Henry of Ghent

(Henricus de Gandavo: proper name Goethals), a theologian of the 13th century. He was born at Ghent in 1217, studied at the University of Paris, and was a pupil of Albertus Magnus. Admitted to lecture at the Sorlonne, he acquired great distinction as a teacher of philosophy and theology, ard obtained the surname of Doctor Solemnis. "He was endowed with great sagacity of understanding, attached to the system of the Reslists, and blended the ideas of Plato with the formularies of Aristotle: attributing to the first a real existence independent of the divine Intelligence. He suggested some new opinions in psychology, and detected many speculative errors, without, however, suggesting corrections for them, owing to the faultiness of the method of the philosophy of his time" (Tennemann). Henry became canon, and afterwards archdeacon of Tournay, and died there A.D. 1293. His writings arc, Quodlibetac in 4 Libb. Sententialrum (Paris, 1518, fol. reprinted with commentary by Zuccoli, 1613, 2 vols. fols.): — Summa Theologiae (Paris, 1520, fol.):De Scriptor. Ecclesiasticis (in Fabricius, ibl. Eccl.). See Duph;, Eccles.

Writers, cent. 13; Ritter, Gesch. d. Philosophie, 8355; Tennemann, Manual Hist. Phil. § 267.