Alexander of Hales

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Fantasy portrait in Hartmann Schedel's World Chronicle (1493).

Alexander von Hales also Alexander Halensis (* around 1185 in Hales in Shropshire or Gloucester in Gloucestershire , † August 21, 1245 in Paris ) was an English Franciscan and an important scholastic representative . He is considered to be the founder of the so-called older Franciscan school and was particularly famous for his commentary on the sentences of Petrus Lombardus .

Life

After a convent education in the Convent of the Franciscans in Hales he studied the seven liberal arts and theology at the Paris Sorbonne . Through his eagerness to learn, he achieved his doctorate and became a professor. From the 1220s he taught at the theological faculty . Among his students were Duns Scotus and Giovanni di Fidanza . He quickly acquired the nickname "doctor irrefragable" (Doctor irrefutable). At the university, Hales was involved in the disputes in 1229/1231 and in the condemnations of some of the opinions of Aristotle in 1241.

In Jakob Bisson's dissertation , the importance of Alexander von Hales is seen in the fact that "... that in his Summa Theologica he first used the whole philosophy of Aristotle as an auxiliary science." Bisson explains this with the fact that the " ... impetus, itself in the theological writings at least implicitly to deal more and more with the ethical questions in their meaning and scope for the moral behavior and actions of humans, in their demands in general, [...] since the beginning of the 13th century, even since the end of the 12th century, [through] further writings of Aristotle becoming known ... ” .

Alexander von Hales joined the Franciscan order around 1231 and took his theological chair with him. In 1245 he took part in the 1st Council of Lyon and died unexpectedly in Paris on his return that same year. He was buried in the monastery church of the Couvent des Cordeliers (also Grand Couvent), where his tombstone could be seen until the church was destroyed during the revolution . His most famous student and successor in the chair was St. Bonaventure .

Entry in Schedel's world chronicle from 1493

The Summa universae theologiae as incunable from 1489

Alexander von Hales has his own entry with a stylized portrait in Hartmann Schedel's Weltchronik , a kind of encyclopedia of the late Middle Ages. On sheet CCXIIII about the sixth world age it says about him:

“ Alexander von (H) ales an obnoxious and venerable ler also did not enlighten this time with his art and lere. And besides his ingenuity, on the Babsts Innocentii, vnd pote even collected a rich and laudable summa in the holy scriptures. vnd sunst vil tapffers describe guts things vnd the old and new testament almost laid out everything. and because he deserves that he is called a splendor of life. Out of divine wisdom and sundrer devotion and intimacy which he had to the most blessed iunckfrawen Marie het he received in the last days the dress of the brothers sant Francisen order. Then he would promise if ymant in your name ettwas that possible whoever ine begeret so he would do it. Nw meets a sant Francisen brother with a sack of daz alms through the gathering place. He spoke to Alexandro. So ir long-term the world serves in great ruom. And our order has no master so I ask you for the sake of god and the love of his mother we want to use our sele and accept our order to err our klaid. He answers: I want to follow you soon and do what you asked for. So he left the world and went to the order.

(Alexander von Hales: an irresistible and distinguished teacher, with his skills and teaching, illuminated this period quite a bit. On the orders and command of Pope Innocent, he prepared an extensive and praiseworthy summary of the Holy Scriptures. He also wrote many excellent things as well as the Old and New Testament comprehensively interpreted. With this he deserves to be called a fountain of life . Due to divine wisdom and through his particularly devout relationship with the Virgin Mary, he received the robe of the Franciscan order in the last days of his life ...) "

Works

literature

  • Werner Dettloff: Alexander Halesius . In: TRE 2 (1978), 245-248 Google Booksearch
  • Georg Steer: Alexander von Hales . In: Author's Lexicon 2 1 (1978), 218-220. Google Booksearch
  • Elisabeth Gössmann : Metaphysics and Salvation History. A theological investigation of the Summa Halensis (= communications from the Grabmann Institute of the University of Munich , special volume), Grabmann Institute for Research into Medieval Theology and Philosophy, University of Munich, Hueber Munich 1964
  • Jakob Bisson : The free will with Alexander von Hales . Würzburg, philosophical dissertation 1930. In: Philosophical yearbook of the Görres Society . Edited by Professors M. Grabmann and ED at the instigation and with the support of the Görres Society . Hartmann. 45th volume. Fulda 1932. Issue 3, pages 290-315 and Issue 4, pages 413-439.

Web links

Commons : Alexander von Hales  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Hubert Philipp Weber: Alexander of Hales's Theology in His Authentic Texts (Commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard, Various Disputed Questions). In: Michael Robson (ed.): The English Province of the Franciscans (1224-c.1350). (= The Medieval Franciscans. Volume 14). Brill, 2017, ISBN 978-90-04-33162-4 , pp. 273-294, here: p. 273.
  2. ↑ George Godfrey Cunningham: Lives of Eminent and Illustrious Englishmen: From Alfred the Great to the Latest Times, on an Original Plan. Volume 1, A. Fullarton & Co, Glasgow 1836, p. 277.
  3. ↑ B. Steinseifer: Alexander von Hales . (approx. 1185-1245). In: Helmut Burkhardt and Uwe Swarat (ed.): Evangelical Lexicon for Theology and Congregation . tape 1 . R. Brockhaus Verlag, Wuppertal 1992, ISBN 978-3-417-24641-4 , p. 35 .
  4. ↑ George Godfrey Cunningham: Lives of Eminent and Illustrious Englishmen: From Alfred the Great to the Latest Times, on an Original Plan, Volume 1 , p. 277.
  5. ↑ Philosophical Yearbook of the Görres Society 1932, pages 291–292.
  6. ↑ Hartmann Schedel: Weltchronik 1493. Colored and commented complete edition , introduction and commentary by Stephan Füssel, Augsburg 2004, ISBN 3-8289-0803-9 .
personal data
SURNAME Alexander of Hales
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Alexander Halensis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English scholastic
DATE OF BIRTH around 1185
PLACE OF BIRTH Hales, now Halesowen , West Midlands , England
DATE OF DEATH August 21, 1245
Place of death Paris