Riccardo Saccenti completed his PhD in Philosophy at the University of Pisa in May 2008. He has been a post doctoral research fellow of the Université Nancy 2, the Medieval Institute of the University of Notre Dame and the Istituto di Storia dell’Europa Mediterranea (CNR). He has been a fellow of the Fondazione per le Scienze Religiose Giovanni XXIII in Bologna. He teaches history of medieval philosophy at the University of Bergamo and is Team Member of the ERC project "Authority and Innovation in Early Franciscan Thought (1225-1245)."He researched into the moral discourse between 12th and early 13th centuries, focusing on the writings of Peter Lombard, Stephen Langton, Philip the Chancellor and Hugh of Saint Cher.
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https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110684827/html?lang=en
The legacy of late medieval Franciscan thought is uncontested: for generations, the influence of late-13th and 14th century Franciscans on the development of modern thought has been celebrated by some and loathed by others. However, the legacy of early Franciscan thought, as it developed in the first generation of Franciscan thinkers who worked at the recently-founded University of Paris in the first half of the 13th century, is a virtually foreign concept in the relevant scholarship. The reason for this is that early Franciscans are widely regarded as mere codifiers and perpetrators of the earlier medieval, largely Augustinian, tradition, from which later Franciscans supposedly departed. In this study, leading scholars of both periods in the Franciscan intellectual tradition join forces to highlight the continuity between early and late Franciscan thinkers which is often overlooked by those who emphasize their discrepancies in terms of methodology and sources. At the same time, the contributors seek to paint a more nuanced picture of the tradition’s legacy to Western thought, highlighting aspects of it that were passed down for generations to follow as well as the extremely different contexts and ends for which originally Franciscan ideas came to be employed in later medieval and modern thought.
Saccenti critically examines the historical analyses of the major historians of medieval political and legal thought while addressing how to further research on the subject. His perspective interlaces different disciplinary points of view: history of philosophy, as well as history of canon and civil law and history of theology. By focusing on a variety of disciplines, Saccenti creates an opportunity to evaluate each interpretation of medieval lex naturalis in terms of the area it enlightens and within specific cultural contexts. His survey is a basis for future studies concerning this topic and will be of interest to scholars of the history of law and, more generally, of the history of ideas in the twentieth century.
“With exemplary scholarship, Riccardo Saccenti provides a clear and unbiased presentation of the evolution of natural law theory, practice, and interpretation from the Middle Ages to the present. His welcome and original work expands our understanding of how medieval natural law, and in particular how the relationship between natural rights and both the church and society, has been viewed by original authors and scholars. This is a valuable resource in its thorough and even-handed treatment of primary sources as well as its inclusion of the vast secondary literature.” — Mark Clark, Catholic University of America
“Scholars from the early twentieth century to the present have disagreed on how to interpret the multiform traditions of natural law in medieval thought and their relations to modern natural law theories. In addition to providing a lucid and up-to-date survey of the historiography of this debate, placing its participants in their own disciplinary and methodological contexts, Riccardo Saccenti also argues persuasively for a more holistic approach to this subject. His valuable study should be required reading for scholars interested in medieval natural law theories, both in their own right and in their continuing relevance to philosophy, theology, law, and political theory.” — Marcia L. Colish, Yale University
“Thoroughly conversant with primary and secondary sources, Riccardo Saccenti offers a new approach to divergent interpretations of the idea of natural law in the Middle Ages. With a rare blend of philosophical competence and historical perceptivity, he succeeds in explaining the positions of acknowledged scholars, such as Finnis, Oakley, Tierney, Nederman, and Brett, both in their presuppositions and in their relevance for current discussions on natural rights. While previous contributions risk being one-sided or limited by their polemical attitude, Debating Medieval Natural Law gives for the first time a comprehensive and balanced survey of the many issues at stake. A long-awaited, reliable guide through the intriguing and sophisticated debates about the origins of a crucial and controversial idea of Western civilization.” — Roberto Lambertini, University of Macerata
ISBN: 978-0-268-10040-7
170 pages
Publication Year: 2016
Edited Books
Peer-reviewed articles
The sacrament of baptism is at the centre of a large theological debate between the middle of XIIth century and the middle of XIIIth century. Starting with the position assumed by Peter Lombard in his Sentences a progressive study of the various aspects of baptism is developed. The main theologians engaged in it were Stephen Langton, William of Auxerre, Alexander of Hales and Hugues of Saint-Cher. Their doctrines had an evident influence on the positions of the subsequent authors such as Bonaventure of Balneoregio and Thomas Aquinas."
