Peter John Olivi

Peter John Olivi, also Pierre de Jean Olivi or Petrus Joannis Olivi[lower-alpha 1] (1248 – March 14, 1298), was a Franciscan theologian who, although he died professing the faith of the Roman Catholic Church, became a controversial figure in the arguments surrounding poverty at the beginning of the 14th century. In large part, this was due to his view that the Franciscan vow of poverty also entailed usus pauper (i.e., 'poor' or 'restricted' use of goods); while contemporary Franciscans generally agreed that usus pauper was important to the Franciscan way of life, they disagreed that it was part of their vow of poverty. His support of the extreme view of ecclesiastical poverty played a part in the ideology of the groups coming to be known as the Spiritual Franciscans or Fraticelli.

Biography

A Franciscan and theological author, born at Sérignan, Diocese of Béziers, 1247-8. At twelve he entered the Friars Minor at Béziers, and later studied at Paris. He was already present there in 1268, when Bonaventure gave his Collationes de septem donis Spiritus sancti, and was probably still there in 1273, at the Collationes in Hexaemeron.[1] Returning to his native province, he taught in different places, and was probably in Narbonne around 1277-79.

During the preparation of Nicholas III's Bull Exiit qui seminat, in the summer of 1279, Olivi accompanied his provincial minister to Italy, but was not himself part of the commission that work on the Bull. He was asked to express briefly his opinion with regard to Franciscan poverty, but composed much longer questions on the evangelical perfection. Upon his return to Languedoc, he was promoted as biblical lecturer at Montpellier and produce a number of major biblical commentaries (on Matthew, Isaiah, Genesis, Job and John).[2] One opponent (described as "brother Ar.", to be identified with Arnaud Gaillard, then a formed bachelor back from Paris) voiced his opposition to Olivi's views on the vow, which prompted him to write a Treatise on poor use (De usu paupere).[3] The controversy between the two young theologians raged on many different issues,[4] which attracted the attention of the General Chapter of Strasburg in 1282. Although we know only of Olivi's fate, both were probably suspended from teaching. His doctrine was examined by seven franciscans theologians at Paris, who first drew a list of errors (Littera septem sigillorum) and then substantiated it by a roll of extracts (rotulus).[5]

Olivi defended himself in several responses (1283–85), and finally the General Chapter of Montpellier (1287) decided in his favour. The new general superior, Matthew of Aquasparta, sent him as lector in theology to the convent of Santa Croce in Florence, whence Matthew's successor, Raymond Gaufredi, sent him as lector to Montpellier. At the General Chapter of Paris in 1292 Olivi again gave explanations, which were apparently satisfactory. He spent his last years in the convent of Narbonne and died, surrounded by his friends, after an earnest profession of his Catholic Faith (published by Wadding ad a. 1297, n. 33) on 14 March 1298.

Olivi's work On Sale, Purchase, Usury and Restitution, or more simply On Contracts (as in the latest edition by S. Piron, 2012), contains a subtle discussion of the pricing of risks and probabilities in connection with valuing compensation due for compulsory requisitioning of property.[6]

Legacy and controversy

Peace was not obtained by his death. His friends, friars and seculars, showed an exaggerated veneration for their leader, and honoured his tomb as that of a saint; on the other hand the General Chapter of Lyon in 1299 ordered his writings to be collected and burnt as heretical.

The General Council of Vienne in 1312 established, in the Decretal "Fidei catholicæ fundamento" (Bull. Franc., V, 86), the Catholic doctrine against three points of Olivi's teaching, without mentioning the author; these points referred to the moment Christ's body was transfixed by the lance, the manner in which the soul is united to the body and the baptism of infants. In 1318 the friars of his order went so far as to destroy Olivi's tomb, a desecration, and in the next year two further steps were taken against him: his writings were absolutely forbidden by the General Chapter of Marseilles, and a special commission of theologians examined Olivi's "Postilla in Apocalypsim" and marked out sixty sentences, chiefly joachimistical extravagances (see Joachim of Flora. For text see Baluzius-Mansi, "Miscellanea", II, Lucca, 1761, 258-70; cf. also Denifle, "Chartularium Universitatis Parisiensis", II, i, Paris, 1891, 238-9) . It was only in 1326 that those sentences were really condemned by John XXII, when the fact that Emperor Louis IV the Bavarian used Olivi's writings in his famous Appeal of Sachsenhausen in 1324 had again drawn attention to the author.[7]

Father Ehrle considers (Archiv, III, 440) that Olivi was not the impious heretic he is painted in some writings of the Middle Ages, and states (ibid., 448) that the denunciation of his theological doctrine was rather a tactical measure of the adversaries of the severe principles of poverty and reform professed by Olivi. For the rest, Olivi follows in many points the doctrine of St. Bonaventure.

Writings

The numerous works of Olivi, now edited for the most, can be divided into five classes:

1. Speculative Works

2. Exegetical Works

3. Works on observance of the Rule of Saint Francis and evangelical perfection

4. Apologetical works and letters

5. Devotional works

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ↑ Several different French reconstructions of the Latin name Petrus Joannis Olivi have been proposed, including Pierre de Jean Olieu, Pierre Déjean Olieu, Pierre Janolieu, etc. He came from an Occitan-speaking region and in Occitan his name would be Peire Johan-Oliu.

References

  1. ↑ Piron, Sylvain (2003). "The Formation of Olivi’s Intellectual Project". Oliviana.
  2. ↑ Burr, David (1976). "The Date of Olivi’s Commentary on Matthew". Collectanea Franciscana.
  3. ↑ Burr, David (1989). Olivi and Franciscan Poverty The Origins of the Usus Pauper Controversy. University of Pennsylvania Press.
  4. ↑ Burr, David (1976). The Persecution of Peter Olivi. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society.
  5. ↑ Piron, Sylvain (2006). "Censures et condamnation de Pierre de Jean Olivi : enquête dans les marges du Vatican". Mélanges de l'École française de Rome, Moyen Age.
  6. ↑ J. Franklin, The Science of Conjecture: Evidence and Probability Before Pascal, (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2001), 265-267.
  7. ↑ Piron, Sylvain (2002). Bonagrazia de Bergame, auteur des Allegationes sur les articles extraits par Jean XXII de la Lectura super Apocalipsim d’Olivi. Revirescunt chartae, codices, documenta, textus. Miscelleana investigationum medioevalium in honorem Caesaris Cenci OFM collecta. 2. Rome: Edizioni Antonianum. pp. 1065–1087.
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