John Scotus Eriugena

Abstract

This essay offers a concise overview of the life, metaphysics, epistemology, and theological method of John Scotus Eriugena, a 9th-century Irish philosopher and theologian. Becker outlines Eriugena’s major work, De Divisione Naturae, which presents a fourfold classification of nature: uncreated creating (God), created creating (primordial causes), created uncreating (the physical world), and uncreated uncreating (the return of all things to God). Eriugena’s system, deeply influenced by Neoplatonism, borders on pantheism and denies the reality of evil. His theory of knowledge emphasizes reason and contemplation, subordinating faith to rational insight. Scripture, while authoritative, must be interpreted through reason. Becker also illustrates Eriugena’s allegorical interpretation of the Fall, which reflects Origenist tendencies. The essay concludes with a bibliography of key sources. Eriugena is portrayed as a brilliant but controversial thinker whose ideas were later condemned as heretical. Abstract prepared by Microsoft Copilot (GPT-4).