Albertism in John Wenck’s Commentary on the Third Book of De Anima

John Wenck is best known for his polemical writing against Cusanus and is therefore mostly portrayed in critical literature as a conservative scholastic who adheres to Thomistic theses. His philosophical and theological works remain still unedited and his adherence to Parisian Albertism has been downplayed. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of John Wenck’s thought by investigating the Albertist elements present in his commentary on the third book of De Anima, probably used for lectures at the Faculty of Arts in Paris. This paper is divided into three parts: the first consists in an analysis of the structure and sources of Wenck’s commentary on De Anima, the second is a doctrinal exploration of the theory of the intellectual soul, highlighting Albertist aspects such as self-­knowledge and the possibility of knowledge without sensory images and the third is an investigation of the commentary’s reception at the University of Krakow in the late 15th century, showing the lasting influence of Wenck’s work.

Keywords:Albertism, Thomism, theory of knowledge, intellect, intention, John of Glogów.

Alessandra Saccon, Albertism in John Wenck’s Commentary on the Third Book of De Anima in "RIVISTA DI STORIA DELLA FILOSOFIA" 3/2024, pp 496-522, DOI: 10.3280/SF2024-003002