Über natürliche und übernatürliche Gottesliebe

Abstract

The doctrinal part of this study focuses on the early fourteenth-century debate concerning whether human beings are to love God more than themselves. The main protagonist in the debate is Durand of St. Pourcain, who argues that we are to love God more than ourselves, and not only by a charitable love (caritas) but also by a natural kind of friendship (amor amicitiae). Durand, who is best known in the secondary literature as an opponent of Thomas Aquinas, holds himself in this case close to Aquinas's doctrine. Even some harsh critics of Durand and defenders of St. Thomas, like John of Naples and Peter of Palude, do not differ from Durand in their general view, merely criticizing some of Durand's arguments and little details in his position rather than offering an alternative position. Indeed, all the participants in this debate argue against James of Viterbo, who claims in his Quodl. II, q. 20 that we have to assume a greater natural friendship towards ourselves than towards God. In the historical-philological part of this study, Book III, d. 29, q. 2 of Durand's Sentences Commentary in its first redaction (of which we do not possess any manuscripts) is reconstructed on the basis of Peter of Palude's text, which accurately transmits Durand's treatment of the topic.