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A sermon by John Luke on the ending of the great schism, 1409

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2016

Margaret Harvey*
Affiliation:
University of Durham

Extract

In 1409 the council of Pisa, called by the cardinals in defiance of two rival popes, attempted to end the thirty-year-old Great Schism by deposing both rivals for heresy and schism. On 26 June 1409, the cardinals unanimously elected as pope Peter Philargi of Candia, cardinal ‘of Milan’, and amid general rejoicing he took the name Alexander V. The schism seemed over, provided that all the powers of Europe were prepared to acknowledge the new pope. Some time after the new election but before 27 July 1409, master John Luke who was at the council as a theologian, probably representing Oxford university, preached a sermon before the new pope, praising his election and hopeful of his role in the unity of the Church. Luke gave an elaborate justification of the deposition for heresy and schism of Gregory XII (the Roman pope, whom the English thought was the true one). It is with this sermon that I am concerned in the present paper.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Ecclesiastical History Society 1972

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References

page no 159 note 1 I must thank professor H. S. Offler for his kindness in reading a draft of this paper and helping me to wrestle with the transcript of the manuscripts. I also thank Mr Gerald Bonner and Etudes Augustiniennes for helping in the hunt for St Augustine. I have not seen Brüggen, A., ‘Die Predigten des Pisaner Konzils’, Theology Dissertation in type script (Freiburg 1963)Google Scholar.

page no 159 note 2 For definitive sentence see Vincke, [J.], ‘Acta [Concilii Pisani]’, Römische Quartalschrift XLVI (Rome 1941) pp 295-8Google Scholar, with references there.

page no 159 note 3 Vincke, ‘Acta’, p 308.

page no 159 note 4 All information about Luke comes from Emden, [A.B.], [Biographical Register of Oxford Graduates to 1500,] 3 vols (Oxford 1957-9)Google Scholar, under Luke, unless otherwise stated. Dr Emden did not know of this sermon, nor of the following references to Luke’s presence at Pisa: gave his opinion as a Bachelor of Theology of Oxford on deposition of the popes: Stiftung Preussischer Kultur-besitz, Depot der Staatsbibliothek, Berlin, Ms Theol Lat fol 251, fol 30V; Vatican Library Mss Vat Lat 4172, fol 241; Vat Lat 4171, fol 119; Vat Lat 4904, fol 31; Ottobon 111, fol 246. He was said to be a proctor for Oxford University: Bodleian Library Oxford, Ms Canonici Pat Lat 205, fol 4 (called Wyk); Vatican Archives Arm 54, 34, fol 123 (called Unli).

page no 160 note 1 Mansi XXVII cols 399-401.

page no 160 note 2 [Vatican Library Mss Vat Lat] 4000, fols 112V-19; 7305, fols 163V-72V; 4192, fols 143-5OV. 4000 and 7305 depend on the same exemplar for their material on Pisa. 7305 is the better text. It did not copy 4000, which has lacunae which do not exist in 7305. Nor did 4000 copy 7305 I think, but certainty would need a more detailed comparison of both Mss. Both are mid-fifteenth century, see Vincke, J., Schriftstücke zum Pisaner Konzil, Beiträge zur Kirchen- und Rechtsgeschichte, 111 (Bonn 1942) p 15 Google Scholar. 4192 is late fifteenth century and copies 4000 for its Pisa material (they have the same lacunae). All Mss contain the sermon preached in 1395 in Oxford by Nicholas of Fakenham (see Emden under ‘Fakenham’). Except where Mss disagree I quote from 7305.

page no 160 note 3 An Ascension Day sermon (16 May 1409). The text is Acts 1:6 but the sermon is not that by Gerson for this date, see Gerson, J., Oeuvres Complétes, ed Glorieux, M., V (Paris 1963) pp 204-17Google Scholar.

