Date of Graduation
Spring 2025
Degree
Master of Arts in Religious Studies
Department
Languages, Cultures & Religions (part of School of Humanities & Social Science)
Committee Chair
Vincent Evener
Abstract
Although in the modern era, the Immaculate Conception is a controversial doctrine that prompts conflict primarily between Catholic and non-Catholic groups, during the medieval period Roman Catholics were greatly divided on the topic. Opposition to the belief hinges not only on its lack of scriptural basis and complicated theology, which some deem as placing Mary outside of the need for Christ’s redemption, but also on the fact that it was not declared dogma until 1854 by Pope Pius IX. In this thesis, I first consider how Augustine of Hippo’s original sin theology laid the foundation for avid rejection of the Immaculate Conception well into the early modern period. Second, I identify hinderances for acceptance of the Immaculate Conception during the medieval age by analyzing the work of Anselm of Canterbury, Eadmer of Canterbury, Bernard of Clairvaux, and Thomas Aquinas. Third, the work of John Duns Scotus is analyzed to show how he affirmed the Immaculate Conception, while still working within a rational scholastic framework. This thesis argues that John Duns Scotus revolutionized perceptions of the Immaculate conception by utilizing immediate animation and Anselmian original sin theology to reconcile the doctrine with Mary’s role in Christian salvation. Further, the massive contributions that Scotus made to the development of original sin theology, animation, and Immaculate Conception are explored. This thesis finds that Augustinian original sin and Aristotelian-Thomist animation were the primary hinderances to the acceptance of the Immaculate Conception and prolonged its formal acceptance in the Catholic Church.
Keywords
Immaculate Conception, ensoulment, original sin, Mary, John Duns Scotus, Roman Catholicism, medieval controversy
Subject Categories
Catholic Studies | Comparative Methodologies and Theories | History of Christianity | Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion
Copyright
© Emily G. Knoppe
Recommended Citation
Knoppe, Emily G., "Revolutionizing the Immaculate Conception: The Limitations of Medieval Theology and the Advancements of John Duns Scotus" (2025). MSU Graduate Theses/Dissertations. 4040.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/4040
Open Access
Included in
Catholic Studies Commons, Comparative Methodologies and Theories Commons, History of Christianity Commons, Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons
