Roscellinus

John Roscelin of Compiègne (* 1050 in Compiègne; † around 1124 ), Latin Roscellinus Compendiensis, was a French cathedral canons, the teacher, Peter Abelard and how this philosopher and theologian. He is considered an extreme nominalism

Life

Little is known about Roscelins life. He is said to have been born in Compiègne in northern France and studied at Soissons and Reims.

As a canon and member of the cathedral chapter of Tours and Besançon, he was the author of a doctrine, on the basis of which he was accused of denying the Trinity of God.

Because of this he had to tritheistischen teaching at a synod at Soissons in 1092 responsible for (or 1093 ) - whether he was formally sentenced, is not known - and then leave France for England. The following year, he was expelled from England after he had expressed in a moralizing manner disparaging about the lifestyle of the local priest. Anselm, formerly abbot of the Abbey of Le Bec and now Archbishop of Canterbury, wrote against him.

In Chartres, he found no place to stay, although Bishop Ivo him was well disposed, for it threatened him there stoning by the applied people.

Obviously, he was able to continue after 1095 his teaching in Tours and Loches, where Peter Abelard became his pupil. This handy later in a non-preserved letter to the cathedral chapter of Tours, his former teacher sharply and turned in a further letter to Bishop Galon and the clergy of Paris, to take action against " this old enemy of the Catholic faith " because of his doctrine of the Trinity.

In 1098 Roscelin personally brought a revised version of his doctrine of the Trinity to Pope Urban II, with the request for review, and found its benevolence.

After this time, nothing is known of him, which would have pushed him close to heresy.

Effect

According to Otto of Freising Roscelin is considered one of the founders of extreme nominalism. In his view, only items that can be perceived by the sense organs exist. Terms, however - which are actually considered by the realists in universals as existing - are merely names ( flatus = vocis of the voice produced puff of air ) and as such only smoke and mirrors. One conclusion was that the Trinity is merely such a term, and in fact an aggregate of three substances ( different? ) - A clearly heretical concept ( tritheism ), which he probably had to withdraw in Soissons.

However, the sources are not only his life but also his teaching very sparse: There is only a postal invective from his hand, addressed to his former pupil, Abelard, from which this extreme nominalism can not be read out. Otherwise, we know of him only from the writings of his opponents, in particular by Anselm of Canterbury. It remains debatable whether Roscelin actually been an early proponent of the extreme nominalism.

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