Lanterna Rally

Author: Shaun Retallick

Publisher:

Published: 2021

Total Pages:

ISBN-13:

"This dissertation on the French conciliarist and philosopher-theologian, Jacques Almain (c. 1480-1515), demonstrates that his political theology, of which ecclesiology is a branch or sub-discipline, is strongly impacted by the Via moderna views and principles that he embraces throughout his corpus. Largely for this reason, he does not, as some scholars suppose, adhere to the common position that the Church or other political bodies (e.g., commonwealths), and their representative gatherings (e.g., ecumenical councils), should be understood as legally or formally distinct from their members. Rather, due to his anti-realism and terminist logic in particular, each of these bodies is the sum of its parts, whose members, for political purposes, can be viewed either collectively or distributively. Almain's thoroughly "modern" approach governs his treatment of political bodies, political consent, the common good, and ecclesiastical unity. Theological and anthropological voluntarisms reinforce this approach. At the heart of his political theology is the individual and his or her will. Yet, the individual is rarely viewed in isolation from others; there is a strong emphasis on community and on the religious and secular bodies through which it is realized. But these bodies, including the Church, are understood in collectivist rather than corporatist terms, which tends, of course, to a quite radical form of conciliarism.Attempting to display Almain's political theology in its wider context, this work has four chapters. Chapter 1 is biographical, focussing on his life and legacy, while Chapter 2 provides an exhaustive treatment of the "modern" principles and tools he employs throughout his corpus. Chapter 3 then supplies an introduction to Almain's political theology, followed by a review of scholarly analyses thereof, while Chapter 4 critiques these analyses in light of the "modern" system expounded in Chapter 2. A brief concluding reflection considers Almain's influence, the extent of which is difficult to assess. Seven appendices fill out the picture of the man and his works with more technical detail, there being no work as yet that does all this"--