page no 160 note 4 For use of Grosseteste see below. The Fakenham sermon was edited by Bliemetzrieder, F., ‘Traktat des Minoritenprovinzials von England Fr Nikolaus de Fakenham (1395) über das grosse abendländische Schisma’, Archivum Franciscanum Historicum 1 (Quarrachi 1908) pp 577600 Google Scholar; 11 (1909) pp 79-91. Luke quotes word for word from Fakenham on the miseries brought by twins: ‘ex lege nature...contristata’, ibid 1 p 582, with further reminiscences, in 7305 fol 164.

page no 161 note 1 7305 fols 171-171V ‘Ergo [Alexander V] ecclesie universalis scilicet reformacio...quia multi iniquitatis filii ut per te et sacrum concilium in tantum innituntur ut confirmentur quasi in verum in suis titulis beneficorum sive iuste sive iniuste possidencium. Quod secundum videre meum necnon multis fidclium non est [Ms esse; 4000 est] reformado ecclesie sed dissipacio ecclesie et deformacio’.

page no 161 note 2 Vincke, ‘Acta’, p 318 and references there.

page no 161 note 3 7305 fol 172.

page no 161 note 4 On 8 June 1409 the cardinals agreed to recognise Sigismund’s brother Wenceslaus as King of the Romans if one of them became pope - Valois, [N.], [La France et le Grand Schisme d’Occident] (Paris 1902) IV, p 64 n 1 Google Scholar. They tried to persuade Sigismund to support them but during the council he kept aloof (ibid pp 74-5).

page no 161 note 5 Valois IV, pp 117-23.

page no 161 note 6 Valois IV, pp 119-20.

page no 161 note 7 Vincke, ‘Acta’ p 318; Mansi XXVI col 1234.

page no 161 note 8 Valois IV, p 120.

page no 162 note 1 7305 fol 171 v. The text is from Ps. 122 (Vulgate 121): 7.

page no 162 note 2 On sermon-making in general see Charland, T.-M., Artes Praedicandi, Publications de l’Institut d’Etudes Mediévales d’Ottowa VII (Paris/Ottowa 1936)Google Scholar. A recent and helpful book on English sermons is Blench, J.W., Preaching in England in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries (Oxford 1964) especially Chapter 2, pp 71ffGoogle Scholar for construction of sermons.

page no 162 note 3 7305 fols 163V-64. ‘Fitque lapis angularis per quem saxa et parietes diversarum heresum [4000 heresim] maxime de multiplicatione summorum pontificum, omni bone policie repugnante ex ilio philosophico “tantum unus princeps” 12° metaphysice intitulato, confringantur’ [Ms. confringatur; 4000 gitur]. The reference is Aristotle, , Metaphysics, XII, 1076aGoogle Scholar.

page no 162 note 4 7305 fol 164, ‘Videlicet ut sicut petra qui est Christus lapis angularis facit utraque unum [Eph. 2:14], sic proprietate nominis vicarie fecit utraque unum que multis temporibus, de quo dolendum est, fuerunt nimis divisa.’

page no 162 note 5 7305 fol 165. ‘Id est, vindicta super cognatos eius et super filios consiliatorios eius, si introduxerunt ipsum ad istud pestiferum scisma continuandum.”

page no 162 note 6 7305 fol 165. ‘Id est falsi consiliarii, ut Jo. Dominici, ecclesiastici.’ On Dominici see Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, v (Freiburg 1960) under ‘Johannes.’

page no 162 note 7 7305 fol 165. ‘Sed forte obicit hic Gregorius sive Petrus de Luna vel aliquis nomine eius, quod non stat per eos quin unio sit facta, dicendo “Domine, Domine, nonne misi litteras pro unione rienda etc. faciendo concilia etc.” Hic respondeo secundum sententiam salvatoris...[Matt. 7:21]...Immo facta plus instruunt quam verba. Sic [4000 si] enim homo realius concedit terram per cartam vel sesinam quam per verbum, sic enim concedit nobis deus multa que dicit in facto etsi nunquam vociferet nobis.’ See article 30 against the popes (Vincke, ‘Acta’, p 283) for the charge that their councils did not fulfil the oath of 1406.

