John Blund () was an English scholastic philosopher, known for his work on the nature of the soul, the Tractatus de anima, one of the first works of western philosophy to make use of the recently translated ''

De Anima ''On the Soul'' ( Greek: , ''Peri Psychēs''; Latin: ''De Anima'') is a major treatise written by Aristotle c. 350 BC. His discussion centres on the kinds of souls possessed by different kinds of living things, distinguished by their differen ...

'' by

Aristotle Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of ph ...

and especially the Persian philosopher Avicenna's work on the soul, also called ''De Anima''.Blund ''Tractatus de Anima'' He taught at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

Knowles ''Evolution of Medieval Thought'' p. 280 along with

Edmund of Abingdon Edmund of Abingdon (also known as Edmund Rich, St Edmund of Canterbury, Edmund of Pontigny, French: St Edme; c. 11741240) was an English-born prelate who served as Archbishop of Canterbury. He became a respected lecturer in mathematics, diale ...

. David Knowles said that he was "noteworthy for his knowledge of Avicenna and his rejection of the

hylomorphism Hylomorphism (also hylemorphism) is a philosophical theory developed by Aristotle, which conceives every physical entity or being (''ousia'') as a compound of matter (potency) and immaterial form (act), with the generic form as immanently real ...

of Avicebron and the plurality of forms.",Knowles ''Evolution of Medieval Thought'' p. 287 although the problem of the plurality of forms as understood by later scholastics was not formulated explicitly in Blund's time.Dales ''Problem of the Rational Soul'' p. 45

Maurice Powicke Sir Frederick Maurice Powicke (1879–1963) was an English medieval historian. He was a fellow of Merton College, Oxford and was a professor at Queen's University, Belfast and the Victoria University of Manchester, and from 1928 until his re ...

calls him the "first English Aristotelian."Powicke ''Thirteenth Century'' p. 56 Blund was a royal clerk by 1227 and studied at Oxford and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

, and was at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

when it was dispersed in 1229.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 5: Chichester: Unidentified Prebends
' He was a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

Chichester Chichester () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publi ...

before 1232. He was archbishop of Canterbury during a brief reign, having been elected on 26 August 1232.Fryde, et al. ''Handbook of British Chronology'' p. 233 He was supported by

Peter des Roches Peter des Roches (died 9 June 1238) ( Latinised as ''Peter de Rupibus'' ("Peter from the rocks")) was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III. He was not an Englishman, but rather a native of the Tourain ...

, but did not receive papal approval and the election was quashed because of alleged pluralism on 1 June 1233.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 2: Monastic Cathedrals (Northern and Southern Provinces): Canterbury: Archbishops
' Probably it was the support of des Roches that doomed his election to Canterbury, and the pluralism charge was cover for the real reason.Lawrence "Blund, John" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' He was appointed chancellor of the see of York before 3 November 1234, and died in 1248.Greenway
Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066-1300: Volume 6: York: Chancellors
'

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