Plan of the Dialogue

According to the Prologue of 1 Dial., Ockham planned the Dialogue in three parts:

Part 1 On Heretics (divided into seven "books")

Part 2 On the teachings of John XXII,

Part 3 On the actions of those disputing about orthodox faith.

How the plan changed

Part 2: It seems that Ockham never wrote the planned Part 2, or, if he did, it has been lost without trace. Someone (probably not Ockham himself) substituted two tracts, not in dialogue form and not a comprehensive critique of John's doctrines. One  of these tracts criticised as “a fictitious revocation” John’s end-of-life retraction of his doctrine concerning the beatific vision, the other criticised some arguments in support of that doctrine.

How the projected Part 2 would have been organised can be inferred from references Ockham makes to Part 2 in other works, including 1 Dial., 3.1 Dial., 3.2 Dial. and De imperatorum et pontificum potestate. Perhaps (as Offler suggests (OP vol. 4, pp.274-5), 2 Dial. as Ockham intended it would have consisted of four tracts on John XXII's bulls: tract 1 on Ad conditorem, tract 2 on Cum inter, tract 3 on Quia quorundam, and tract 4 on Quia vir. Somewhere John's sermons on the beatific vision would have been dealt with. This organisation would have corresponded with the structure of several others of Ockham's attacks on John XXII, including Letter to the Friars Minor, Compendium errorum and IPP cap. 27.

Part 3 was also not written as planned. Instead of tracts on the actions of the various parties to the dispute, Ockham wrote one tract (3.1 Dial.) on the power of the pope and clergy, and another tract (3.2 Dial.) on the rights of the Empire and of secular rulers and laypeople. Both of these tracts seem to have been left unfinished -- or, if they were finished the ends have been lost. (Or perhaps they were unfinished and the ends of the unfinished tracts were lost -- the MSS of 3.2 Dial. end at different places.)

According to the prologue to 3.1 Dial., Ockham still intended to write, in addition to the two extant tracts, the following tracts, which were apparently never written -- at least, they have never been found:

• the third the deeds of John XXII, who some people think was deprived for heretical wickedness of all ecclesiastical dignity long before he departed this world, and others that he was a Catholic and ended his days as a true pope;
• the fourth the deeds of the lord Lewis of Bavaria, whom some people do not regard as a true emperor, while others think the opposite;
• the fifth the deeds of Benedict XII, whom many people, but not all, reverence as a true supreme pontiff;
• the sixth the deeds of brother Michael of Cesena,
• the seventh the deeds and teaching of Guiral Ot, one of whom some affirm to be the true general of the order of Friars Minor and others the other;
• the eighth the deeds of brother William of Ockham;
• the ninth the deeds of other Christians -- kings, princes and prelates and their subjects, laity and clergy, secular and religious, Friars Minor and others -- who adhere to, obey, agree with, are united with, favour or are known in any way to offer advice or help to, any one or ones of the above named people, or who persecute, attack, harass or condemn them, or some of them, as blamable.

The eventual plan

So as it has come down to us, the Dialogue consists of:

Part I On heretics

Part 2 On the teachings of John XXII [on the beatific vision]
    2.1 Dial. Concerning the fictitious revocation of John XXII
    2.2 Dial. Reply to certain fallacious arguments put forward to support the error of John XXII concerning the vision of the holy souls in heaven

Part 3
    3.1 Dial. On the power of the pope and clergy
    3.2 Dial. On the power and rights of the Roman Empire, and of other secular rulers and laypersons.

The printed volumes divide the Dialogus as follows:

1 Dial. 1-5, ABMA vol. 35

1 Dial. 6, ABMA vol. 41

1 Dial. 7, ABMA vol. 42.

2 Dial., ABMA vol. 20

3.1 Dial., ABMA vol. 20

3.2 Dial., ABMA vol. 33

 
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