Author: William of Saint-Amour

Dating: A master of arts in Paris in 1228, a letter of Gregory IX dated 1238 names William as a doctor of canon law. A subdeacon, Gregory became canon of Beauvais and rector Granville. He became a master of theology c. 1250. He led the delegation of masters to Innocent IV who protested the presence of the medicants at the University of Paris in 1254. When the new pope, Alexander IV supported the mendicants, William had to defend his orthodoxy against attacks particularly by the Dominicans. In 1257, William was deprived of his teaching position and benefices because of his strong stance against the mendicants. Despite a number of attempts to regain his post, he died in exile in Saint-Amour in 1272.

Works: Opera omnia exist in two editions; Bâle, 1554 and Constance, 1632.

Liber de Antichristo et ejus ministris: Edited by E. Martène and U. Durand, Veterum scriptorum amplissima collectio, vol. 9 (Paris, 1733), cols. 1273-1446 attributed to Nicolas Oresme.

Questiones disputatae: Edited in Constance edition of Opera omnia, pp. 73-87. MSS given in Glorieux, Répertoire. William's reply to Bonaventure's De mendicitate has been edited in S. Bonaventurae opera omnia, vol. 5 (Quaracchi, 1891), pp. viii - xii and S. Bonaventurae ... collationes in Hexaëmeron edited by F.-M. Delorme, Biblioteca franciscana scholastica medii aevi, vol. 8 (Quaracchi, 1934), pp. 352-6.

Tractatus de periculis novissimorum temporum. Edited in Constance edition of Opera omnia, pp. 17-72. MSS given in Glorieux, Répertoire

Sermones: See Schneyer, 2 (1970): 582-3

Response to Nicolas of Lisieux: Edited in H. Denifle and É. Châtelain, Chartularium universitatis parisiensis, vol. 1 (Paris, 1889), p. 498, no. 440

Bibliography:

Philippe Delhaye, "Guillaume de Saint Amour," DS 6 (1967): 1237-41.
A. J. Herman, "William of Saint-Amour," NCE 14: 936-7
P. Glorieux, "Wilhelm von St. Amour," LThK 10 (1965): 1148-9
Glorieux, Répertoire, 1: 343-6, no. 160
Stegmüller, 2 (1950): 433-4
Schneyer, 2 (1970): 582-3