Impact

Gregory of Rimini’s influence on later philosophy and theology has not been sufficiently investigated. We do know that Gregory’s ideas on mental propositions and the complexe significabile were the subject of a lively debate in the early sixteenth century (Ashworth 1978:esp. 88-99, Ashworth 1981). In philosophical theology, there is evidence for Gregoriistae and a via Gregorii in the early sixteenth century, when Gregory’s works were available in print, but whether this was a general trend or rather applies primarily to Augustinian Hermits or only to specific issues is a matter of debate. Given the limited scope of his pertinent surviving writings, the existence of a school of thought is prima facie questionable, yet the first two books of the Sentences provided a forum for discussion on a broad range of topics (Oberman 1981). Little more can be said until we examine in greater detail a number of issues in the period between the Black Death and the Reformation. With that said, Gregory certainly exerted a pervasive influence on several leading Parisian theologians of the late fourteenth century, the secular Peter of Ailly, for example, and there is no doubt that his clear stance on the issue of divine foreknowledge remained current throughout the later Middle Ages. When Ailly’s colleagues Henry of Langenstein and Henry Totting of Oyta migrated to Vienna to establish the new university’s theology faculty, they brought Gregory of Rimini with them, notably in their positions on foreknowledge. For the next half century, if not longer, Gregory, via Langenstein and Oyta, was the explicit basis for the Viennese doctrine. More importantly, on predestination, where Langenstein and Oyta were largely silent, the Viennese adopted Gregory’s teaching as well. Gregory’s position was more extremely pre-destinarian than that of any other major Scholastic, and the dominance of his view at what was arguably the leading university in Germanic lands suggests that Luther had to have known early on about the main later-medieval advocate of the doctrine that he himself would famously defend. Indeed, Luther singles out Gregory as the one scholastic who upholds the true Augustinian doctrine of predestination (Oberman 2002:123-124).

See also: > Adam Wodeham > Durand of St. Pourcain

>  Gerald Odonis > John Buridan > John Duns Scotus

>  Michael of Massa > Peter Auriol > Peter Lombard

>  Peter of Ailly > Richard Fitzralph > Walter Chatton

>  William of Ockham