Christopher Wojtulewicz: The Reception of Augustine in the Theology of Alexander de Sancto Elpidio OESA

If known at all, Alexander de Sancto Elpidio is perhaps best remembered for his Tractatus de ecclesiastica potestate; his theology, however, remains somewhat shrouded in obscurity. Besides some references to his opinion in the sentence commentaries of various Augustinians of the early fourteenth century, we do not yet possess any real conception of Alexander’s theological positions, despite his prominence in Paris and as General of the Order from 1312. Both Doucet and Courtenay have made reference to a quodlibet in Naples, which Glorieux had considered likely to have been penned by Alexander. Now that his authorship is confirmed, this paper will present the positions found in the questions of the Naples manuscript and look into their use of Augustine. In particular it will consider Alexander’s contribution to Trinitarian debates and the contextualisation of the reception of Augustine more broadly in the Order of Hermits of St. Augustine during the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries.