Oxford Conference: From Ockham to Wyclif—April 15-19, 1985: Ockham in Surrey: Seventh Centenary of Ockham's Birth—April 20, 1985

Abstract

OXFORD CONFERENCE: From Ockham to Wyclif-April 15-19, 1985 OCKHAM IN SURREY: Seventh Centenary of Ockham's Birth-April 20, 1985 In April, 1985 two events took place in the United Kingdom, of interest to Ockham scholars. The first of these was an international conference held at Queen's College in Oxford, entitled "From Ockham to Wyclif which ran from Monday the 15th through Friday the 19th. The second event was a celebration on Saturday the 20th in the village ofOckham, marking what could well have been the seventh centenary of William's birth. The Franciscan Institute of St. Bonaventure University was well represented at both gatherings. A group of five, led by the principal editor of the Ockham edition, Fr. Gedeon Gal, attended first the Oxford conference, and on Saturday they played a major role in the celebration at Ockham village. At the Oxford conference, organized by Dr. Anne Hudson, fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and Professor Michael Wilks of Birkbeck College, University of London, Dr. Francis Kelley an associate editor of the Ockham edition gave one of the main papers, and Drs. Girard Etzkorn and Rega Wood also associate editors delivered communications , all three ofwhich later appeared in Studies in Church History , Subsidia 5, From Ockham to Wyclif. Fr. Romuald Green, the most recent associate editor was also in attendance with the above mentioned . By all accounts the conference was a great success, giving Wyclifites and Ockhamists an opportunity to meet and exchange ideas x Oxford Conference about fourteenth century Oxford, and it was particularly rewarding for the Franciscan Institute contingent to return once more to Oxford 'where it all began.' It is worth mentioning that the conference opened with some remarks by Professor Sir Richard Southern about the recently deceased Dr. Beryl Smalley, who had worked just prior to her death to make the conference a success. It was indeed more than fitting that Miss Smalley be remembered in this way, given her profound contribution to the study of medieval Oxford thought. The papers covered a broad spectrum, including history, philosophy and theology; and given the outstanding representation on hand, the papers were uniformly well done, as is evidenced by the fact that nearly all eventually appeared in the Subsidia 5 volume. This conference would have provided for the attending members of the Franciscan Institute a most suitable way to mark the completion of their work on the Ockham edition, but more was to come. On Saturday, a delegation from the Ockham conference, including the organizers, Dr. Anne Hudson and Professor Michael Wilks, along with the five members of the Franciscan Institute, traveled to Ockham village to attend the celebration. Here, the main event was the dedication of a new stained glass window which had been commissioned for the occasion and had been installed in the ancient church shortly before. In executing this commission, the artist took his clue from the only surviving likeness ofWilliam ofOckham which is found on folio 69 of Cambridge's Gonville &. Caius manuscript 464/571 and reproduced in the critical edition of Ockham's Summa Logicae. Earlier in the year, the Franciscan Institute had decided to donate a complimentary copy of the newly completed edition to Ockham village as an appropriate gesture to help mark the celebration. The villagers eagerly accepted this offer and arranged for the five Institute delegates to make a formal presentation ofthe volumes as part ofthe ceremony. Given the large number ofpeople who deserve mention and our deepest thanks, and lest anyone be inadvertently left out, it is perhaps better to content ourselves with a general expression of heartfelt gratitude . The day in Ockham will always remain one to remember for the attending Institute members. The Franciscan InstituteFrancis F. Kelley St. Bonaventure University ...