Meister Eckhart and the Parisian University in the early 14th century - Codex Vaticanus Latinus 1086

Meister Eckhart was one of the towering figures of early 14th c. humanist teachings of philosophy and theology at the University of Paris. The project intends to rewrite the history of this time, broadening the textual basis for Eckhart and reading his texts against the background of other, largely unexplored scholars of his time.
Meister Eckhart (ca. 1260-1329) is one of the most widely read medieval philosophical theologians and preachers today, and he was highly influential and controversial in and beyond his times. Only Thomas Aquinas before him was called twice to the chair of Theology in Paris. From his Parisian teaching, several documents have survived, but Eckhart's Parisian Questions are regarded as 'one of the most famous set of texts that medieval thinking has produced' (Kurt Flash, Meister Eckhart, 2010, p. 113).
So far we only knew of five such Questions, three that were dated to his first magisterium in 1302/3, the other two to his second in 1311/2. While the PI wrote his 'Art of Detachment' (Peeters, Leuven, 2011) and his 'Eckhart's On the Lord's Prayer' (Peeters, Leuven, 2011), he re-discovered four more Parisian Questions that he thought were likely to be authored by Eckhart, but had been excluded as dubious from their first discoverer Martin Grabmann (and all subsequent editors). He presented his findings as invited main lecture at the International Medieval Congress 2010 (to be published in JTS 63, 2012). As a result, the main Eckhart editors (Professor Loris Sturlese, Professor Georg Steer) encouraged the PI to undertake a major research project to check, ascertain and comment on this extraordinary discovery. Although the re-discovered Questions are already worth a detailed study, the source from where the four derive has to be taken into account: The manuscript Vat. Lat. 1086 ranks as a document of crucial importance which sheds light on the development of philosophical, theological and juridicial teaching at Paris in the beginning XIVth century. Prosper's collection contains names and opinions of students, bachelors and masters (regents) of the university and preserves the documentation of a detailed insight into the atmosphere of learning of this European cultural centre as no other document does. For many of the named people, this will be a first scholarly study of their bio-bibliography and their thinking.
Here just a few examples of people who's questions are contained in Ms. Vat. Lat. 1086:
Prosper, Jacques d'Ascoli, Gregoire de Lucques, Joh. de Monte s. Elygii, Gregoire de Lucques, Henricus: de Gand?, Gilles de Rome, Aegidius Romanus, Simon de Corbeia?, Bertrand de Turre, Gerardus de s. Victore, Gregoire de Lucques, Pe de sto dyo, Henricus Amandi, Jean de Pouilly (142ra1), Jean, de l'ordre du Val des Ecoliers?, Martin d' Abbeville, François Caraccioli or de Caroccis di Napoli, Brito: Raoul Renaud, Gui Terreni or de Perpignan, Durandus, Thomas de Aquino ...
To substantiate the potential authenticity of the four re-discovered Parisian Questions and to read them against the background of this unique Latin manuscript will provide an entirely new insight into the early beginnings of humanist theological and philosophical thinking of Paris University of the early 14th century.

Meister Eckhart is, according to book publishers, one of the most read medieval theologians and philosophers, in the West and in the East, in the States and in Europe, in the UK and on the continent. Recently his High Middle German sermons have been re-published in Walshe's English translation, but there are also Italian, French, Japanese, German translations which are not only circulating amongst academics, but reach a far wider audience.
Target I: Publishers, broadcast and media
With no recent translation of Eckhart's Parisian Questions available, nor have his Latin Works been translated in their entirety into English, the PI has initiated with Peeters, Publishers (Leuven) the series Eckhart: Texts and Studies (The Art of Detachment, 2011; Eckhart's On the Lord's Prayer, 2012). One future volume will be the Parisian Questions (print run 1,000 copies). And yet, these Quaestiones are of such interest to the wider public that we plan to interest a broader public oriented publisher in the UK and the US to produce a translation/commentary version of these texts.
Target II: Eckhart Societies
The two international Eckhart Societies (one in the UK, one in Germany) (300 and 350 members) comprise around 60% non-academics. We will present and disseminate our findings through these Societies at future conferences and channel them into the broadcasting and film media.
The donor of the city of Cologne's annually Eckhart-Prize, the highest prize in the Humanities in Germany, given to critical thinkers prepares a film on Eckhart's life and thinking, and the PI has been approached to support the design of this film. We plan to bring the new findings of the project into the film-script to reach a broad audience.
Target III: Web-user
The present project will deal with the most important finding in Eckhart research for the past few decades, set in its early 14th c. Parisian environment - news that will best be spread through a blog on the web. Building on the PI's experience with his own blog that attracts over 15,000 page views per month from around the world (with most viewers from the US), the blog will be designed and promoted to attract similar numbers of visitors.
Target IV: The General Public - Exhibition visitors - Schools
A planned exhibit at King's College London, the British School of Rome (and potentially the University of Erfurt - Eckhart's own hometown, Paris and Korea University Seoul) will serve as places from which to present the manuscript(s) (or representative copies), Meister Eckhart and the Parisian University together with the findings of the project.
How will we ensure that the target groups benefit?
Contacts to publishers, press, broadcast and film industry have already been established, and they will be appropriately and timely briefed. With regards the exhibitions: a) by preparing the appropriate material (incl. marketing material); b) by conducting such age-appropriate demonstrations ourselves and training others to do so in the UK; c) engaging lecturers to perform Questions based viva (in the UK, Rome, Korea); c) bringing in manuscript specialists to assist us in developing the workbook and workshops for school groups and adult participants (UK, Rome, Korea); d) present public lectures during the exhibitions (incl. the Summer Schools at King's and Korea University, Seoul); e) exploit established links between King's College London, schools and religious communities.