Universität zu Köln

Lasorella, Giovanni (2025). The Importance of Being Unoriginal: John Picard of Lichtenberg and his Quaestiones. PhD thesis, Universität zu Köln.

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Abstract

This doctoral research investigates the intellectual contributions of John Picard of Lichtenberg, a key figure in the Dominican reception of Thomas Aquinas’ ideas in Germany. The study focuses on his Quaestiones, a pioneering work that represents the earliest example of debates on Thomas’ controversial theories within the German intellectual landscape, particularly at the studium generale of Cologne. In contrast to German Dominican figures like Dietrich of Freiberg and Meister Eckhart, who often opposed Thomas, Picard is seen as a defender of his theses. The thesis provides a biographical account of Picard’s career, highlighting his progression from lector in Cologne to magister theologiae in Paris. The study also addresses textual issues related to the transmission of the Quaestiones, preserved in different form in manuscripts from the Vatican, Erfurt, and Kraków. Analyzing the manuscripts reveals that Picard’s work does not fit neatly into a single literary genre, reflecting evolving teaching practices in the German province. Picard’s Quaestiones demonstrates a nuanced understanding of Thomas’ evolving positions, offering a “historical” perspective rather than striving for coherence within a doctrinal system. Two case studies are examined in detail: one on the difference between natura and suppositum and another on the concept of dimensiones interminatae and the relationship between accidents and substantial forms. The fourth chapter re-evaluates the historiographical label “early Thomism,” proposing that it should refer to how Thomas’ texts were used, quoted, and defended rather than denoting a fixed doctrinal system. Ultimately, the study underscores the importance of textual transmission for understanding medieval scholastic dialogue. Picard’s textual connections with other authors of his time is framed as valuable for tracing intellectual networks between Paris, Oxford, and Cologne. This doctoral work culminates in a critical edition of Picard’s first 19 questions as part of the Corpus philosophorum Teutonicorum Medii Aevi project.