Adam Wodeham

Adam of Wodeham, OFM, (1298–1358), born near Southampton, England in 1298, was a philosopher and theologian. Currently, Wodeham is best known for having been a student of William Ockham and for his interpretations of John Duns Scotus. Despite this associational fame, Wodeham was an influential thinker who made valuable philosophical contributions during his life.

Apart from his association with Scotus and Ockham, very little is known about Wodeham’s early upbringing and education. The information that is available seems to be based upon what scholars know from other sources about education in England at the beginning of the 14th century. Since contemporary scholars know that Wodeham was a part of the Franciscan intellectual tradition, several assumptions can be made about Wodeham’s education. To begin with, Wodeham most likely began his education in England by entering the Franciscan Order sometime between the ages of 14 and 18. After having begun his education, Wodeham would have studied philosophy and theology in various stages for about 13 years.

According to William J. Courtenay, Wodeham met William Ockham sometime between 1320-1324. During this period of his life, Wodeham was finishing his studies in philosophy. In light of the fact that much of Wodeham’s work supported Ockham’s thought, it seems that Wodeham’s views were greatly influenced by his interactions with Ockham. The works Wodeham produced in support of Ockham were partly responsible for Ockham’s prominence.

Following this portion of his life, Wodeham studied theology at Oxford between 1326 and 1329. Although Wodeham did not produce much original work during this portion of his life, he appears to have gained the confidence to develop his own views and to think outside of the current paradigm. At the pinnacle of his career, Wodeham’s willingness to be original resulted in many of his views being regarded as controversial.

Susan Brower-Toland gives one important example of this point. She argues that when Wodeham introduced the notion commonly referred to as "complexe significabile," or “something that can be signified [only] by a propositional expression,” he was introducing a new and important idea. According to Brower-Toland, Wodeham’s introduction of this term signified “a fairly radical departure from the standard medieval-Aristotelian substance-accident framework.”

Between the years 1329 and 1332, Wodeham’s work became much more widespread and accessible as a result of lectures he gave at Norwich on Peter Lombard’s “Sentences.” The topics at the Norwich lectures were quite diverse. Themes included everything from biblical interpretation to physics. It is important to note that Wodeham gave lectures at Norwich, London, and Oxford. At this point in time, the order and relationship of these lectures appears to be a matter of controversy.

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