Spencer E. Young's book

Spencer E. Young's book is devoted to a little-studied chapter in the history of the University of Paris, the early period of theologians of the so-called generation Parens scientiarum. As a basis, the author uses the works of William J Courtenay , Stephen. Ferruolo and Elsa Marmuzstejn dedicated to the early history of the University of Paris. It is worth noting that most studies on the history of the University of Paris avoid this period, largely due to the lack of primary sources. In addition, a significant problem in the study of this topic is the tendency of most researchers to focus attention on individual personalities, losing sight of the global context. Young's study aims to reconsider the prominent role of early theologians in shaping the university's intellectual tradition and to identify key points of theological discourse from 1215 to 1248.

Bull of the Pope Gregory IX, called Parens scientiarum, which ended the university strike, plays a key role in the narrative of the early history of the University of Paris. The interaction of individual masters and the entire university as a corporate organization with the Papal See, according to Young, is a key episode in the entire history of the university. He draws attention to the corporate organization of the University of Paris and the role that the Faculty of Theology played in shaping the professional discipline. On the one hand, the papal bull transformed the university community from a loose group of theologians into an organized academic community. On the other hand, the lifting of the ban on Libri Naturales of Aristotle played a key role in the intellectual processes at the university. These two key points allow Young to speak about an entire generation of theologians. The first chapter is devoted to the general context in which was formed the university's academic community. Of particular interest is a subsection that Young dubbed the “growing pains of institutionalization”, such as “intellectual protectionism, sclerosis, and isolation”. The conflicts and discussions that took place at the university on this topic and the active role of the theological department in them testify to the formation of an independent intellectual community. The second chapter is devoted directly to the biography of theologians of the “generation of Parens scientiarum”. Using the concept of “generation,” Young emphasizes that it is important to talk about the academic tradition as all participants in the dialogue involved in a common intellectual process. To assess the influence of theologians, Young identifies four categories: attitudes toward official and university authorities, scholars' commitment to the university, participation in lectures and debates, and reactions to Latin translations of the Libri Naturales. Developing the latter point in Chapter 3, Young moves on to analyse the manuscript MS lat. 14726 from the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.