Correctorium fratris Thomae

The Correctorium fratris Thomae, written around 1278 by William de la Mare, was a critique of the philosophical and theological writings of Thomas Aquinas. De la Mare, a Franciscan theologian, was an advocate of the traditional Neoplatonic-Augustinian school of Christian philosophy and a leading critic of the Aristotelian thought that Aquinas had introduced.1

The Correctorium selected 118 articles from Aquinas's works, primarily his Summa theologiae, and highlighted points where Aristotelian influence led to interpretations contrary to established orthodox formulas. This work was approved by the Franciscan order in 1282, leading to a prohibition on studying Aquinas's Summa theologiae without using de la Mare's critique as a standard. The Thomists, in turn, responded with their own critique, the Correctorium corruptorii fratris Thomae, arguing that de la Mare misunderstood both Aquinas and Aristotle.1