ROGER MARSTON

Franciscan theologian; b. c. 1245; d. c. 1303. Marston studied at Paris under john peckham, probably between 1269 and 1272. There, c. 1270, he was present with thomas aquinas and Peckham at a vehement theological disputation presided over by gerard of abbeville at the inception of the precentor of Peronne. He was the 13th minister of the English Franciscan province, probably between 1292 and 1298. He was buried at Norwich.

Among his works are: (1) Commentarius in Sententias, date not yet identified; (2) Quaestiones disputatae, c. 1282–84; De emanatione aeterna, qq. 7; De lapsu naturae humanae, qq. 2; De anima, qq. 10 [ed. Quaracchi 1932; cf. De humanae cognitionis ratione (Quaracchi 1883) 197–220]; and (3) Quodlibet 1–4, c. 1282–86 (see Glorieux L, 2.264–269). Of these, Quodl. 3.25 (De privilegiis O.P. et O.F.M. audiendi confessiones ) is edited by F. Delorme, Studi Francescani 31 (1934) 331–335; Quodl. 4.15–17 (De dilectione, gaudiis et doloribus B. M. V. ), by A. Emmen, Franziskanische Studien 39 (1957) 210–214.

Marston's teachings are representative of English Augustinianism with borrowings from Arabic philosophers, principally from avicenna. He quotes Aristotle's De anima in the Arabic-Latin translation. Defending traditional Augustinian doctrines against the growing Aristotelianism, on almost all contested points he takes up an energetic, sometimes even reactionary, position against Aquinas. In his Quodl. 4.15–17, he shows a strong dependence on the De excellentia B. V. M. (Patrologia Latina, ed. J. P. Migne [Paris 1878–90] 159:557–580) of eadmer of canterbury, which he ascribes to anselm of can terbury. Though D. L. Douie is too severe in his judgment [Archbishop Peckham (Oxford 1952) 13, 284–285], the truth seems to be that Roger was conservative, somewhat small-minded, and somewhat unoriginal as a theologian; yet his doctrine is valuable in understanding many points of Duns Scotus's system.

Bibliography: a. perez, La Materia de Avicena a la Escuela Franciscana: Avicena, Averroes, Tomas de Aquino, Beunaventura, Pecham, Marston, Olivo, Mediavilla, Duns Escoto (Maracaibo, Venezuela 1998) bibliography, 463–77. r. hissette, "Esse–Essentia Chez Roger Marston," in Sapientiae Doctrina; Melanges de Theologie et de Litterature Medievals Offerts a Dom Hildebrand (Leuven 1980) 110–118. r. marston, Quodlibeta Quatour ad Fidem Codicum nunc Primum Edita Studio et Cura (Rome 1968). j. a. merino, Historia de la Filosofia Franciscana (Madrid 1993) 383–84.

[a. emmen]