page no 163 note 1 7305 fol 165V. ‘Unde ille magnus Dyonisius, qui a beato Paulo per triennium didicit alta misteria, ponit in libro suo “De Divinis Nominibus” Capitulo 2 [? Mss have X°] et 3° eandem sententiam: declarans quomodo raciones ydeales in Deo se habent ad creaturas ad extra per modum principii’. This seems to be a paraphrase from chapters 2 and 3 of De Divinis Nominibus, see Dionysiaca 1 (Paris 1937) pp 57-144. Some examples are from Chapter 5, ibid pp 343-6.

page no 163 note 2 7305 fol 165v. ‘Et inde philosophi dicunt quod genus est materia quia continet in se omnes formas de sua potentia productibiles. Correspondenter Deus unit in se omnes creaturas non sic quod sint multe existencie ad intra, sed omnia sum ibi unum [Mss. unde] esse, una vita, ut dicit beatus Augustinus 6 de t’ capitulo 21 (=Augustine, De Trinitate IV, 1, 3. Corpus Christianorum, Series Latina, l, Pt 16 (Turnholt 1968) p 162). ‘Unde venerabilis Lyncolniensis in exposicione textus beati Dyonisii parte 3a sic scribit “Deus est eo(?) accipiens et praeaccipiens, totum esse in se ipso in eternis racionibus simul eternaliter habens, et antequam in seipsis sunt omnia, totum esse omnium habens, inde producens esse eorum in se ipsis”.’ The commentary is still in Ms, see Merton College, Oxford, Ms. 86 fol 191 (not quoted exactly). See also Thompson, S.H., The writings of Robert Grosseteste (Cambridge 1940) p 79 Google Scholar. See Lynch, L. E., ‘The doctrine of divine ideas and illumination in Robert Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln’, Medieval Studies, 111 (New York, Toronto 1941) pp 161-73Google Scholar.

page no 163 note 3 7305 fol 165V. ‘in unitate preexistit omnis numerus uniformalis vel [4192 et] simplex. Omnes enim numeri quantumcumque magni simplicitantur in unitate ex qua originaliter effluunt.’

page no 164 note 1 7305 fol 165V. ‘Deus [Mss dra], ut dicit quidam Doctor, est quidam circulus intelligibilis cuius centrum est ubique et circumferencia nusquam.’ The doctor may be a reference to the 24 Masters, see Baemker, C., ‘Das psuedo-hermetische Buch der XXIV Meister’, Beiträge zur Geschichte der Philosophie und Theologie des Mittelalters, XXV (Munster 1927) p 208 Google Scholar. But this notion was a commonplace, see Mahnke, D., Unendliche Sphäre und Allimittelpunkt. Beiträge zur Geneologie der Mathematischen Mystik (Halle 1937)Google Scholar. I owe the first reference to Dr R. W. Hunt and the second to Dr Timothy Merritt.

page no 164 note 2 7305 fol l66v. ‘Ex hoc namque appctitu mundi istius dementa etsi contraria et repugnantia indissolubili concordia mundum componunt et celum quod continet universa corporaque celestia, videlicet sol, luna et sydera, que formata sunt in figuras spericas et rotundas, que est omnium capacissima et pulcherrima et contra omnes casus munitissima, non habens angula, prominencia pungitiva, nec depressionis cavitatem sordes colligentem.’

page no 164 note 3 7305 fol 166v. ‘Unde et gutta pluvie fluida [4000 plivie fluiuda] in spericam figuram se colligit ex unitatis appetitu.’

page no 164 note 4 7305 fol 166v. ‘Apes gregantes [Mss. greganti] volant et regem sibi preficiunt et unde hoc nisi amore unitatis’, see Aristotle, De Animabilibus Bk 9, 40 (625a, b).

page no 164 note 5 7305 fol 166v.

page no 164 note 6 Souchon, M., Die Papstwahlen in der Zeit des Grossen Schismas (Braunschweig 1898) 1, pp 285-95Google Scholar.

