EWTN To Air ‘Duns Scotus:’ Learn Why Catholics Came To Believe in the Immaculate Conception
By Michelle Laque Johnson
Few in our time have heard of Duns Scotus, but this brilliant young man was one of the most important philosopher/theologians of the 13th Century and his arguments for the Immaculate Conception were so important that Pope Pius IX cited them in his declaration on the dogma of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, 1854.
This week, in a brand new 90 minute movie filmed in ancient monastery locations in Europe, EWTN Cinema airs a movie by the philosopher’s own name, which relates some of the most dramatic moments in this Franciscan priest’s life. (Airs at 8 p.m. ET, Saturday, Dec. 8 (of course!), the Feast of the Immaculate Conception – or enjoy the encore at 1:30 p.m. ET, Sunday, Dec. 9.)
The film begins with Scotus’ defense of Pope Boniface VIII, who had been vilified by Philip IV, King of France. For his refusal to sign a document supporting the King’s position against the Pope, he was expelled from the prestigious University of Paris.
While the film tackles a number of the philosophies for which this theologian was so well-known, including several faulty arguments that are popular even today, the majority of the movie centers on Scotus’ famous debate against the Dominicans. The acclaimed film features his brilliant defense of what was not then a dogma of the Catholic Church, the idea that Mary was born without the stain of original sin; in other words, of the Immaculate Conception.
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