Consensus and Theology: Adhering to the Principles of Faith According to John Pecham

The definition of consensus given by the Franciscan master John Pecham in his ‘Quodlibet’ IV clearly states that the idea of consent is based on two elements: an intellectual effort and a volitional act. The same dynamic between intellectus and affectus is found in Pecham’s introitus to the commentary on the Book I of the ‘Sentences’, where the Franciscan master establishes the epistemological status of theology. Here, basing his theological view on intellectus and affectus, Pecham can define theology as sapientia. For Pecham, therefore, the act of adhering to the principles of faith (articula fidei) derived from consent and the epistemological statute of theology share the same dynamism based on an effort of the intellect and an act of affect. This paper aims at showing the key role played by intellectus and affectus in Pecham’s epistemological status of theology: the former is required to verify the evidence and certainty of the principles of faith, to which it adheres; the latter to support and strengthen it.