Queen of the faculties: Theology and theologians at the University of Paris, c. 1215--c. 1250

Enthroned as queen of the sciences, theology attracted many of the most vigorous minds of the later Middle Ages and is among the most identifiable products of medieval European culture. However, the theologians from this period whose names and works are best-known today constitute only a handful of those engaged in the discipline of theology. Faculties of Theology at medieval universities, where most of these figures labored, were comprised of many more individuals who also participated in this shared intellectual enterprise.;This dissertation examines the Faculty of Theology at the University of Paris during the first half of the thirteenth century when this new institutional form developed. Challenging previous scholarship that has either neglected this generation or focused in detail on only a few of its theologians, this broader approach uncovers the instrumental, and hitherto unacknowledged roles many of these lesser-known figures played in key transformations taking place within the university, and the discipline of theology, during this time, including the codification of university privileges, the legitimacy of using Aristotle's natural philosophical works, and the development of the authority of professional theological opinion within Latin Christendom. This study also opens up new perspectives on the social and political dimensions of the Parisian Faculty of Theology by tracing the centers of power among its members and providing a more nuanced interpretation of the viability of theology as a permanent career than has previously been offered. Exploiting often-ignored manuscript sources, this study further illuminates the pivotal role of the theologian William of Auxerre by expanding our awareness of his associations with his fellow university colleagues. The study concludes with a reconstruction of two topical debates from this period, incorporating all extant texts by early thirteenth-century Parisian theologians on the subjects of almsgiving and the seven capital vices, both of which provide new insights into the various ways these theologians responded to such issues of contemporary relevance as the monetization of the economy, the ideal of voluntary poverty, the debate over Aristotle's natural philosophy, and the pastoral mission of the church in the aftermath of the Fourth Lateran Council.