Henry of Gorkum ( – February 19, 1431) was a Dutch

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

known for his commentaries on

St. Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas ( ; ; – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican friar and priest, the foremost Scholastic thinker, as well as one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in the Western tradition. A Doctor of the Church, he wa ...

and his defense of

Thomism Thomism is the philosophical and theological school which arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, Thomas's disputed ques ...

.Janz, Denis (1983). ''Luther and late medieval Thomism: a study in theological anthropology.'' Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press,

Life and career

Henry was born in

Gorkum Gorinchem ( ), also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. It had a population of in . The municipality of Gorinchem also ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. He was a colleague of

John Capreolus John Capreolus, in French Jean Capréolus and in Latin Johannes Capreolus (c. 1380 – 6 April 1444), was a French people, French Dominican Order, Dominican theologian and Thomist. He is sometimes known as the ''Prince of the Thomists''. His ''F ...

at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

, holding positions there between about 1395 and 1419. He taught philosophy at

University of Cologne The University of Cologne () is a university in Cologne, Germany. It was established in 1388. It closed in 1798 before being re-established in 1919. It is now one of the largest universities in Germany with around 45,187 students. The Universit ...

, and from 1420 he was director of a self-funded

bursar A bursar (derived from ''wikt:bursa, bursa'', Latin for 'Coin purse, purse') is a professional Administrator of the government, administrator in a school or university often with a predominantly financial role. In the United States, bursars usual ...

there. He became University of Cologne Vice-Chancellor in 1424.Weiler, Antonius Gerardus (1962). ''Seine Stellung in der Philosophie und der Theologie des Spätmittelalters.'' Hilversum: Katholieke Universiteit te Nijmegen Later he was appointed a canon of the Basilica of St. Ursula. He was a defender of Thomism in the dispute between the followers of St.

Albert Magnus Albertus Magnus ( 1200 – 15 November 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great, Albert of Swabia, Albert von Bollstadt, or Albert of Cologne, was a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop, considered one of the great ...

and those of St. Thomas Aquinas at the university.Schoot, Henk J.M. (2001). Language and Christology: The Case of Henry of Gorcum (†1431), Thomist. '' Recherches de Théologie et Philosophie Médiévales'' 68:1, pp.142-162.

References

1370s births 1431 deaths Year of birth uncertain Burgundian Netherlands Roman Catholic clergy People from Gorinchem Thomists Academic staff of the University of Cologne Philosophers from the Habsburg Netherlands {{scholastic-philosopher-stub