Scotus

November 8th: Feast Day of Blessed John Duns Scotus

John Duns Scotus

Starting in 1297, John Duns Scotus divided his time between Oxford and Cambridge. He lectured at both cities' universities. By 1302, however, he had returned to Paris to complete his doctorate.

University of Oxford

A philosopher and theologian, John Duns Scotus has had the reputation of an illuminating thinker. During his life he learned from various intellectuals - including those from the Augustinian-Franciscan tradition, Aristotle, St. Thomas Aquinas, and several Muslin philosophers amongst others. John's definition of the Immaculate Conception deeply influenced not only the University of Paris but also the Roman Catholic Church itself. John Duns Scotus also argued passionately for the idea of free will and as an objective academic refused to be drawn into a dispute between King Philip the Fair and Pope Boniface VIII. This refusal got him temporarily deported from France.

University of Paris (Sorbonne)

John finally received his doctorate at the University of Paris in 1305. Three years later he was dead. He had recently started teaching at the Franciscan School in Cologne, Germany - the city where his remains are still buried today. Pope John Paul II beatified John Duns Scotus in 1993.