Duns Scotus on Divine Love

The medieval philosopher and theologian John Duns Scotus was one of the great thinkers of Western intellectual culture, exerting a considerable influence over many centuries. He had a genius for original philosophical analysis, with the motive behind his philosophical method being his faith. His texts are famous not only for their complexity, but also for the profound faith revealed. The texts presented in this commentary show that Scotus' thought is not moved by a love for the abstract or technical, but that a high level of abstraction and technicality was needed for his precise conceptual analysis of Christian faith. Presenting a selection of nine fundamental theological texts of Duns Scotus, this book provides detailed commentary on each text to reveal Scotus' conception of divine goodness and the nature of the human response to that goodness. The editors highlight Scotus' theological insights and shed new light on topics which were, and still are, hotly discussed. Scotus is seen to be the first theologian in the history of Christian thought who succeeds in developing a consistent conceptual framework for the conviction that both God and human beings are essentially free.