JÚLIA RODRIGUES MOLINARI

This research has as its object of analysis the Opus Nonaginta Dierum by William of Ockham, his first political writing, which marked a thematic change in his work – from then on, the author began to dedicate himself exclusively to his political work. The chronological division between his “philosophical and theological” and “political” writings imposes a methodological question about how to deal with these different periods, as well as the possibility of bringing their theses together or not. We take as an initial hypothesis that Ockham's definition of theology could be referred, within political writings, to his position regarding a mediating role of the theologian in political disputes – in a certain sense, as a precursor of what will later be called “conciliarism”. From this, we selected to analyze the Opus for two reasons: (1) because it is the “transitional” text between the two phases of Ockham’s life; (2) because, as it concerns his position in the dispute between the Franciscans and Pope John XXII, Ockham needs to make use of his proficiency in topics such as the interpretation of scripture and canon law to justify his criticisms of the pope.