The innovative character of the Suárezian project in its proper historical context
- Book Title:
- Innovation in Early Modern Catholicism
- Book Editor:
- Format:
- Book Chapter
- Year:
- 2022
- Publisher:
- Routledge
- Place published:
- London
- Language:
- Abstract:
Francisco Suárez’s grand Disputationes metaphysicae has often been regarded as a metaphysically novel project. Yet, if one argues that its novelty consists in the fact that Suárez departs from previous metaphysical projects that remained tied to the Aristotelian text as mere commentaries thereof, then that thesis may fail under closer historiographical scrutiny. Martin Grabmann and, more recently, Jordán Gallego Salvadores have argued that Suárez was actually late to the game of metaphysical systematicity: ten years late. Grabmann notes that in 1587, a full decade prior to the publication of the Disputationes metaphysicae, the Dominican Thomist, Diego Mas (1553–1608), published a metaphysical tract—the Metaphysica disputatio—that offers a truly systematic presentation of metaphysics. While giving due recognition to Mas’s achievements, I argue that Suárez’s metaphysical project nevertheless remains philosophically and theologically innovative. Philosophically, Suárez remains firmly entrenched in the transcendental, realist metaphysical tradition that his work brings it, as it were, to consummation. It is not clear that Mas himself functions as a consummator. Theologically, Suárez’s metaphysical consummation transpires upon a fundamentally Christological horizon that realizes metaphysics’ role as the ancilla theologiae. Suárez’s novelty consists, then, in his systematic integration of the preceding philosophico-theological tradition.
- Who (Jesuits):
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- Worldcat URL:
- Publisher URL:
- Page Range:
- 68-86
- ISBN:
- 978103205197097810320519639781003196501
- DOI: