MAJOR (or MAIR), JOHN (1470-1550)

This article appears in Volume V17, Page 450 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: LUP-MAL

MAJOR (or MAIR), JOHN (1470-1550) , Scottish theological and historical writer, was born at the

village

VILLAGE

of Gleghornie, near North Berwick, Scotland, in the year 1470. He was educated at the school of Haddington, where John

Knox

was later a pupil. After a short period spent at

Cambridge

(at God's

House

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

, afterwards Christ's College) he entered the university of Paris in 1493, studying successively at the colleges of St Barbe, Montaigu and Navarre, and graduating as master of arts in 1496. Promoted to the doctorate in 1505, he lectured on philosophy at Montaigu College and on theology at Navarre. He visited Scotland in 1515 and returned in 1518, when he was appointed principal regent in the university of Glasgow, John

Knox

being among the number of those who attended his lectures there. In 1522 he removed to St Andrew's University, where 111.1525 George Buchanan was one of his pupils. He returned to the college of Montaigu in 1525, but was once more at St Andrew's in 1531, where he was head of St Salvator's College from 1534 until his death.
Major's voluminous writings may be grouped under (a) logic and philosophy, (b) Scripture commentary, and (c) history. All are in Latin, all appeared between 1503 and 1530, and all were printed at Paris. The first group includes his Exponabilia (1503), his commentary on Petrus Hispanus (1505-1506), his Inclitarum artium libri (15o6, &c.), his commentary on J.oannes Dorp (1504, &c.), his Insolubilia (1516, &c.), his introduction to Aristotle's logic (1521, &c.), his commentary on the ethics (1530), and,

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

of all, his commentary on Peter Lombard's Sentences (15o9, &c.); the second consists of a commentary on

Matthew

(1518) and another on the Four Gospels (1529); the last is represented by his famous Historia Majoris Britanniae tam Angliae quam Scotiae per J. M. (1521). , In political philosophy he maintained the Scotist position, that civil authority was derived from the popular will, but in theology he was a scholastic conservative, though he never failed to show his approbation of Gallicanism and its plea for the reform of ecclesiastical abuses. He has left on record that it was his aim and hope to reconcile realism and nominalism in the interests of theological peace. He had a world-wide reputation as a teacher and writer. Buchanan's severe epigram, perhaps the only unfriendly words in the flood of contemporary praise, may be explained as a protest against the compromise which Major appeared to offer rather than as a personal attack on his teacher. Major takes a more independent attitude in his History, which is a remark-able example of historical accuracy and insight. He claims that the historian's

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

duty is to write truthfully, and he is careful to show that a theologian may fulfil this condition.
The History, on which his fame now rests, was reprinted by Free-bairn (Edinburgh, 1740), and was translated in 189z by Archibald Constable for the Scottish History Society. The latter volume contains a full account of the author by Aeneas J. G. Mackay and a bibliography by

Thomas

Graves

GRAVES, ALFRED PERCEVAL (1846— )

Law. _

End of Article: MAJOR (or MAIR), JOHN (1470-1550)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/LUP_MAL/MAJOR_or_MAIR_JOHN_1470_1550_.html">
MAJOR (or MAIR), JOHN (1470-1550)
</a>

(Previous)
MAJOR (Lat. for " greater ")

(Next)
MAJORCA (Mallorca)

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email