The Sapientiale of Thomas of York, OFM: The Fortunes and Misfortunes of a Critical Edition

The absence of a critical edition of the Sapientiale by Thomas of York (composed in the mid-thirteenth century) yields a lacuna in our knowledge of the history of medieval philosophy. This article traces the history of scholarship concerning the text by specialists on the early Franciscan school at Oxford and by teachers and students at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies in Toronto, and presents the status quaestionis concerning the life, career and writings of Thomas of York. Finally, the article announces the plan for a forthcoming edition of the Sapientiale under the supervision of an International Advisory Board centered at the Thomas-Institut der Universität zu Köln. An Appendix by Joseph Goering records the preliminary work on the text of the Sapientiale done at Toronto.