to modification once class is underway)
WEEEK ONE
M June 28
1. Francis and Clare: Franciscan Foundations / Vernacular Theologians (Angela of Foligno)

First things first: expectations, assumptions, goals, the syllabus

The Theological Vision of Francis and Clare

What is a Franciscan theology?

READ: 1) Dominic Monti, “Francis as Vernacular Theologian,” in The
Franciscan Intellectual Tradition. Washington Theological Union Symposium
Papers 2001, ed. Elise Saggau (St. Bonaventure: The Franciscan Institute, 2002),
21-42; 2) McElrath, Franciscan Christology , 14-39. Angela of Foligno,
Instructions , trans. Lachance, 219-244; 251-258; 285-308
W June 30
2. Overviews: Intellectual Foundations/Context and Major Themes

The intellectual heritage upon which the Franciscan theological tradition rests :
Augustine, Dionysius, Anselm, Peter Lombard, the Victorines

The university context in which the Franciscan theological tradition emerges : the development of medieval universities (Paris and Oxford); the kinds of philosophical and theological resources in use and produced; essential philosophical and theological vocabulary

Themes to be traced within the Franciscan theological tradition (themes rooted in its heritage and expounded in its university context) : What is theology?; Trinity; Christ;
Creation.
READ: Osborne, The Franciscan Intellectual Tradition : Tracing Its Origins and Identifying Its
Central Components ; Anselm, Meditation on Human Redemption , trans. Jasper Hopkins;
Richard of St. Victor, On the Trinity , Selections in Medieval Philosophy: From St. Augustine to
Nicholas of Cusa , trans. John Wippel and Allan Wolter (New York: The Free Press, 1969), 210-
226.
F July 2
3. Alexander of Hales, John of La Rochelle, Odo Rigaldus: Foundations of the Parisian school
 READ: 1) Osborne, “Alexander of Hales: Precursor and Promoter of Franciscan
Theology,” in The History of Franciscan Theology , 1-38; 2) Girard J. Etzkorn,
“John of La Rochelle’s View of Christ as King, Teacher and Priest,” in McElrath,
Franciscan Christology , 40-58.
 HANDOUTS: 1) Alexander of Hales, “Preface” to the four books of Sentences
2) Selections from Summa Fratris Alexandri
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WEEK TWO
M July 5
4. Grosseteste, Thomas York, Richard Rufus, Roger Bacon: Foundations of the Oxford School

READ: 1) Ginther, Master of the Sacred Page , Introduction: 1-10; Chapter 2-3:
25-51; Chapter 6: 121-149; 2) Roger Bacon, Opus Maius
, “The Affinity of
Philosophy with Theology,” in Selections from Medieval Philosophers II, trans.
Richard McKeon, (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1930), 17-25; 3)
Selections from Grosseteste, “A sample of Grosseteste’s Preaching,” in James
McEvoy, Robert Grosseteste (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), 177-180;
Selections from Hexaemeron , trans. C. F. J. Martin (Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1996), 47-53; “Dictum 60,” trans. Gordon Jackson, 5-9.
W July 7
5. Bonaventure: Life, Writings, Major Ideas
 READ: 1) Zachary Hayes, “Mystery of the Triune God,” in
The History of
Franciscan Theology , 39-101; 2) Bonaventure, Breviloquium , prologue trans.
Monti, p. 1-23
F July 9
6. Bonaventure: A summary of his theology: Breviloquium , part 1 (entire), part 2 (1, 5, 12), part
3 (1-6)

READ: Bonaventure, Breviloquium , trans. Monti, p. 27-57; 59-62; 72-76; 96-98;
99-115
WEEK THREE
M July 12
7. Bonaventure: A summary of his theology: Breviloquium , part 4 (entire), part 5 (1-3); part 6
(1, 7, 9)

READ: Bonaventure, Breviloquium , trans. Monti, p. 131-168; 169-182; 211-214,
232-235, 238-245.

SUBMIT: 1-3 page outline of research project and preliminary biography of at least three sources
W July 14
8. John Pecham and Matthew of Aquasparta: Theology in Bonaventure’s Shadow?

READ: 1) Girard J. Etzkorn, “John Pecham,” in in A Companion to Philosophy in the Middle Ages , ed. Jorge Gracia and Timothy Noone (Oxford: Blackwell,
2003), 384-387; 2) R. E. Houser, “Matthew of Aquasparta,” in A Companion to
Philosophy in the Middle Ages , ed. Jorge Gracia and Timothy Noone (Oxford:
Blackwell, 2003), 423-431; 3) John Pecham, “Prologue to Commentary on the
Gospel of John,” in Robert Anthony Antczak, “John Pecham and the Postilla
Super Ioahnnem,” Ph.D. Dissertation CUA 1975, 35-48.

HANDOUT: Selections from Matthew of Aquasparta
F July 16
9. Peter Olivi: Eschatology and Theology
 READ: 1) David Flood, “Peter John Olivi: The Search for a Theology and
Anthropology of the Synoptic Gospels,” in
The History of Franciscan Theology ,
127-184. 2) McElrath, Franciscan Christology , 108-138.

