Is Perfection of this World? A Quaestio on Creatures’ Perfection in Terms of Propinquity to or Distance from the First Being, Ascribed to Matěj of Knín

Abstract

The article focuses on Matěj of Knín, a member of the circle of the Bohemian followers of John Wyclif. It proposes a reconstruction of Matěj’s academic career and sheds light on the role he played in the late 14th and early 15th century in the reception and development of Wyclif’s metaphysical views in Prague. In particular, Matěj’s views on creatural perfection are taken into account, as they are presented in a quaestio ascribed to Matěj by a marginal note in the only extant manuscript copy, and edited in the appendix.