HADDINGTONUS SCOTUS, PHILOSOPHER - 1 MAY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY

Saints celebrated on the 1st of May

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HADDINGTONUS SCOTUS, PHILOSOPHER 

Haddingtonus Scotus (aka John Major, John Mair, Joannes Majoris) was a Scottish philosopher and historian, born at Gleghornie near Haddington, 1496; he died at St Andrew's, [May 1,] 1550. 

HIS STUDIES

He studied at Oxford, Cambridge, and Paris, where he was graduated as master of arts in the College of St Barbe in 1494 and as doctor of theology in the College of Montaigu in 1505. 

HIS CAREER

He spent the greater part of his remaining life as professor of logic and theology; from 1505 -18 at the University of Paris, from 1518 - 23 at the University of Glasgow, from 1523 - 5 at the University of St Andrew's, and from 1525 - 1530 again at Paris. 

In 1530 he returned to St Andrew's and was made provost of St Salvator's College, a position which he occupied until his death. 

HIS VIEWS

One of the greatest scholastic philosophers of his times, he had among his pupils the future Scotch reformers John Knox, Patrick Hamilton, and George Buchanan. In philosophy he was the chief exponent of the nominalistic or terministic tendency which was then prevalent at the University of Paris, while, as a canonist, he held that the chief ecclesiastical authority does not reside in the pope but in the whole Church. In like manner he held that the source of civil authority lies with the people who transfer it to the ruler and can wrest it from him, even by force, if necessary. 

HIS WRITINGS

He remained a Catholic until his death. His numerous literary productions were all written in Latin. His chief work, "Historia majoris Britannae, tam Angliae quam Scotiae" (Paris, 1521 and Edinburgh, 1740), translated into English for the first time by Archibald Constable, "History of the Greater Britain, both England and Scotland" (Edinburgh, 1892) truthfully and faithfully portrays the author's vigour and spirit of independence. 

His other works are mostly philosophical, viz: a commentary on Peter Lombard's Books of Sentences (Paris, 1508), "Introductorium" or a commentary on Aristotle's dialectics (Paris, 1508), the lectures which he delivered on logic in the College of Montaigu (Lyons, 1516), commentaries on Aristotle's physical and ethical writings (Paris, 1526), "Quaestiones logicales" (Paris, 1528), a commentary on the four Gospels (Paris, 1529). He was also the first to edit the so-called "Reportia Parisiensia" of Duns Scotus (Paris, 1517 - 8).

(Excerpts from Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913)