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Subsection
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Order of Contents
Ordinatio
Summa
God 4
Revelation 2
Mary 2
Sacraments 1
Ethics 4
Politics 1
Philosophy 7
On Scotus’s Thought 36+
Biblio 1
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Intro
Quote
1600’s
Richard Baxter
A Key for Catholicks (London: R.W., 1659), ch. 50, pp. 365–66
“Our students would not ordinarily read [Thomas] Aquinas, [John Duns] Scotus, Ariminensis [Gregory of Rimini], [William] Durandus, etc. if there were not in them abundance of precious truth which they esteem…
There are very few points of the Protestant doctrine, which I cannot produce some Papist or other to attest.”
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Duns Scotus’s Writings in English
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The Ordinatio (Complete) tr. Peter L.P. Simpson
Compare also the Ordinatio in Latin.
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Necessity & Sufficiency of Revealed Doctrine, on Theology
bk. 1, God & Trinity
dist. 1-2, Enjoyment, Existence & Unity of God, Persons & Productions in God
dist. 3, Knowability of God & on the Mind
dist. 4-10, Divine Generation, Name of God, Generation of Divine Essence & of the Son, Simplicity, Immutability, Production of Spirit
dist. 11-25, Procession, Spiration & Generation of Spirit, Sending of Persons, Habit & Increase of Charity, Spirit as Gift, Persons equal in Magnitude & Power, Perichoresis, Nameability of God, God as Personal, Number in Trinity, Personhood in Trinity
dist. 26-48, Relations of Persons, Divine Word, Unbegottenness, Principles, Relations, the Son, Properties, God’s Knowledge, Predestination, Omnipotence, Impossibilities, Contrafactuals, God’s Will, Permission, Moral Goodness
bk. 2, Creation
dist. 1-3, Act of Creation, Angels, Duration of, Place of, Individuation, Angelic Knowledge
dist. 4-14, Angelic Blessedness, Evil Angels, Angelic Language, Guardian Angels
dist. 15-25, Animals, Image of Trinity in the Soul, First Man, State of, the Will
dist. 26-44, Grace, Free Choice, Original Righteousness, Original Sin, What Sin is, From God?, Concursus, Will, Conscience, Actions, Kinds of Sins
bk. 3, Incarnation & Grace
dist. 1-7, Assumption, Incarnation, Original Sin of Mary?, Mother of God, Christ has Two Existences, Language of Incarnation
dist. 8-17, Two Filiations, Divine Worship of Christ in what manner, Is Christ adopted, a creature?, Impeccability, Grace conferred on Christ, Christ’s human intellect (and knowledge) and will and the Beatific Vision, Sorrow?, Necessity to Die?, Christ’s Two Wills
dist. 18-25, Christ’s Merit, Necessity of Passion, Hypostatic Union in Death, Revelation & Faith
dist. 26-40, Faith, Hope & Love, Love of Self, Neighbor & Enemies, God’s Love, Moral Virtues, Gifts, Fruits, 10 Commandments, Lies, Perjury, New vs. Old Law
bk. 4, Sacraments & Last Things
dist. 1-7, Creation through Creature?, Sacraments, Conferring Grace, Circumcission, NT Sacraments, Baptism, Infant Baptism, Doubtful Cases, Baptism’s Administration, Unrepeatable, Indelible Mark, Confirmation
dist. 8-13, Eucharist, Administration of, Christ’s Body in the Eucharist, Transubstantiation, Bread & Wine, Accidents in the Mass, Validity of
dist. 14-42, Penance, Mortal Sin, Satisfactions, Restitution, Oral Confession, Power of Keys, Ordination, Sins Returning, Extreme Unction, 7 Sacraments, Conferring Ordination, Marriage, Validity in Cases, Marital Duties, Bigamy (Remarriage), Mosaic Law, Impediments of
dist. 43-50, General Resurrection, Hell, Knowledge in Intermediate State, Divine Justice, Christ as Judge, Beatitude, Resurrected Body, Better for Miserable not to be?, Punishment of Damned, Degrees of Beatitude
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Summa of a Scotus Summa
Intro
Peter L.P. Simpson:
“The following translations from Jerome of Montefortino’s [d. 1738] selections and arrangement of Scotus’ writings are meant to make more readily and readably accessible the philosophical theology of the Subtle and Marian Doctor.