page no 164 note 7 7305 fol 166V-7. ‘...sicut in aliis generibus omnia sunt reducibilia ad unum primum, quod est metum et mensura omnium aliorum, sic in genere notitie hominis fides est primum, et correspondenter omnes loci argumentorum reducuntur ad unum primum qui est locus ab auctoritate. Quamvis enim locus ab auctoritate humana sit debilissimus, tamen locus ab auctoritate Dei est primus et validissimus, gratia cuius ut verissime speratur et creditur processif auctoritas generalis concilii contra te, o Angele.’

page no 165 note 1 7305 fol 17OV. 4000 has ‘quem passim credo nimis defecilem’.

page no 165 note 2 7305 fol 17OV. ‘Et bene “virtute tua” id est fortitudine vicaria cum uterque gladius, spiritualis scilicet et materialis, auctoritative et nutu tuo resideat in manu tua’. The mystical body has a fourfold union ‘conformitas naturalis, communio sacramentalis, connexio caritatis et consumacio felicitatis’ [7305 has confirmitas naturalis and 4000 has confirmado felicitatis]. ‘Conformitas nature’ is the reflection of the divine image which gives nature an urge to be conformed to its original and this is the origin of natural affection. The sacraments of the Church form a bond between the faithful. Charity makes all one mystical body. ‘Consumacio felicitatis’ is the sharing of one spirit. See de Lubac, H., Corpus Mysticum; L’Eucharistie et l’Eglise au Moyen Age’ (2nd ed Paris 1949) especially pp 116-35Google Scholar, for late medieval use of the mystical body.

page no 165 note 3 7305 fol 171. ‘Totum istud [4000 illud] factum [Ms factam], videlicet generalis concilii infuisse a Spiritu Sancto. Primo quo ad [Mss quantum quo ad] concursum populi concurrentis Pysis “ex omni nacione que sub celo est” [Acts 2:5] et hoc miraculose. Et quo ad medium ut constat in assumpcione vestra...’

page no 165 note 4 Harvey, M., ‘Nicholas Ryssheton and the Council of Pisa, 1409.’ SCH, VII (1971) pp 2056 Google Scholar.

page no 165 note 5 7305 fol 171 v. ‘Ad hoc [reformation] enim fords es, ut predixi, cum uterque gladius tam materialis quam spiritualis gladius sit Petri et per consequens tui nomine et officio...Materiali autem gladio utuntur principes ecclesie per manum et ministerium principum secularium qui ad nutum et disposicionem principum ecclesie gladium quem portant debent evaginare et in locum suum remittere [John 18:11]...Unde principes seculi quicquid [Ms quitquit, 4000 quicquic, 4192 corr] habent potestatis a Deo ordinate et dignitatis rccipiunt ab ecclesia. Principes vero ecclesie nichil potestatis aut dignitatis recipiunt ab aliqua seculari potestatc sed immediate a Dei ordinacione.’

page no 166 note 1 The points not quoted in the text are: 1. Correr did not humble himself (Matt. 18:4, 6) therefore he is not the greatest in the Kingdom and ought to be deposed. 2. He did not do the works of the Father and ought not to be believed (John 10:37). 3. In Luke 13:7 the fig-tree, human nature, was cut down because it did not do good works (Gregory the Great, Homily 31, PL 76 (1878) col 1228). The dressers are the cardinals, bishops and doctors who succeed the apostles. 7. If the cardinals and faithful prelates had not rooted out Antichrist the fate predicted in Mic. 3: 9, 10, 12 might have befallen. 8. Jeroboam was punished (1 Kings 13:33-4). 7305 fol 168...‘Cum ergo predictus Angelus Corrano propter symoniam vel carnalem [Ms Cardinalem] amorem vel preces dominorum fecit saccerdotes excelsorum [Ms excellorum] de novissimis populis, videlicet inhabiles Cardinales, Episcopos et alios inferiores ad pluralitatem beneficorum, sequitur quod domus eius, hoc est ipse, iusto Dei iudicio per generale concilium eversa est...’ 9. The cursed fig-tree (Matt. 21:18-22) is Correr who made promises but perpetuated schism. 10. Hos. 4:6 shows that knowledge without good result makes the sin worse. Correr did not have heavenly knowledge.

page no 166 note 2 7305 fol 167V.

