Godfrey of Fontaines

Godfrey of Fontaines (born sometime before 1250, died between 1306 and 1309), whose name in Latin was Godefridus de Fontibus, was a scholastic philosopher and theologian, designated by the title Doctor Venerandus. He made contributions to a diverse range of subjects ranging from moral philosophy to epistemology. However, he is best known today for his work on metaphysics.

Life

Godfrey was born sometime before 1250 in the principality of Liège in present-day Belgium. He was likely born at Fontaines-les-Hozémont, a château owned by his noble family. He was a student at the University of Paris by at least 1277, but probably as early as 1270. He likely studied under Thomas Aquinas, who was a strong influence on his writings and taught at the University between 1269 and 1272. He was a "Magister", or Master of Theology at the University of Paris by at least 1285 and until 1299, and again in 1303-1304. Godfrey was held in high esteem during his life, and held a number of ecclesiastical offices, including Canon of Liege, Canon of Tournai, Provost of St. Severin in Cologne (1287–1295), and possibly Canon of Paris. In 1300 he was chosen to be the Bishop of Tournai, but he chose not to take the position due to a contested election. He also compiled a large library during his lifetime. He donated the collection to the Sorbonne upon his death, a portion of which is still intact today.

Writings

The most significant of Godfrey's writings are transcriptions of quodlibets. These were week-long sessions held before Christmas and Easter in which participating Masters were required to answer questions chosen by their students. This was taxing to the Master, who would have to argue a thoughtful and researched answer on an incredibly diverse range of subjects. Many Masters chose not to engage in the quodlibets. Godfrey of Fontaines completed at least fourteen quodlibetal sessions. Hence, Godfrey discussed a very wide range of issues. These and other writings show him to have been not merely a distinguished theologian and philosopher, but also a canonist, jurist, moralist, and controversialist, who took an active part in the various ecclesiastical, doctrinal, and disciplinary disputes that stirred Paris at that period.

Godfrey was strongly influenced by Thomas Aquinas, and was a defender of Thomism against his contemporaries. Thomism was a very novel at the time, and was condemned by Étienne Tempier, Bishop of Paris (1277), and opposed by John Peckham and many others. This is despite Godfrey attacking the mendicant orders throughout his career, whereas Aquinas was a member of the Dominican mendicant order.

Godfrey's largest contributions are to the field of metaphysics. He was opposed to platonic arguments advanced from his contemporaries, such as Henry of Ghent. For example, he argued against the concept of platonic ideal forms, and that something's essential substance and existence were one and the same. His philosophy was strongly influenced by Aristotle.

Influence

The XIV Quodlibeta of Godfrey, extensively studied and multiplied in manuscript form in the medieval schools, were published for the first time at the beginning of the 20th century. A critical edition of the first four of them appeared in the series "Les Philosophes Belges, Textes et Etudes" (II, "Les quatre premiers Quodlibets de Godefroid de Fontaines", by de Wulf and Pelzer, Louvain, 1904).

Sometime in the 14th century, Godfrey, though well-known in his own time, fell out of favour into near-total obscurity. Thomas Aquinas sparked plenty of controversy and discussion in philosophy and theology in the last quarter century of the 1200s. Many significant writers lived during this period, but for the most part, until the 20th century only Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus received any recognition. Godfrey may have been just as significant in his own time as these two, yet for some reason his works were only edited and published as of the early 20th century. This may have more to do with his political affiliation than anything else. Religious Scholars of this time became well known in the long run based mainly on how well promoted they were by the mendicant orders. Thomas Aquinas was promoted by the Dominican order, and Duns Scotus was promoted by the Franciscan order. Despite this, Godfrey of Fontaines writings have, by the 1960s, regained much popularity.

Bibliography

• Dales, R. (1990). Medieval Discussions of the Eternity of the World. Leiden: E.J. Brill.
• De Wulf, M. (1904). Un théologien-philosophe du XIIIe siècle. Étude sur la vie, les oeuvres et l'influence de Godefroid de Fontaines. Brussels: M. Hayez.
• Duin, J.J. (1959). La bibliothèque philosophique de Godefroid de Fontaines, Estudios Lulianos 3, pp. 21–36, 136-60.
• Marrone, S. (2001). The Light of Thy Countenance. Science and Knowledge of God in the Thirteenth Century. Vol. 2: God at the Core of Cognition. Leiden: Brill.
• Putallaz, F.X. (1995). Insolente liberté. Controverses et condemnations au XIIIe siècle. Fribourg: Éditions Universitaires/Paris: Éditions du Cerf.
• Wippel, J.F. (1981). The Metaphysical Thought of Godfrey of Fontaines. A Study in Late Thirteenth-Century Philosophy. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press.
• Wippel, J.F. (1984). Possible Sources for Godfrey of Fontaines' Views on the Act-Potency Composition of Simple Creatures, Mediaeval Studies 44 (1984), pp. 222–44.
• Wippel, J.F. (1986). The Role of the Phantasm in Godfrey of Fontaines' Theory of Intellection, in C. Wenin, ed., L'homme et son univers au moyen âge (Actes du septième congrès internationale de philosophie médiévale [30 Août-4 Septembre 1982]), Vol. 2, pp. 573–82.
• Wippel, J.F. (2001). Godfrey of Fontaines at the University of Paris in the Last Quarter of the Thirteenth Century, in J.A. Aertsen, K. Emery, Andreas Speer, eds., Nach der Verurteilung von 1277. Philosophie und Theologie an der Universität von Paris im letzten Viertel des 13. Jahrhunderts. Studien und Texte (Miscellanea Mediaevalia, 28) Berlin-New York: Walter de Gruyter, pp. 359–89.

Online references

• Wippel, John. Godfrey of Fontaines, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2001 Edition).
• Bernd Goebel (2010). Bautz, Traugott. ed (in German). Godfrey of Fontaines. Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). 31. Nordhausen. ISBN 3-88309-544-8. http://www.bautz.de/bbkl/g/gottfried_v_fon.shtml.