Montefortino’s arrangement of his selections follows the pattern of St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica. However, only the responses in the body of each article are translated here. Adding the objections and replies that are in Montefortino’s original [Latin] (again following the Thomistic pattern) would not only greatly extend the size of the translation but would also make the whole less accessible to interested readers…
Montefortino’s texts, which are from the old Wadding edition of Scotus’ works, fairly represent Scotus as he was discussed and defended for many centuries after his death. This advantage is no mean one, although these texts combine elements from different writings of Scotus (as that the Oxford work, or Oxon. here, combines the Ordinatio with parts of the Reportatio and the Additiones Magnae), and even contain some writings now known not to have been by Scotus but by some of his early followers.
The recent critical editions of Scotus’ writings, while more accurate to what Scotus himself wrote and when (and so more valuable for scholarly purposes), are less accurate to Scotus as he was widely known (and so less valuable for understanding historical Scotism).”
For an even easier summary of Scotus’s thought, see the work of Antonius Andreas (d. 1320) below under Surveys.
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ed. Jerome of Montefortino, tr. Peter L.P. Simpson
pt. 1
q. 1-3 Revelation, Theology, Whether God exists
q. 4-74
q. 75-77 Human Soul & Body
q. 78-119
pt. 1 of 2
q. 1-17 Man’s Ultimate End, Man’s Blessedness, Human Acts, Will, Enjoyment, Intention, Choice, Deliberation, Consent, Use, Acts,
q. 18-89
q. 90-100 Law, Eternal, Natural & Human Law, Change in, Decalogue
q. 101-14
pt. 2 of 2
q. 1-189
pt. 3
q. 1-26
q. 27-29 Sanctification of Mary, Virginity & Espousals of
q. 30-59
q. 60-62 Sacraments, Necessity & Principal Effect of (Grace)
q. 63-90
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On God
Books
1200’s
Treatise on God as First Principle
Treatise on God as First Principle at EWTN
A Treatise on God as the First Principle… along with two related questions from an early commentary on the Sentences ed. & tr. Allan Wolter (Forum Books, 1966) 215 pp. ToC
Treatise on the First Principle, translated with commentary by Thomas Ward in Hackett Classics (Hackett Publishing, 2024) 192 pp.
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1900’s
A Treatise on God as First Principle tr. Allan B. Wolter in Forum Books Series (Quincy College Publications, 1966) 220 pp. ToC There is a 2nd ed. rev. 1982.
God & Creatures: the Quodlibetal Questions trans. Allan B. Wolter & Felix Alluntis Pre (Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1975) ToC
Contingency & Freedom: Lectura I 39… trans. Jaczn, Veldhuis, Looman-Graaskamp, Dekker & den Bok in The New Synthese Historical Library 4 Pre (London: Kluwer, 1994) 200 pp. ToC
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2000’s
Duns Scotus on Divine Love: Texts & Commentary on Goodness & Freedom, God & Humans eds. Vos, Veldhuis, Dekker, den Bok & Beck Pre (Aldershot: Ashgate 2003) ToC
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On Revelation
Articles
1200’s
Ordinatio, Prologue
pt. 1, On the necessity of revealed doctrine
pt. 2, On the sufficiency of sacred Scripture
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Book
1900’s
Reason & Revelation: a Question from Duns Scotus, tr. Nathaniel Micklem (Nelson, 1953) 115 pp. ToC This is Ordinatio, Prologue, 1st Question, “Whether man in this life needs to receive by supernatural inspiration some special doctrine which he could not attain by the natural light of the intellect?”
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On Mary
Articles
1200’s
On the Fittingness of the Immaculate Conception
Dist. 3, q. 1, ‘Was the Blessed Virgin conceived in sin? No’
Summa Theologica, pt. 3
q. 27, On the sanctification of the Virgin
q. 28, Of the virginity of the mother of God
q. 29, Of the espousals of the mother of God
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Book
2000’s
Four Questions on Mary… trans. Allan B. Wolter Pre (Franciscan Institute, 2000) 110 pp. ToC
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On Sacraments
Articles
1200’s
Summa Theologica, pt. 3
q. 60, What is a sacrament?
q. 61, Whether the sacraments are necessary for man’s salvation?
q. 62, The sacraments’ principal effect, which is grace
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On Ethics
Books
1900’s
Duns Scotus on the Will & Morality tr. Allan B. Wolter (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 1986) 550 pp. ToC
Contingency & Freedom: Lectura I 39… trans. Jaczn, Veldhuis, Looman-Graaskamp, Dekker & den Bok in The New Synthese Historical Library 4 Pre (London: Kluwer, 1994) 200 pp. ToC
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2000’s
John Duns Scotus: Selected Writings on Ethics ed. Thomas Williams Ref (Oxford Univ. Press, 2017) 365 pp.