page no 166 note 3 7305 ibid. The omitted passage seems to read ‘quodammodo in similem’.

page no 166 note 4 7305 ibid. Mss have ‘spiritalia avarioram’.

page no 166 note 5 Vincke, ‘Acta’, pp 274, 284.

page no 167 note 1 7305 fol 168v. ‘Papa potest deponi propter heresim ut testatur Decretum XL di. si Papa [=di. 40 c.6] et secundum glosam ibidem de omni crimine notorio Papa potest accusari et a Cardinalibus condempnari...Minorem testatur beatus Jheronimus xxiiii q. iii capitulo inter schisma [=C.24 q. 3 c. 26] et capitur ex omelia super epistolam ad Galathas [recte Ad Titum 3: 10 see PL 26 (1884) col 598]. 12° Jheronimus xxiiii q. prima capitulo non afferamus [=C.24 q. 1 c. 21] permagnam [Mss permagnum] diffinit gravitatem scismatis excellere ydolatriam. Cum ergo Papa potest deponi propter ydolatriam, a fortiori propter scisma generale, quod gravius est peccatum’. For di. 40 c. 6 and gloss see Tierney, B., Foundations of the Conciliar Theory (Cambridge 1955) pp 9 Google Scholar, 65-6 and 251 where the glossa ordinaria is cited in full. The second citation of Jerome is really Augustine, , De Baptismo 11 6, 9, PL 43 (1865) col 132 Google Scholar.

page no 167 note 2 7305 fol 168v. ‘Cessante causa principale cessat effectus vel cessare debet, secundum principale iuristarum. Et causa principalis quare Angelus Corrano fuit assumptus in Romanum pontificem fuit hoc, quod faceret [Ms facere, 4000 corr] omnem diligenciam sibi possibilem ad faciendum unionem ecclesie. Et nedum iam sed continue pertinaciter retrocessit et retrocedit et scisma continuat [Ms continat], propter affectionem carnalem vel commodum temporale vel stercora huius mundi’.

page no 167 note 3 7305 fol 168v. Num. 35: 30-3 and Exod. 21: 12, 14-16, give the penalty for homicide. ‘Sed Angelus Corrario fecit homicidium in quantum in se fuit Cardinalium, prodiciose ponendo insidias armatorum in camera sua et locis propinquis’. See Vincke, ‘Acta’ p 279 for charge at Pisa.

page no 167 note 4 7305 fol 168v. The wickedness of making unsuitable prelates is testified by ‘de Electionibus, capitulo Nichil in antiquis’ (=Decretals 1 tit. 6 c. 44), and by Grosseteste ‘in sermonibus’ (7305 only). No doubt this is ‘Dominus Noster Jesus Christus’, see Browne, E., Fasciculus Rerum Expetendarum...(London 1690) 11 pp 251 Google Scholar.

page no 167 note 5 7305 fols 169-9V. For Augustine see Decretum C. 24 q. 3 c. 31. Matthew Paris reports (Chronica Majora s.a. 1253 RS 57e (1880) p 401), that Grosseteste declared ‘heresis est sententia humano sensu electa, scripture sacre contraria, palam edocta, pertinaciter defensa’. I owe this reference to professor Offler.

page no 168 note 1 7305 fol 16ov.

page no 168 note 2 7305 fol 169. Ms auctoritive; 4000 corr.

page no 168 note 3 See for example discussion by Ockham, , Dialogus de potatale Pape et Imperatoris, 1, 6, 92 Google Scholar, ed Goldast, M., Monarchia 11 (1614) pp 610-11Google Scholar. I owe this reference to professor Offler.

page no 168 note 4 Robson, J.A., Wyclif and the Oxford Schools, Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought, new series 8 (Cambridge 1961) pp 26ffGoogle Scholar.

page no 168 note 5 For ‘Ullerston’ see Emden. The Petitiones are printed in von der Hardt, H., Magnum Oecumenicum Constantience Concilium (Frankfurt 1700) 1 cols 1l26ffGoogle Scholar. Passage on unity cols 1128-31.