La connaissance des objets de foi chez Henri de Gand, entre infusion, raisonnement et illumination

Henry of Ghent, one of the most important theologians of the late 13^th century, is well-known for, among other things, defending the unique thesis that theologians can rely on a specific kind of divine illumination to secure their theological knowledge: the lumen medium. His theory of faith, however, which also relies on a kind of divine illumination, has hardly been examined until now. It is, however, most interesting: indeed, within a system that allows for a special kind of theological knowledge of the objects of faith, one is led to wonder what kind of relationship there can be between such a superior knowledge and obscure faith. Can an object of faith also be an object of proper theological knowledge? If it is the case, does theological knowledge build upon faith, as in traditional doctrines, or are they separate? And how can one know that they have been illuminated by God in such or such a way?

In order to answer these questions, and others, we will first study the nature of faith and the corresponding divine light in Henry’s doctrine, especially from a psychological point of view; then we will analyze the way in which theological knowledge actually works; finally, we will examine the nature and the importance of divine illumination as regards the formation of theological knowledge; in conclusion, we will try and determine what precisely warrants our knowledge of the objects of faith.