Pope Honorius III Condemns Periphyseon by John…

1225 CE

**Pope Honorius III Condemns Periphyseon by John Scotus Eriugena at the Council of Sens (1225 CE)**

In 1225, Pope Honorius III officially condemned the Periphyseon (or De divisione naturae) by the 9th-century Irish theologian and Neoplatonist philosopher John Scotus Eriugena at the Council of Sens, which had been convoked specifically for this purpose. The condemnation reflected growing scholastic opposition to pantheistic and heterodox interpretations of Christian doctrine.

The Reasons for Condemnation

Periphyseon, written in the 9th century, was a philosophical dialogue exploring the nature of God, creation, and human destiny, deeply influenced by Neoplatonism.
The work proposed a highly speculative cosmology, including:
- The identification of God with the totality of being (panentheism or even pantheism).
- The idea that all things ultimately return to God, which was reminiscent of Origen’s concept of Apocatastasis (universal salvation).
- A hierarchical emanation of creation, echoing the Neoplatonic thought of Plotinus and Proclus.
Medieval Church authorities, increasingly influenced by Aristotelian scholasticism, viewed these ideas as dangerously pantheistic and contrary to Catholic orthodoxy.

The Council of Sens and Its Verdict (1225)

Pope Honorius III convoked the Council of Sens in 1225, specifically to examine and condemn Eriugena’s teachings.
The council formally declared Periphyseon heretical, adding it to the list of forbidden books.
The condemnation echoed earlier concerns, as the work had already been criticized in the 11th and 12th centuries, particularly by Berengar of Tours and later scholastic theologians.

Impact and Legacy

The condemnation of Periphyseon reinforced the increasingly rigid boundaries of medieval theological discourse, which was shifting toward Aristotelian scholasticism under figures like Thomas Aquinas.
Despite its official censure, Periphyseon remained highly influential, particularly among later mystical and heterodox thinkers, including Meister Eckhart.
The work disappeared from mainstream theological discussion for centuries but was later rediscovered in the Renaissance and modern period, gaining recognition for its philosophical depth and originality.

The Council of Sens (1225) marked another step in the medieval Church’s suppression of speculative theology, as Neoplatonist and pantheistic ideas were increasingly marginalized in favor of Aristotelian orthodoxy.