Contents

Preface

Abbreviations

Notes on References

Chapter 1

Duns Scotus’ Life and Works – Ideas of Theology

1.1 Introduction

1.2 Historical Background

1.3 Oxford

1.3.1 The Early Years of John Duns

1.3.2 Lectura I-II

1.4 Paris I

1.4.1 The Outrage of Paris

1.5 Oxford and Cambridge

1.5.1 Again in Oxford

1.5.2 Comfort in Disaster

1.5.3 Cambridge

1.6 Paris II and Cologne

1.6.1 Paris II

1.6.1.1 A World Historical Debate? The Grand Disputation: Fact or Legend?

1.6.1.2 1304-1307

1.6.2 Cologne

1.7 Duns Scotus’ Biblical Theology

1.8 Theology as Scientific Activity

1.8.1 Theology is Practical

1.9 Perspectives

Chapter 2

God Triune

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Historical Background

2.3 The Life of the Trinity: processio and productio

2.3.1 Divine production and procession

2.3.2 Conclusions

2.4 Potentia absoluta/ordinata

2.5 The Generation of the Son

2.5.1 Semantic Aspects

2.5.2 Divine Generation

2.5.3 God’s Knowing and Willing

2.5.3.1 Conclusion

2.5.4 The Logic of the Potentia Divina: Duns Scotus

2.5.4.1 The Term ‘Absolutus’

2.6 The Spiration of the Holy Spirit

2.6.1 The filioque

2.7 The Constitution of Divine Persons

2.7.1 Lectura I 26

2.7.2 The Strategy of Lectura I 26

2.7.3 The Systematic Field of Forces

2.7.4 The Explanation of a Personal Dilemma

2.8 Epilogue

2.8.1 Divine Personhood and Person

2.8.2 Conclusion

Chapter 3

Jesus Christ

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Some Background Information

3.2.1 Thomas Aquinas

3.3 The Crucial Christ

3.4 The Two Natures of Jesus Christ

3.4.1 Individuality and Being a Person

3.4.1.1 Option One

3.4.1.2 Option Two

3.4.2 Perspective

3.5 Reconciliation

3.6 Adoptionism?

3.6.1 The Key Issue

3.6.2 Christ’s Impeccability

3.7 Outlook

Chapter 4

Creation

4.1 Introduction

4.2 God the Creator

4.3 Trinitarian Creativity

4.4 Creation as Relation

4.5 Material Things

4.6 The Eternity of the World

4.7 Time, Place and Space

4.7.1 Time

4.7.2 Place and Space

4.8 Creation, Philosophy and Science

Chapter 5

Ethics

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Duns Scotus’ Ethical Writings

5.3 Actus and praxis

5.4 Kinds of Laws

5.5 The Sabbath Commandment

5.6 The Virtue of Being Human

5.7 Lying

5.8 Perjury

5.9 Bigamy

5.10 Harris on Scotus’ Ethics

5.11 Concluding Remarks

5.11.1 Biblical Jammers

5.11.2 Systematic Structures

5.11.3 Ethics and Spirituality

Chapter 6

Justification

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Idiom and Tradition

6.2.1 Introduction

6.2.2 The Historical Background

6.2.3 To Justify

6.2.4 The Ontological duplex ordo

6.3 The Context of the Doctrine of Justification

6.4 Love and the Holy Spirit

6.5 Acceptatio divina

6.6 Grace and Sin

6.7 Martin Luther on Justification

6.8 Hans Küng and Karl Barth

6.9 Outlook

Chapter 7

Predestination

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Terminology: ‘Predestination’ and ‘Election’

7.3 The Contingency of Predestination

7.3.1 Introduction

7.3.2 The Contingency of Election

7.3.3 The Contingency of Rejection

7.4 God’s Permission

7.4.1 Introduction

7.4.2 Positive Acts of Will

7.4.3 Negative Acts of Willing

7.4.4 The Effect and Prevention Approach: permissio I

7.4.4.1 Some More Aspects of permissio

7.4.5 The Second Order Willing Approach: permissio II

7.5 The Finality of Election

7.6 The Structure of Election

7.7 The Number of the Elect and the Fall

7.8 The Structure of Rejection

7.8.1 The Basicality of God’s Goodness

7.8.2 The Structural Moments

7.8.3 The Element of Necessity

7.8.4 Final Dilemmas

7.9 Final Considerations

7.9.1 Comparative Theology

Chapter 8

Sacraments

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Sacrament

8.3 Baptism

8.4 Confirmation

8.5 The Eucharist

8.5.1 The Inseparability or Separability of Accidents

8.5.2 Final Evaluative Considerations

8.6 Penance and Confession

8.7 The Extreme Unction

8.8 Sacred Orders

8.9 Marriage

8.10 Systematic Coherence

Chapter 9

Theology in a New Key: Extrapolations and Perspectives

9.1 Introduction

9.2 The Doctrine of God Triune

9.3 God Incarnate: Light from Light, God from God

9.3.1 Jesus Christ

9.3.2 Analysis and Synthesis

9.4 Creation and Anthropology

9.5 Ethics: Ethics of Existence and Love

9.6 Grace, Justification and Predestination

9.7 Perspectives

9.7.1 Eucharist, Transubstantiation, Consubstantiation

9.7.2 Election and Predestination

Bibliography

Index