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William of Auvergne (1180/90-1249) was the Bishop of Paris from 1228 to his death in 1249. Very little is known of William's early life, though by 1223 he was already a canon at the Notre Dame cathedral and he had earned a masters degree in Theology at the University of Paris. He was also a Scholastic philosopher there at the university before being raised to the episcopate.

He was born in Aurillac and the actually year of his birth is calculated from that a professor of Theology normally had to be of the age of 35 or older. From that deduction, he could have been born as early as 1180 or as late as 1190. He then went to Paris to study and was made a professor first in the faculty of arts and then that of theology in 1220. His theology was systematically Aristotelian and he is the first of the theologians of the thirteenth century to reconcile Aristotle with Christian doctrine, especially Augustine. The Aristotelian writings then available in Western Europe were few in number and mostly Arab translations. William sought to rescue Aristotle from the Arabians and spent time refuting doctrines such as the eternality of the world and the Cathar heresy.

As bishop, William was a strong supporter of the university school. He also took action against prostitution in the city. In 1248, he served on the regency council during Louis IX's absence on the Seventh Crusade.

Background

Works

• De virtutibus
• De moribus
• De sacramentis
• De trinitate
• De universo
• De anima
• De immortalitate animae

Sources