Contributions in volume
https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110684827/html?lang=en
The legacy of late medieval Franciscan thought is uncontested: for generations, the influence of late-13th and 14th century Franciscans on the development of modern thought has been celebrated by some and loathed by others. However, the legacy of early Franciscan thought, as it developed in the first generation of Franciscan thinkers who worked at the recently-founded University of Paris in the first half of the 13th century, is a virtually foreign concept in the relevant scholarship. The reason for this is that early Franciscans are widely regarded as mere codifiers and perpetrators of the earlier medieval, largely Augustinian, tradition, from which later Franciscans supposedly departed. In this study, leading scholars of both periods in the Franciscan intellectual tradition join forces to highlight the continuity between early and late Franciscan thinkers which is often overlooked by those who emphasize their discrepancies in terms of methodology and sources. At the same time, the contributors seek to paint a more nuanced picture of the tradition’s legacy to Western thought, highlighting aspects of it that were passed down for generations to follow as well as the extremely different contexts and ends for which originally Franciscan ideas came to be employed in later medieval and modern thought.
Saccenti critically examines the historical analyses of the major historians of medieval political and legal thought while addressing how to further research on the subject. His perspective interlaces different disciplinary points of view: history of philosophy, as well as history of canon and civil law and history of theology. By focusing on a variety of disciplines, Saccenti creates an opportunity to evaluate each interpretation of medieval lex naturalis in terms of the area it enlightens and within specific cultural contexts. His survey is a basis for future studies concerning this topic and will be of interest to scholars of the history of law and, more generally, of the history of ideas in the twentieth century.
“With exemplary scholarship, Riccardo Saccenti provides a clear and unbiased presentation of the evolution of natural law theory, practice, and interpretation from the Middle Ages to the present. His welcome and original work expands our understanding of how medieval natural law, and in particular how the relationship between natural rights and both the church and society, has been viewed by original authors and scholars. This is a valuable resource in its thorough and even-handed treatment of primary sources as well as its inclusion of the vast secondary literature.” — Mark Clark, Catholic University of America
“Scholars from the early twentieth century to the present have disagreed on how to interpret the multiform traditions of natural law in medieval thought and their relations to modern natural law theories. In addition to providing a lucid and up-to-date survey of the historiography of this debate, placing its participants in their own disciplinary and methodological contexts, Riccardo Saccenti also argues persuasively for a more holistic approach to this subject. His valuable study should be required reading for scholars interested in medieval natural law theories, both in their own right and in their continuing relevance to philosophy, theology, law, and political theory.” — Marcia L. Colish, Yale University
“Thoroughly conversant with primary and secondary sources, Riccardo Saccenti offers a new approach to divergent interpretations of the idea of natural law in the Middle Ages. With a rare blend of philosophical competence and historical perceptivity, he succeeds in explaining the positions of acknowledged scholars, such as Finnis, Oakley, Tierney, Nederman, and Brett, both in their presuppositions and in their relevance for current discussions on natural rights. While previous contributions risk being one-sided or limited by their polemical attitude, Debating Medieval Natural Law gives for the first time a comprehensive and balanced survey of the many issues at stake. A long-awaited, reliable guide through the intriguing and sophisticated debates about the origins of a crucial and controversial idea of Western civilization.” — Roberto Lambertini, University of Macerata
ISBN: 978-0-268-10040-7
170 pages
Publication Year: 2016
The sacrament of baptism is at the centre of a large theological debate between the middle of XIIth century and the middle of XIIIth century. Starting with the position assumed by Peter Lombard in his Sentences a progressive study of the various aspects of baptism is developed. The main theologians engaged in it were Stephen Langton, William of Auxerre, Alexander of Hales and Hugues of Saint-Cher. Their doctrines had an evident influence on the positions of the subsequent authors such as Bonaventure of Balneoregio and Thomas Aquinas."
Articoli di: Fabrizio Amerini, Lydia Schumacher, Irene Zavattero, Andrea Colli, Roberto Lambertini, Magali Roques, Fabio Zanin, Riccardo Saccenti, John W. Peck, Chris Schabel, Emanuele Fontana
Scopo del Convegno è evidenziare con un approccio multidisciplinare e interdisciplinare come le rappresentazioni della natura si trasformino, nei contenuti e nei modi, fra il V e il XV secolo. Accanto alle rappresentazioni concettuali, proprie delle discipline teoretiche, sarà dato ampio spazio alle rappresentazioni figurative, letterarie e musicali. Non solo concezioni e teorie della natura, dunque, ma anche immagini, simboli, suoni che nel Medioevo riproducono, evocano o fingono mondi naturali. Rispetto agli studi già esistenti sull’argomento, il Convegno si propone di suggerire letture innovative che possano mettere in discussione i paradigmi storico-critici vigenti e le nozioni date per acquisite, contribuendo così a reimpostare l’intera questione in una nuova ottica, capace di superare le tradizionali frontiere disciplinari.