Blessed Duns Scotis

Blessed Duns Scotis is one of the famous "Doctors" of the medieval scholastic. He is called the "Subtle Doctor," St. Thomas is called the "Angelic Doctor," and Bonaventure the "Seraphic Doctor." The philosophy he developed is slightly different and sometimes opposed to that of St. Thomas, yet both are considered important elements in the Catholic Philosophical and Theological Traditions. Scotis is probably most famous for his finding a way to reconcile the doctrines of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and the redemption wrought by her Son, something that Bonaventure and Thomas, could not find. He said that Mary was conceived without sin by a special grace "in anticipation" of the Redemption to be wrought by Christ, this theological explanation, which resolved the tension that had been present in earlier discussions, was eventually what gained the acceptance of the doctrine as a dogma of the Catholic Church.