Henry of Ghent [addendum]
Since the mid-1990s, remarkable progress has been made in the study of Henry of Ghent due to the ongoing publication of the critical edition of the Opera Omnia. Begun in 1979 at the De Wulf-Mansion Center of the Catholic University of Leuven, its labors have been complemented by two major international conferences held in 1993 and 2001 respectively.
The critical edition has not only made the texts of Henry much more accessible, but has directed scholarly attention to Henry's numerous (Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew) sources. Close attention to these sources has helped to settle several disputes concerning the status of Henry's works; for example the Lectura ordinaria super sacram Scripturam, the Tractatus super facto praelatorum et fratrum, and a number of sermons are now believed to be by Henry. However, the attribution of the Syncategoremata (ms. Brugge, Stadsbibl., 510, ff. 227ra-237va), and of a Commentary on the Physics (ms. Erfurt, Amplon. F. 349) and on the Metaphysics (ms. Escorial, h.ll.1) still remain matters of conjecture.
As a consequence of the published proceedings of the two conferences, Henry is no longer viewed solely as a "Platonic" and "neo-Augustinian" thinker, but as a thirteenth-century scholastic who possessed an astounding knowledge of the philosophy of Aristotle and Avicenna. While Henry's metaphysics and theology have been traditional areas of study, the conference proceedings began to focus attention on his ethics and economics, areas that await detailed investigation. Other recent studies have illuminated the facts of his biography. Henry was, most probably, born before 1240 (maybe between 1217 and 1223), was certainly in Paris by 1265, and from 1267 onward was registered as magister in the documents of Paris University.
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