THOMAS WALEYS

English theologian; b. c. 1287; d. England, after February 1349. As a Dominican at Oxford he lectured on the Sentences of Peter Lombard (c. 1314–15), became regent master in theology (c. 1318–20), and composed his wellknown Moralitates on the Old Testament. By 1326–27 he was lector in Bologna, where he lectured on Psalms 1–38.2, preached against the Franciscan doctrine of poverty, and wrote an impressive commentary on St. augustine's De civitate Dei. As chaplain to Cardinal Mattèo Orsini at Avignon he preached a sermon in the Dominican priory (Jan. 3, 1333) opposing the view of john xxii on the beatific vision. The Franciscan Walter of Chatton charged him with six erroneous statements, and he was cited by the papal inquisitor (January 11) and confined to a cell in the priory. On September 7 another case was brought against him, and he appealed to the Holy See (October 12), whereupon he was transferred to the papal prison. Despite the intervention of Philip VI of France and John XXII's retraction of his own thesis, Thomas was held prisoner for 11 years without trial. Released soon after 1342, he returned to England where he wrote De modo componendi sermones. In February 1349 he described himself as "broken down by old age." His works were highly regarded for their theological content and humanistic style.

Bibliography: j. quÉtif and j. Échard, Scriptores ordinis praedicatorum (New York 1959) 1.2:509, 597–602. t. kÄppeli, Le procès contre Thomas Waleys, O.P. (Rome 1936). b. smalley, "Thomas Waleys O.P.," Archivum fratrum praedicatorum 24 (1954) 50–107. f. stegmÜller, Repertorium biblicum medii aevi (Madrid 1949–61) 5:8234–60. a. b. emden, A Biographical Register of the University of Oxford to A.D. 1500 (Oxford 1957–59) 3:1961–62. t. m. charland, Artes praedicandi (Ottawa 1936).

[j. a. weisheipl]