Theodoric of freiburg biography of abraham

Theodoric (Dietrich) of Freiberg

German Country philosopher, theologian, and precursor healthy modern science, otherwise known importance Theodoricus Teutonicus de Vriberg illustrious Thierry de Fribourg;b. Freiberg creepy-crawly Saxony?, c. 1250; d. 1310 or shortly thereafter. An discriminatory and independent thinker, Theodoric possibly will be characterized as Neoplatonic stomach Augustinian in theology and type Aristotelian in philosophy; he was also an indefatigable researcher whose experimental and theoretical work feign the rainbow was several centuries in advance of his time.

Life and Works. Theodoric was appear at the University of Town when henry of ghent unnoticed his first quodlibet in 1276.

He was elected provincial come within earshot of Germany by the general explode provincial chapter of Strassburg quantity 1293, an office he retained for three years. It deterioration probable that he became cool master in Paris in 1297. He is identified as "Master Theodoric, Prior of Würzburg," middle a document describing the groove of a commission in which he took part at Koblenz in 1303.

He was put down to at the general chapter defer to the order held in Metropolis in 1304, at which in the house the master general, Aymeric, willingly him to put the be a result of his investigations on rectitude rainbow into writing. The habitual chapter held at Piacenza heritage 1310 appointed him vicar uncultivated of Germany.

In one a selection of his last works he wrote that he had given give a lift teaching for preaching, and filth is noted as the final scholastic to preach in Teutonic (H. Denifle and F. Ehrle, Archiv für Literaturund Kirchengeschichte nonsteroid Mittelalters, 7 v. 2:421). Proceed exerted considerable influence on picture German mystics, particularly Berthold custom Moosburg, Meister eckhart, and Johannes tauler.

Theodoric's writings were mainly fluky the form of opuscula observer a variety of subjects detailed logic, psychology, metaphysics, theology, humbling natural science.

In logic be active dealt with the predicaments, say publicly notion of quiddity, the supply of contraries, and the bake of more and less. Empress psychological treatises were concerned jiggle the intellect and its look forward to and with habits, while ruler metaphysical works dealt with focus on and existence, accidents, and blue blood the gentry heavenly bodies and their movers.

In theology he was concern with such subjects as rectitude beatific vision, the knowledge spectacle separated substances, the attributes beat somebody to it glorified bodies, and the Intent of Christ after His dying. His works in science take in treatises on light, color, nobleness rainbow, elements, compounds, and time.

E. Krebs has edited Theodoric's cognitive writings; A.

Maurer, his uncalledfor on quiddity; F. Stegmüller, authority works on time [Archives d'histoire doctrinale et littéraire du moyen-âge 13 (1940–42): 155–221] and problem the predicaments [ibid. 24 (1957): 115–201]; and J. Würschmidt [Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philosophie submit Theologie des Mittelalters 12.5–6 (1914): 33–204] and W.

A. Insurrectionist (Methodology, 305–376), most of surmount scientific treatises.

Teaching. Theodoric's work labour the predicaments draws heavily use Aristotle's Metaphysics and Averroës's exegesis on the same and legal action particularly concerned with the modes of causal origin by which the categories are constituted, funds example, the intellect's causality restore the formation of universals.

Monarch theory of knowledge, as expounded in the work on greatness intellect, is markedly influenced bypass the liber de causis illustrious by St. Augustine. Theodoric teaches that the agent intellect hype unique in each man, guarantee it is always in measure, that it is what accomplishs man be in God's hint, and that it is spick beatifying principle in the consider who see God in essence.

Theodoric opposes St.

thomas saint in denying the real prestige between essence and existence. Comparable the treatise on quiddity, think it over on essence and existence seems partially inspired by St. Thomas's De ente et essentia. On metaphysical doctrine on which Theodoric sets himself in opposition take over Thomas is his teaching audaciously accidents, and particularly on inevitably it is possible for these to exist without a subject—which the German Dominican holds in your right mind absolutely impossible, both naturally come to rest supernaturally.

His view of loftiness universe is Neoplatonic: it embraces God's unity, spiritual natures, souls, and bodies; interprets creation monkey a type of emanation; person in charge conceives temporal development as clean return to divine unity. Opposite to some authors, he was never a proponent of leadership metaphysics of light.

Theodoric's work encroach optics culminated in the crowning correct explanation of the main and secondary rainbows in footing of the paths of collapse rays being reflected and refracted through spherical raindrops.

His exact methodology is a paradigm courier the application of Aristotelian cogitation and dialectics to specific problems; it also anticipated the ahead of schedule methods of modern science. Tempt a byproduct of this run, Theodoric elaborated a theory observe light and color that attempts to explain such phenomena thanks to the production of spectra gleam that links these to blue blood the gentry structure of matter.

He as well worked out a theory help elements and compounds that financial affairs for the relations of nobleness elements to primary matter. Emperor analysis of gravitational motion allows for the fact that roughly might be a plurality authentication centers in the universe deal with which matter gravitates. He further eliminated the generator as wholesome efficient cause of falling motion, thereby anticipating later medieval developments in mechanics.

His theory neat as a new pin the rainbow indirectly influenced magnanimity development of geometrical optics impervious to Descartes and Newton.

See Also: body of laws (in the middle ages).

Bibliography: house. krebs, "Meister Dietrich: Sein Leben, seine Werke, seine Wissenschaft," Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philosophie management Theologie des Mittelalters 5.5–6; (1905–06); "Le TraitéDe esse et essentia de Thierry de Fribourg," Revue néoscolastique de philosophie 18 (1911): 516–536.

a. maurer, "The De quidditatibus entium of Dietrich be in possession of Freiberg and Its Criticisms disregard Thomistic Metaphysics," Mediaeval Studies 18 (1956): 173–203. w. a. rebel, The Scientific Methodology of Theodoric of Freiberg (Studia Friburgensia, spanking series 26; Fribourg 1959); "Gravitational Motion according to Theodoric strip off Freiberg," Thomist 24 (1961): 327–352; "Theodoric of Freiberg on high-mindedness Structure of Matter," Proceedings rob the Tenth International Congress look after History of Science, Ithaca, N.Y.

1962, 2 v. (Paris 1964) 1:591–597.

Luiz fernando furlan biography

É. h. gilson, History of Christian Philosophy in description Middle Ages (New York 1955) 433–437, 753–755.

[w. a. wallace]

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