November 8: The Feast Day of Blessed John Duns Scotus -
Franciscan Friar and Influential Scholar
Blessed John Duns Scotus
Today on November 8 we celebrate the feast day of Franciscan friar and philosopher Blessed John Duns Scotus. Likely a native of Duns, Berwick, Scotland, John Duns Scotus was born in 1266. A brilliant young man, he studied at the Universities of Oxford and Paris receiving his doctorate from the latter at around 1305. As a lecturer John Duns Scotus worked both at the Universities of Oxford and Paris as well as Cambridge.
John Duns Scotus’ ordination to the priesthood took place at St. Andrew’s Church in Northampton when he was 25 years old. A man of deep faith, Scotus was also very curious and an analytical thinker. He read the works of Thomas Aquinas, Aristotle, and a number of Muslim philosophers. Amongst lay people today he is remembered for his arguments in favour of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
Now a part of Church Dogma, the Immaculate Conception of Mary tells us that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was conceived without original sin, inside her mother's womb.
Having died in 1308, Blessed John Duns Scotus lies buried in Cologne, Germany. Pope John Paul II beatified him in 1993. His ideas continue to influence and inspire scholars around the world today.
Just last month, a Newman-Scotus Symposium took place at the Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C. Scholars who participated in the symposium presented papers on the similarities in the philosophies of Blesses John Duns Scotus and Blessed John Henry Newman. One of the scholars at the symposium was Friar Edward Ondrako, a Conventual Franciscan scholar who is currently working at the Franciscan International Study Centre in Canterbury, United Kingdom.
We are very pleased to have a video recording of Friar Edward delivering his paper at the Newman-Scotus Symposium. The paper is titled "Intuition and Certitude: Newman and Scotus Anticipate Liberal Christianity and Modern Voluntarism". Friar Edward's presentation of his paper lasts just over one hour and may take a bit of time to load on your computer.
