Quizzes
Quick Facts
- Latin:
- Roscellinus Compendiensis, or Rucelinus
- Born:
- c. 1050,, Compiègne, Fr.
- Died:
- c. 1125
Adding us as a Preferred Source tells Google you trust our content, so our articles show up more often in your Google Search, Discover feed, and AI Overviews.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Roscelin
French philosopher and theologian
Also known as: Roscelin of Compiègne, Roscellinus Compen-diensis, Rucelinus(Show More)
Roscelin (born c. 1050, Compiègne, Fr.—died c. 1125) was a French philosopher and theologian known as the originator of an extreme form of nominalism holding that universals are nothing more than verbal expressions. His only extant work seems to be a letter to the French philosopher Peter Abelard, who studied under him at Besançon; the little that is otherwise known of Roscelin’s doctrines is derived from the works of St. Anselm and of Abelard and from the anonymous work De generibus et speciebus (“Of Generals and Specifics”). Roscelin retracted his doctrine on the Trinity, namely that it consisted of three separate persons in God, when it was declared heretical by the Council of Soissons in 1092.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.
By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica
Privacy Policy
and
Terms of Use.