What is the Opus Majus by Roger Bacon?

The Opus Majus is an 878-page medieval treatise written in Latin by the English polymath Roger Bacon. Commissioned by Pope Clement IV in 1267, the massive work spans natural sciences, mathematics, physics, philosophy, and grammar. It stands as Bacon's most important contribution to medieval scholarship and thought.

What we know

• The Opus Majus is an 878-page treatise written in Medieval Latin that covers aspects of natural science ranging from grammar and logic to mathematics, physics, and philosophy. [2]
• Roger Bacon sent the Opus Majus to Pope Clement IV in Rome in 1267 at the pope's request. [2, 3]
• The work was followed later in 1267 by the Opus Minus as a summary and the Opus Tertium as a preliminary introduction. [2]
• Bacon's linguistic work within his writings features an early exposition of a universal grammar. [3] · medium confidence

Where to go next

• whoWho was Roger Bacon?
• whenWhat are the Opus Minus and Opus Tertium?
• the bigger pictureHow did medieval natural philosophy operate?
• what caused itWhat role did Pope Clement IV play in commissioning scientific works?
• what followedHow does the scientific method develop through history?
• an unexpected connectionHow did celestial spheres influence ancient and medieval cosmology?While Roger Bacon explored comprehensive aspects of physics and natural science in his treatise, cosmological models of the era heavily relied on the framework of crystalline celestial spheres.

Sources

• [1]Opus Majus (Wikidata Q4373704) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Opus Majus · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Roger Bacon · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Celestial spheres · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]History of experiments · CC BY-SA 4.0

Your path

1. Who was Leonhard Euler and what did he discover?
2. /What is the Opus Majus by Roger Bacon?