NOCTUA

La tradizione filosofica dall’antico al moderno

History of Philosophy from the Ancient to the Modern Age

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Autore / Author: Giovanni Lasorella

Affiliazione / Author affiliation: Università del Salento

Titolo / Title: Liminal Spaces between Oxford and Cologne: John Dymsdale’s Quaestiones super Metaphysicam on Prime and Proximate Matter

Abstract: The paper investigates theories of prime and proximate matter in the work of John Dymsdale, a thirteenth-century Master of Arts at Oxford. In his Quaestiones super Metaphysicam, Dymsdale addresses three main problems: (1) whether there exists in matter a kind of diminished form (forma diminuta) that subsequently becomes the substantial form of a thing; (2) whether prime matter is numerically one in all material entities; and (3) whether proximate matter adds some real feature to prime matter. The study further examines the textual relationship between John Dymsdale and John Picard of Lichtenberg, a German Dominican theologian. Through a synoptic comparison of their works, it demonstrates that Picard borrowed extensively – and often verbatim – from Dymsdale’s Quaestiones. This finding challenges the perceived isolation of German medieval philosophy by revealing a significant Oxonian influence on the Dominican Studium generale in Cologne. The paper concludes by presenting a new critical edition of three of Dymsdale’s Quaestiones.

Keywords: John Dymsdale; Quaestiones super Metaphysicam; prime matter; proximate matter; forma diminuta; John Picard of Lichtenberg; liminal spaces.

DOI: 10.14640/NoctuaXIII5

Rivista / Journal: Noctua

ISSN: 2284-1180

Anno / Volume: XIII

Fascicolo / Issue: 1

Pagine / Pages: 139-198

Ricevuto / Submitted: 10/08/2025

Accettato / Accepted: 19/12/2025

Pubblicato / Published: 31/05/2026

Licenza / Licence: CC BY

Permalink: https://dx.doi.org/10.14640/NoctuaXIII5

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ISSN 2284-1180