Richard Rufus Project

FAIN: RQ-50812-14

Trustees of Indiana University (Bloomington, IN 47405-7000)
Rega Wood (Project Director: January 2014 to June 2021)

Preparation for online and print publication of the 13th-century philosopher Richard Rufus's In Aristotelis De Anima, completion of a provisional version of Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, and transcription of the Sententia Parisiensis and Sententia Oxoniensis. (36 months)

Richard Rufus introduced the teaching of Aristotle's metaphysics and natural philosophy at Paris, the heart of the 13th c. western intellectual world. Rufus not only outlined Aristotle's arguments, but also challenged him. In so doing Rufus influenced the great Scholastic philosophers who followed him. His influence can be seen, for example, in Roger Bacon's and Bonaventure's arguments against Aristotle and for a beginning of the universe, in Albertus Magnus' discussion of the problem of universals, in Aquinas' rejection of the ontological argument, and in Duns Scotus' theory of individuation. After they were lost for 600 years, the British Academy (BA) published Rufus' Physics lectures in 2003. In 2006, the Richard Rufus Project (RRP) began publishing critical editions online, starting with Rufus' exciting psychology lectures. In 2011, RRP resumed its partnership with the BA; in 2014-2017 RRP will complete its edition of the ca.1500 page lectures on metaphysics Rufus gave before 1238.

Associated Products

The Philosophies of Robert Grosseteste and Richard Rufus of Cornwall (Conference/Institute/Seminar)
Title: The Philosophies of Robert Grosseteste and Richard Rufus of Cornwall
Author: Neil Lewis
Abstract: The workshop was held at Georgetown University in Washington, DC on Friday March 11 and Saturday March 12, 2016. The theme of the workshop was the philosophy of Robert Grosseteste and Richard Rufus of Cornwall. A group of scholars working on the philosophical thought of these figures shared their work on them with each other. In addition to helping understand these philosophers better, the organizer hoped the conference would increase awareness of the importance of Richard Rufus and Robert Grosseteste. Presenters were Richard Rufus Project (RRP) editors, Neil Lewis and Rega Wood who introduced Richard Rufus and explained the significance of Grosseteste's influence on Rufus; a past RRP contributor, R. James Long, who helped clarify Rufus' attacks on Richard Fishacre; Santiago Melo-Arias, who has been preparing English translations for the RRP website, on Rufus's fundamental ontological views; Wood again, with Rufus on Universals; Chris Martin on the relevance of Rufus' understanding of Aristotelian epistemology to contemporary disputes; Jennifer Ottman on the influence of Rufus; and Timothy Noone, the only presenter without an affiliation with RRP, on Rufus' critical response to St. Bonaventure.
Date Range: 03/11/2016-03/12/2016
Location: Center for Medieval Philosophy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Primary URL: http://cmp.georgetown.edu/conferences
Primary URL Description: Center for Medieval Philosophy's conference website

Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, liber 5, redactio brevior (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, liber 5, redactio brevior
Author: Neil Lewis
Author: Richard Rufus of Cornwall
Author: Jennifer Ottman
Author: Rega Wood
Abstract: Book 5 of Richard Rufus' Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, addresses the questions what is a cause, a substance, a nature, a unity, a relation. He also considers what makes something necessary or possible, and other foundational questions.
Year: 2015
Primary URL: http://rrp.stanford.edu/SMet05rb.shtml
Primary URL Description: .
Secondary URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~rrufus/SMet05rb.shtml
Access Model: open access

Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, liber 6, redactio brevior (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, liber 6, redactio brevior
Author: Neil Lewis
Author: Richard Rufus of Cornwall
Author: Jennifer Ottman
Author: Rega Wood
Abstract: Book 6 of Richard Rufus' Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, describes the category of relation and asks, among other things, how entity and truth are related.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://rrp.stanford.edu/SMet06rb.shtml
Primary URL Description: Resource located on the Stanford University website, with the assurance that the Stanford College of Arts and Sciences will continue to host it in the future.
Secondary URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~rrufus/SMet06rb.shtml
Access Model: open access

Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, liber 7, redactio brevior (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, liber 7, redactio brevior
Author: Richard Rufus of Cornwall
Author: Neil Lewis
Author: Jennifer Ottman
Author: Rega Wood
Abstract: Book 7 of Richard Rufus' Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, is about substance. In it he discusses the nature of matter, form, and quiddity, the relation of universals to particulars, and the difference between signification and reference.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://rrp.stanford/SMet07rb.shtml
Primary URL Description: Resource located on the Stanford University website, with the assurance that the Stanford College of Arts and Sciences will continue to host it in the future.
Secondary URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~rrufus/SMet07rb.shtml
Access Model: Open access

Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, liber 8, redactio brevior (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, liber 8, redactio brevior
Author: Richard Rufus of Cornwall
Author: Jennifer Ottman
Author: Rega Wood
Author: Neil Lewis
Abstract: Book 8 of Richard Rufus’ Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis is about elements and elemental composition, the relation of substance to accidents, and substantial changes. Most importantly for Rufus, it is also about definition and about how to understand the Aristotelian claim that final matter and and form are the same.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://rrp.stanford.edu/SMet08rb.shtml
Primary URL Description: Resource located on the Stanford University website, with the assurance that the Stanford College of Arts and Sciences will continue to host it in the future.
Secondary URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~rrufus/SMet08rb.shtml
Access Model: Open access

British Library, Royal 8 C IV: Manuscript Description (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: British Library, Royal 8 C IV: Manuscript Description
Author: Rega Wood
Abstract: The manuscript description details the contents of British Library manuscript Royal 8 C IV, it indicates its quire construction, its script, and many other details useful for scholarly research.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://rrp.stanford.edu/BL8RoyC4.shtml
Primary URL Description: Resource located on the Stanford University website, with the assurance that the Stanford College of Arts and Sciences will continue to host it in the future.
Access Model: Open access

Notulae in Aristot. De anima (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Notulae in Aristot. De anima
Author: Jennifer Ottman
Author: Anonymous
Abstract: This is an early commentary on Aristotle's De anima commentary based largely on the work of Adam Buckfield, who in his turn is influenced by Richard Rufus. We cite such texts in the notes to our edition both as a record of Rufus' influence and on some occasions in order to correct our reconstruction of the text.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://rrp.stanford.edu/ErfurtNotulae.shtml
Primary URL Description: Resource located on the Stanford University website, with the assurance that the Stanford College of Arts and Sciences will continue to host it in the future.
Secondary URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~rrufus/ErfurtNotulae.shtml
Access Model: Open access

Selected Glosses on Aristotle from Paris BN Lat 6569 (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Selected Glosses on Aristotle from Paris BN Lat 6569
Author: Jennifer Ottman
Author: Anonymous
Abstract: This is an early manuscript of the old corpus of Aristotle works. We had to transcribe parts of it in order to determine whether it was a source for Richard Rufus. As it turns out, despite the early age of the manuscript, these glosses depend on Richard Rufus and Adam Buckfield rather than the reverse. We publish our transcription here for the use of other scholars.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://rrp.stanford.edu/ParisBN6569DAn.shtml
Primary URL Description: Resource located on the Stanford University website, with the assurance that the Stanford College of Arts and Sciences will continue to host it in the future.
Secondary URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~rrufus/ParisBN6569DAn.shtml
Access Model: Open access

On Aristotle's De anima (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: On Aristotle's De anima
Author: Adam Buckfield
Author: Jennifer Ottman
Abstract: This is one of the two most influential early De anima commentaries and the first to draw on Richard Rufus' commentary. It not only records Rufus' influence but in the case of difficult passages allows us to improve the text we publish. This work was made available to us by special permission from Helen Powell who published excerpts in her Oxford thesis. Since Miss Powell has since died, her thesis is virtually unavailable now. So we publish this research tool on our website, based on more manuscripts than were available to Powell for the use of other scholars.
Year: 2016
Primary URL: http://rrp.stanford.edu/BuckfieldDAn1.shtml,http://rrp.stanford.edu/BuckfieldDAn2.shtml, http://rrp.stanford.edu/BuckfieldDAn3.shtml
Primary URL Description: Resource located on the Stanford University website, with the assurance that the Stanford College of Arts and Sciences will continue to host it in the future.
Secondary URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~rrufus/BuckfieldDAn1.shtml

The Formal Distinction and the Razor: Rufus, Scotus and Ockham (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: The Formal Distinction and the Razor: Rufus, Scotus and Ockham
Abstract: This talk was presented a conference organized by Arche: Philosophical Research Centre for Logic, Language, Metaphysics and Epistemology, entitled "Medieval Logic and Metaphysics." The talk describes the origins of the phrase `Ockham's Razor' in the works of a 17th-century Thomist commenting on Aristotle's De anima. It shows why this attack misses it mark in the case of Rufus and Scotus, and how it leaves Thomas Aquinas' views open to attack.
Author: Rega Wood
Date: 03/13/2014
Location: Saint Andrews, Scotland

Erfurt, UB, Dep. Erf. CA Q290, folio 1 recto (Database/Archive/Digital Edition)
Title: Erfurt, UB, Dep. Erf. CA Q290, folio 1 recto
Author: Richard Rufus of Cornwall
Abstract: We post this image of the first page of Richard Rufus' Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis, Redactio brevior, on our website, with the permission of Erfurt University's Library for the use of scholars who may be interested in checking our collation. It also allows members of the public to see the form in which this great work of philosophy was preserved for centuries.
Year: 2014
Primary URL: http://rrp.stanford.edu/images/4ErfSMet.jpg
Primary URL Description: Resource located on the Stanford University website, with the assurance that the Stanford College of Arts and Sciences will continue to host it in the future.
Secondary URL: http://www.indiana.edu/~rrufus/images/4ErfSMet.jpg/

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