“Williams presents the most extensive collection of John Duns Scotus’s work on ethics and moral psychology available in English… includes extended discussions-and as far as possible, complete questions-on divine and human freedom, the moral attributes of God, the relationship between will and intellect, moral and intellectual virtue, practical reasoning, charity, the metaphysics of goodness and rightness, the various acts, affections, and passions of the will, justice, the natural law, sin, marriage and divorce, the justification for private property, and lying and perjury.”
Duns Scotus on Divine Love: Texts & Commentary on Goodness & Freedom, God & Humans eds. Vos, Veldhuis, Dekker, den Bok & Beck Pre (Aldershot: Ashgate 2003) ToC
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On Politics
Book
2000’s
John Duns Scotus’s Political & Economic Philosophy… tr. Allan B. Wolter Pre (Franciscan Institute Publications, 2001) 90 pp. ToC
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On Philosophy
Articles
1200’s
Ordinatio, Bk. 2, dist. 3, pt. 2
q. 1, Whether a material substance is individual by its very nature
q. 2, Whether a material substance is individual through some positive intrinsic feature
q. 3, Whether a material substance is individual through its very existence
q. 4, Whether a material substance is individual through quantity
q. 5-6, Whether a material substance is individual through matter, or through some beingness per se determining the nature to singularity
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Books
1900’s
Duns Scotus: Philosophical Writings trans. Allan B. Wolter (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 1987) 380 pp. ToC
Questions on the Metaphysics of Aristotle by John Duns Scotus trans. Girard Etzkorn & Allan B. Wolter Ref (St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute, 1997–1998) 625 pp.
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2000’s
A Treatise on Potency & Act: Questions on the Metaphysics of Aristotle Book IX… trans. Allan B. Wolter Pre (Franciscan Institute Publications, 2000) 410 pp. ToC
Early Oxford Lecture on Individuation… tr. Allan B. Wolter Ref (Franciscan Institute, 2005) 114 pp.
Questions on Aristotle’s Categories tr. Lloyd A. Newton in Fathers of the Church: Medieval Continuation Pre (Catholic University of America Press, 2014) 340 pp. ToC
Duns Scotus on Time & Existence: The Questions on Aristotle’s “De interpretatione”… trans. Edward Buckner & Jack Zupko Pre (Washington, DC: Catholic University of America Press, 2014) 380 pp. ToC
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Surveys of Scotus’s Thought
Order of
Whole of 13
Special Topics 22+
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Whole of his Thought
Articles
1900’s
Sharp, D.E. – ‘Duns Scotus’ ToC in Franciscan Philosophy at Oxford in the Thirteenth Century (Oxford Univ. Press, 1930), pp. 279-370
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2000’s
Simpson, Peter L.P. – ‘Have you Tried Scotus? Aquinas Didn’t Know Everything’ in Commonweal (June 14, 2019), pp. 12-15
Simpson mentions differences between Thomas and Scotus, such as:
Thomas’s insufficient explanation for Christ having (an accidental) location on the altar in transubstantiation (whereas Scotus had such an explanation), Scotus’s view of the incarnation of Christ apart from man’s Fall (contra Aquinas), Scotus’s defense of Mary’s immaculate conception (contra Aquinas), Scotus affirmed animals can go to heaven and be resurrected (contra Aquinas) and Scotus affirmed multiple angels can be of the same species and that their first sin is not irrevocable, but it is possible some of them have repented (contra Aquinas).
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Books
1300’s
Andreas, Antonius – A Summa of Scotus’ Theology or Questions on the Four Books of Peter Lombard’s Sentences tr. Peter Simpson (d. 1320) 105 pp.
Simpson: “Antonius Andreas (born c. 1280, Tauste, Aragon, died 1320) was a Spanish Franciscan theologian, a pupil of Duns Scotus. He was nicknamed Doctor Dulcifluus, or Doctor Scotellus (applied as well to Peter of Aquila).
His Questions on the Four Books of Peter Lombard’s Sentences are so faithful to the thought of Scotus and so closely follow Scotus’ own commentaries on the Sentences [of Lombard], while at the same time being so much briefer and more immediately accessible, that the questions constitute a sort of Summa of Scotus’ theology…
Scotus’ thought is otherwise and ordinarily so hard to track or comprehend. Even Jerome of Montefortino’s Summa, which is basically a re-ordering and re-arranging of Scotus’ own writings, remains hard going.
Of course Andreas, like Jerome, was not using critical editions of Scotus or distinguishing texts from different periods of Scotus’ career (though Andreas must have been personally acquainted with some at least of Scotus’ theological development). But no matter. The Subtle Doctor’s theology, just as such and without the scholars’ qualifications and updatings, deserves to be much more widely known and so needs to be made available in easier forms. Not everyone has to be a scholar or familiar with the scholars’ findings to attain a basic and salutary grasp of Scotism.”
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1900’s
De Saint-Maurice, Beraud – John Duns Scotus: a Teacher for our Times (Franciscan Institute, 1955) 350 pp. ToC
Harris, C.R.S. – Duns Scotus: vol. 1, Place of Scotus in Medieval Thought; vol. 2, the Philosophic Doctrines of Duns Scotus (Humanities Press, 1959) ToC 1, 2
Bettoni, Efrem – Duns Scotus: the Basic Principles of his Philosophy (Catholic Univ. of America Press, 1961) 230 pp. ToC
Eds. Ryna, John & Bernardine Bonansa – John Duns Scotus, 1265-1965 (Catholic Univ. of America Press, 1965) 385 pp. ToC
Bonansea, B.M. – Man & his Approach to God in John Duns Scotus (University Press of America, 1983) 260 pp. ToC
Wolter, Allan B. – The Philosophical Theology of John Duns Scotus ed. Marilyn Adams (Cornell Univ. Press, 1990) 360 pp. ToC
ed. Bos, E.P. – John Duns Scotus: Renewal of Philosophy: Acts of the Third Symposium organized by the Dutch Society for Medieval Philosophy Medium Aevum (May 23 & 24 1996) (Amsterdam: Rodopi, 1998) 225 pp. ToC
Cross, Richard – Duns Scotus in Great Medieval Thinkers Pre (Oxford Univ. Press, 1999) 240 pp. ToC
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2000’s
The Cambrdige Companion to Duns Scotus Pre (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2003) 408 pp.
Ingham, Mary Beth & Mechthild Dreyer – The Philosophical Vision of John Duns Scotus: an Introduction Pre (Catholic Univ. of America Press, 2004) ToC
Vos, Antonie – The Philosophy of Duns Scotus Abstract (Edinburgh Univ. Press, 2006) 645 pp.
Ward, Thomas – Ordered by Love: an Introduction to John Duns Scotus Ref (Angelico Press, 2022) 174 pp.
Blurb: “…offers a sympathetic exploration of a wide range of Scotus’s thought. Topics covered include his understanding of the relationship between faith and reason, his doctrine of individuation by “haecceity” (thisness), his theory of the univocity of the concept of being, his emphasis on God’s freedom and its supposed consequences for moral theory, his defense of Mary’s immaculate conception, and his teaching on the primacy of Christ.”
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Special Topics
Articles
Knowledge, Individuation, Universals
Paasch, J.T. – ‘Scotus on Universals & Individuation’ (2012)
“It is often said that Scotus is a realist about universals. I present the case that he is not.”
De Doctrina Ionnis Duns Scoti (Acta Congressus Scotistici Internationalis Oxonii et Edimburgi 11-17 Sept. 1966)
vol. 2
Tonna, Ivo – ‘The Problem of Individuation In Scotus & Other Franciscan Thinkers of Oxford in the 13th Century’, pp. 257-70
vol. 4
Torrance, Thomas – ‘Intuitive & Abstractive Knowledge: From Duns Scotus to Calvin’, pp. 291-305
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Hylomorphism & Substantial Form
Ward, Thomas – ‘Animals, Animal Parts & Hylomorphism: John Duns Scotus’s Pluralism about Substantial Form’ Journal of the History of Philosophy, vol. 50, no. 4 (Oct. 2012), pp. 531-57
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Psychology
Book
Devlin, Christopher – The Psychology of Duns Scotus (Oxford: Blackfriars, 1950) 23 pp.
