Roland of Cremona
Encyclopedia
Roland of Cremona was a Dominican theologian and an early scholastic philosopher. He was the first Dominican regent
at Paris, France (1229–1230). He was among the most enthusiastic of those who made use of the newly translated Aristotle
in the early 13th century.
. He believed that the soul was the body's perfection. He affirmed the matter-form composition of the soul, unlike William. The two men agreed that there was a single soul in man and that its nature was simple. The vegetative, sensitive, and rational faculties are all performed by this single entity. The soul is dependent on the body according to Roland of Cremona. Humans differ from angels in having souls which require bodies. They have a natural inclination and dependence on the body, seeking to be joined to it. When the soul leaves the body it is not longer a soul, but becomes a spirit. This is because it no longer has the relationship to the body by which it is deemed a soul.
Like Peter of Spain
he denied that embryos possess pre-rational souls. Roland of Cremona attributed the growth and development of the soul to the soul of the mother.
at Bologna
in 1219. He was a lecturer at the medieval University of Toulouse
from its foundation in 1229, and preached against the Cathars in the city. In 1231 he led a party of friar
s and priest
s to exhume from a cemetery the body of a man rumoured to have died a heretic
. This precipitate action led to protests from the consuls of Toulouse
, and Roland left the city soon afterwards.
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
at Paris, France (1229–1230). He was among the most enthusiastic of those who made use of the newly translated Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
in the early 13th century.
Composition of the soul
Roland of Cremona did not say as much about the soul as William of Auvergne, Bishop of ParisWilliam of Auvergne, Bishop of Paris
William of Auvergne was a French priest who served as Bishop of Paris from 1228 until his death in 1249. He is also known as Guillaume d'Auvergne, Guilielmus Alvernus, or William of Paris.-Life:...
. He believed that the soul was the body's perfection. He affirmed the matter-form composition of the soul, unlike William. The two men agreed that there was a single soul in man and that its nature was simple. The vegetative, sensitive, and rational faculties are all performed by this single entity. The soul is dependent on the body according to Roland of Cremona. Humans differ from angels in having souls which require bodies. They have a natural inclination and dependence on the body, seeking to be joined to it. When the soul leaves the body it is not longer a soul, but becomes a spirit. This is because it no longer has the relationship to the body by which it is deemed a soul.
Like Peter of Spain
Peter of Spain
Peter of Spain or, in Latin, Petrus Hispanus is the Mediaeval author of Tractatus, later known as Summulae logicales magistri Petri Hispani , a standard textbook on logic...
he denied that embryos possess pre-rational souls. Roland of Cremona attributed the growth and development of the soul to the soul of the mother.
Career
He joined the Dominican orderDominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
at Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
in 1219. He was a lecturer at the medieval University of Toulouse
University of Toulouse
The Université de Toulouse is a consortium of French universities, grandes écoles and other institutions of higher education and research, named after one of the earliest universities established in Europe in 1229, and including the successor universities to that earlier university...
from its foundation in 1229, and preached against the Cathars in the city. In 1231 he led a party of friar
Friar
A friar is a member of one of the mendicant orders.-Friars and monks:...
s and priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
s to exhume from a cemetery the body of a man rumoured to have died a heretic
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
. This precipitate action led to protests from the consuls of Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, and Roland left the city soon afterwards.