ERIG'ENA, JOANNES SCOTUS, a famous philosopher of the middle ages, was b. prob ably in Ireland, and flourished during the 9th century. Very little is known regarding his history. He appears to have resided principally III France, at the court of Charles the bald. In the controversies of his time, regarding predestination and transubstan tiation, he took part. His philosophic opinions were those of a Neo-Platonist rather than of a scholastic. His love for the mystic doctrines of the old Alexandrian phi losophers was shown by his translation of the writings ascribed to Dionysius the Are opagite, which proved to be a wellspring of mysticism during the middle ages. E. held that God is the essential ground of all things, from whom all things emanate, and into whom they return again. Pantheism, therefore, lurks in his system. His princi pal work is De Divisions Natures (published by Gale, Oxford, 1681). One of its leading
thoughts is the identity of philosophy and religion, when both are probably appre hended. E. uttered his opinions with great boldness, and he exhibited no less subtlety and strength of intellect in their defense. He expressed his contempt for theological dogmatism. and vindicated the authority of reason over all other authority. His words are: "Authority is derived from reason, and not reason from authority; and when the former is not confirmed by the latter, it possesses no value." Consult Hjort's Joh. E. (Copenh. 1823); Staudenmayer, Joh. E. (Frankfort, 1834); and Taillandier, Scot. E. et la Philosophie Scholastique (Strasb. 1843); Moller, Scotus E. (1844); Christlieb, Leben and Lehre des Scotus E. (1861); and Huber, Johannes E. (1861).