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Freedom
De Doctrina Ionnis Duns Scoti (Acta Congressus Scotistici Internationalis Oxonii et Edimburgi 11-17 Sept. 1966),
vol. 2
Zavalloni, Roberto – ‘Personal Freedom & Scotus’ Voluntarism’, pp. 613-27
Messerich, Valerius – ‘The Awareness of Causal Initiative & Existential Responsibility…’, pp. 629-44
Gavran, Ignatius – ‘The Idea of Freedom as a Basic Concept of Human Existence according to John Duns Scotus’, pp. 645-69
vol. 4
Marcil, George – ‘The Unconscious & Free Choice: a Comparison between Freud & Scotus’, pp. 647-52
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Christ
De Doctrina Ionnis Duns Scoti (Acta Congressus Scotistici Internationalis Oxonii et Edimburgi 11-17 Sept. 1966), vol. 3
North, Robert – ‘The Scotist Cosmic Christ’, pp. 169-217
This treats of Scotus’s view that Christ would have been incarnated even if man had not fallen into sin.
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Immortality of the Soul
De Doctrina Ionnis Duns Scoti (Acta Congressus Scotistici Internationalis Oxonii et Edimburgi 11-17 Sept. 1966), vol. 2
Ruiz, Bernardino – ‘Scotus & the Immortality of the Soul’, pp. 577-87
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Books
Metaphysics
eds. Honnefelder, Wood, Dreyer – John Duns Scotus: Metaphysics & Ethics (Brill, 1996) 615 pp. ToC
Vogt, Berard – The Origin & Development of the Franciscan School; Duns Scotus & St. Thomas; On the Formal Distinction; On the Forma Corporeitatis in Franciscan Studies, no. 3 (August 1925)
Grajewski, Maurice – The Formal Distinction of Duns Scotus (Catholic Univ. of America Press, 1944) ToC
Wolter, Allan B. – The Transcendentals & their Function in the Metaphysics of Duns Scotus (Franciscan Institute, 1946) 215 pp. ToC
Bates, Todd – Duns Scotus & the Problem of Universals (Continuum, 2010) 165 pp.
Heidegger, Martin – Duns Scotus’s Doctrine of Categories & Meaning tr. Bagchee & Gower (Indiana Univ. Press, 2022)
Vier, Peter C. – Evidence & its Function according to John Duns Scotus (Franciscan Institute, 1951) 290 pp. ToC
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Natural Theology
Currey, Cecil – Reason & Revelation: John Duns Scotus on Natural Theology (Franciscan Herald Press, 1977) 55 pp. ToC
Effler, Roy R. – John Duns Scotus & the Principle Omne Quod Movetur Ab Alio Movetur (Franciscan Institute, 1962) 220 pp.
Scotus rejected the Thomistic principle, “Whatever is moved, is moved from another.”
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Theology
Langston, Douglas C. – God’s Willing Knowledge: the Influence of Scotus’ Analysis of Omniscience (Pennsylvania State University Press, 1986) 150 pp. ToC
Franciscan Studies, no. 4 (April, 1926): Scotus, his Life & Works, Dorzweiler; The Doctrine of Scotus concerning the Causality of the Sacraments, Huber; Teaching of Scotus concerning the Immaculate Conception of our Lady, Mayer (NY: Joseph Wagner, 1926) 46 pp.
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Mariology
Various – Blessed John Duns Scotus & his Mariology: Commemoration of the Seventh Centenary of his Death Pre (New Bedford, MA: Academy of the Immaculate, 2009) 450 pp. ToC
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Ethics
eds. Honnefelder, Wood, Dreyer – John Duns Scotus: Metaphysics & Ethics (Brill, 1996) 615 pp. ToC
ed. Wolter, Allan – Duns Scotus on the Will & Morality (Catholic Univ. of America Press, 1986) 555 pp. ToC
Ingham, Mary Beth – The Harmony of Goodness: Mutuality & Moral Living according to John Duns Scotus (Franciscan Press, 1996) 175 pp. ToC
eds. Campbell, Ian & Todd Rester – Franciscans & Scotists on War: John Duns Scotus’s Theology, Anti-Judaism & Holy War in Early Modernity Pre (Routledge, 2024) 275 pp. ToC
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Physics
Cross, Richard – The Physics of Duns Scotus: the Scientific Context of a Theological Vision (Clarendon Press, 1998) 310 pp.
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Bibliography
Book
Hoffmann, Tobias – Duns Scotus Bibliography from 1950 to the Present 10th ed. (2022)
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Related Pages
On the Reception of Scotus in Church History
Medieval Theology & Philosophy
The Early & Medieval Church Fathers on Scripture
Early & Medieval Church Bible Commentaries
Authoritative Documents of Romanism
On the Reception of Aquinas in Church History
Where Reformed Agreed & Disagreed with Aquinas