Should a promising young scholar happen to read this whilst undecided what to work on next, I would gently suggest a commentary on the thirteen (of nine hundred) theses by Giovanni Pico della Mirandola which were condemned by Pope Innocent VIII. To get a taste for the theses, here are the first three of those which were condemned, along with the summary of the condemnations:
“1. Christ did not truly and in respect to his real presence descend into hell as Thomas and the common way propose, but only in effect. / *Wrong, erroneous, heretical.* / 2. The second is: that for a mortal sin of a finite time an infinite temporal penalty is not due, but only a finite penalty. / *Wrong, erroneous, heretical.* / 3. Neither the Cross of Christ, nor any image, should be adored with the adoration of veneration, even in the way that Thomas proposes. / *Outrageous, offensive to pious ears, and unaccustomed in the universal Church.*”
This quote is from Dougherty, M. V. (2008). Pico Della Mirandola. p.40. Note that the next pope, Alexander VI, “absolved the protégé from any suspicion of heresy.” (p.38) The sort of commentary I have in mind for the points would address them in terms as temporally unprovincial as possible; this is a challenge. One possible starting point, which I've not consulted myself, is Chapter 3 of Craven, William G. (1981). Giovanni Pico della Mirandola: Symbol of His Age.
by Sean B. Palmer