HANDOUT: Selections from Peter Olivi
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WEEK FOUR
M July 19
10. John Duns Scotus: A Philosophical Theology
 READ: 1) Mary Beth Ingham, “John Duns Scotus: An Integrated Vision,” in
The
History of Franciscan Theology , 185-230. 2) John Duns Scotus, “Our natural knowledge of God,” in Duns Scotus: Philosophical Works , trans. Allan Wolter, 14-33. 3)
“The Necessity of Revealed Knowledge” in
Franciscan Studies 11 (1951), 241-272; 4)
John Duns Scotus, Reportatio 1-A , trans. and ed. Wolter and Bychkov: Distinction 3,
Question 7, “Is there an image of the Trinity in the mind?” 243-248.
W July 21
11. John Duns Scotus: Christ and Mary

READ: McElrath, Franciscan Christology , 147-159; John Duns Scotus, Four Questions on Mary , trans. Allan B. Wolter, 31-62.
F July 23
12. William of Ockham: Introduction and Christology
 READ: 1) André Goddu, “William of Ockham: Academic Theology and its Polemical
Phase,” in
The History of Franciscan Theology , 231-310. 2) McElrath, Franciscan
Christology , 183-201; 3) Ockham, “A Letter to the Friars Minor,” in William of Ockahm,
A Letter to the Friars Minor and Other Writings , ed. and trans. A. S. McGrade and John
Kilcullen (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995), 3-15
WEEK FIVE
M July 26
13. Quodlibetal : So Where are we now?
W July 28
14. A Final Synthesis: Bonaventure’s Itinerarium Mentis in Deum

Read Itinerarium Mentis in Deum (available on-line)
F July 30
15. YOU!: Discussions of your own research – evaluation of class – summing up
REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING

READING AND PARTICIPATION (15%): Completion of assigned reading for class.
All students are required to complete the reading indicated after READ and be prepared to discuss it in class. Students are also required to read any materials indicated after
HANDOUT. These handouts will be provided to you either in class or via Web CT.
Active participation in class is expected and encouraged!

MAJOR RESEARCH PAPER (65%): There are two options from which you can choose for the research paper, based on which option you think benefits your personal goals most.

OPTION ONE: 10-15 page paper on a major Franciscan theologian. The aim of the paper will be to contextualize and analyze a text from a Franciscan theologian of your choosing. The thinker must come from the medieval period - the foundational period of Franciscan theology. You must briefly detail the theologian’s life and writings.
You must historically contextualize the work you intend to analyze (i.e. describe the period in which it was written, what sources it draws on, what impelled the theologian to compose it, etc.). You must give an overview of the whole work and then analyze
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the work by elucidating its structure and main theme(s). Conclude by reflecting on the significance of the work for Franciscan theology past and present – in other words, why is it a foundational text and how can it be used today? Use at least three sources in your paper.

OPTION TWO: 10-15 page literature review concerning a major Franciscan theologian or a major issue in Franciscan theology. A literature review primarily engages secondary literature that is related to a theme or person. For instance, you could compare and contrast different introductions to Bonaventure’s thought (or
Scotus’s, Ockham’s though etc.) – looking for changes in presentation and focus, for conflict and harmony in presentation. Or you could engage an issue in Franciscan theology. An example might be creation. You would then compare different treatments of creation theology that engage Franciscan thinkers. Other issues could be the Trinity, Christology (specifically the question of the necessity of the incarnation), or the connection between theology and spirituality. You could also focus on an issue within a theologian’s thought, and thus, compare and contrast studies focusing on Duns Scotus’s morality or his perception of the immaculate conception or on Bonaventure’s understanding of the Trinity, etc. The paper must compare at least three sections of monographs, or at least three articles, or a combination thereof. The assignment will challenge you to read a number of studies, summarize, and compare them.

PRESENTATION OF RESEARCH (20%): Friday, July 30 you will present your research to the class in a 10 minute presentation (length of presentation will be determined in part by the size of the class). Provide the instructor and your classmates with relevant outlines/handouts/bibliographies. Be prepared to discuss your research competently and clearly with the class and to take on questions. Relax and have fun – this is your research!

Final Note: I am happy to work with you in choosing a topic/project that fits your goals.
We all come to this class for different purposes. I want to respect those purposes but encourage you to stretch your academic potential. If we can make your project fit within the parameters of this class as outlined above in the “Description” and “Goals and
Objectives” then you’ll have a green light!
Grading Scale:
A Range: Excellent work for Graduate School
The student demonstrates an excellent grasp of the material, articulates his/her though in a clear and logical manner, evidences appropriate insight and demonstrates a broad and deep grasp of the material. This grade presupposes carefully nuanced reasoning and writing that is free from material, structural and grammatical errors. The differentiation between an A and A- largely depends on the assignment’s astute reasoning and engaging writing style in relation to peer work.
B Range: Very Good, Good work for Graduate School
The student demonstrates a very good grasp of the material, articulates his/her thought in a clear and logical manner, and evidences appropriate insight. This grade presupposes an assignment that is free from material, structural and grammatical errors. The
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differentiation between a B+ and a B largely depends on the assignment’s creativity in relation to peer work.
C Range: Inadequate work for Graduate School
The student demonstrates an inadequate grasp of the material, has not articulated his/her thoughts clearly or logically and has not evidenced appropriate insight. This grade means that the student has written a paper that has material, structural, and grammatical errors, has not met all the paper’s requirements, and is both uncreative and incoherent.
F: Failure
I: A final grad of “incomplete” cannot be given unless serious and grave reasons beyond the student’s control prevent the student from completing all work by the end of the semester.
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