William de la Mare facts for kids

William de La Mare was an English Franciscan thinker and writer who lived in the late 1200s. He was active between 1272 and 1279.

Life of William de La Mare

We don't know much about where William de La Mare came from. He studied in Paris, France, and earned a master's degree around 1274 or 1275. While in Paris, he was influenced by two important thinkers: Bonaventura and Roger Bacon.

After his studies, he returned to England. We know he gave sermons and taught in Lincoln. By 1310, William de La Mare was considered one of the "solemn masters" of the Franciscan order, alongside other important figures like Bonaventura. This means he was a highly respected scholar and teacher within his religious group.

What Did He Write?

William de La Mare wrote many scholarly works. He focused a lot on the Bible and its meaning.

Bible Notes and Language

He created detailed notes about biblical texts. One of his works was called Correctio textus bibliae, which was about correcting and understanding the Bible's text. He also wrote De hebraeis et graecis vocabilis glossarum bibliae. This book helped people understand the Hebrew words used in the original Bible.

His Big Debate with Thomas Aquinas

Between 1277 and 1279, de La Mare wrote a very important work called the Correctorium (or Reprehensorium). This book was a criticism of the ideas of Thomas Aquinas, who belonged to the Dominican Order, a rival religious group.

In 1282, the Franciscan order officially adopted de La Mare's Correctorium. They even said that Franciscans should read it along with Aquinas's works. This was a way for the Franciscans to show their disagreements with some of Aquinas's teachings. De La Mare argued against some of Aquinas's ideas about the soul and how people are individuals. He believed that Aquinas's ideas could lead to a wrong understanding of the human soul.

The Correctorium was later printed in different places, like Strasburg in 1501. It was often printed with a reply to it by another scholar named Ægidius Colonna.

Other Writings

William de La Mare also wrote to support a strict way of following the rules of St. Francis, the founder of the Franciscan order.

Some of his other writings that still exist today include:

• Quæstiones de Natura Virtutis: This book discusses the nature of virtue.
• Commentaries on the first three books of the Sentences: These are notes and explanations on a famous theological textbook of the time. Copies of these writings can be found in the Laurentian Library in Florence, Italy.