Gerald Odonis, Doctor Moralis and Franciscan Minister General

Book excerpt: 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 scholarship of Bonnie Kent, Christian Trottmann, and especially L.M. de Rijk, this volume gathers together studies by other specialists on Odonis, covering his ideas in economics, logic, metaphysics, ethics, natural philosophy, theology, and politics in works written over the entire span of his career. Contributors are Paul J.J.M. Bakker, Sander W. de Boer, Stephen F. Brown, Giovanni Ceccarelli, William Duba, Roberto Lambertini, Sylvain Piron, Camarin Porter, Chris Schabel, and Joke Spruyt.