Peter of Spain

Peter of Spain (Petrus Hispanus) is a thirteenth century author of a standard textbook on logic, the Tractatus, which was widely published in Europe for many centuries. His works on logic are typical examples of the type of manuals that started to emerge in the environment of twelfth- and thirteenth-century logic teaching. His Masters include Johannes Pagus (who is supposed to have been a Master of Arts in Paris in the 1220's) and Hervaeus Brito (who may have been a Master of Arts either before 1229). Besides these direct influences, the sources for Peter's works on logic are the Logica Vetus of Beothius and Aristotle, and authorities in the field of grammar such as Priscian and Donatus.

Work

The Tractatus, thought to have been written between 1230 and 1245, has universally been recognised as a work by Peter. Another work that has been identified as his is a Syncategoremata (Treatise on Syncategorematic Terms), probably written sometime between 1235 and 1245. Considering the fact that in all the thirteenth-century manuscripts the Syncategoreumata directly follow the Tractatus, and the number of similarities between doctrinal aspects of these two works on logic, it is almost certain that they were written by the same author. Both works seem to have originated from Southern France or Northern Spain, the region where we also find the earliest commentaries on these treatises.

Primary sources

• Tractatus, ed. L.M. de Rijk, 1972.
• Syncategoreumata, edited by L.M. de Rijk with an English translation by Joke Spruyt, 1992.

Links

• Joke Spruyt, Article on Peter in the SEP.

Notes

5

1240?