Week 2 The Medieval Mindset

Christianity and the West Christ was born into the height of the Roman Empire 3 B.C. - 30 A.D. Bible contains the Old Testament of Judaism and the New Testament containing the 4 Gospels and Letters of St. Paul. The Trinity = Hypostatic Union Church develops in the 4th century - Catholicism Emperor Constantine - Edit of Milan 313

Early Christian Communities Local leaders: Bishops - used the system set up by Diocletian …. hence Dioceses Regional variation in doctrine and ritual Nature of resurrection Role of women Gradual acceptance of core texts Ecumenical “Church” Councils Council of Nicaea - 325 Council of Chalcedon - 451

Christian Morality Tertullian 160-240 What Has Jerusalem to do with Athens? What exactly is Tertullian’s point in this excerpt? Philosophical Standpoint

The Germanic Successor States, c. 500 Last Roman emperor deposed by Germanic Odoacer, 476 CE Administrative apparatus still in place, but cities lose population Germanic successor states: Spain: Visigoths Italy: Ostrogoths Gaul: Burgundians, Franks Britian: Angles, Saxons

Western Thought Christianity helped to shape Western Thought in the Early Middle Ages. Church Fathers are the source of intellectualism St. Jerome St. Ambrose St. Augustine Boethius

St. Jerome 340-430 Vulgate - Latin translation of the Bible A big influence on the medieval Latin literature.

The First Father As a result of contribution to the dissemination of the “good news” Jerome is deemed the first father of the Church. Avidly supported the monastic community Misogynistic views that looked to women as the fall of man.

St. Ambrose 340-397 Archbishop of Milan On the Duties of Ministers Extremely Active in the concerns of the world

Stoic Christianity Ambrose’s work on Christian Duty closely resembled Cicero’s work On Duties. Reverence of God should supersede all human conduct. Gift of Grace is something that God helps some Christians see but not all. Emperor Theodosius and importance of morality Church and State Relations?

St. Augustine 354-430 Arguably the greatest of all the Church Fathers Basis for Medieval Theology and Philosophy Struggled with his Christianity

Moral Evil How can one explain the existence of evil in human experience? Christianity preached the existence of a “Good” God. If God created all things, and God was good, then how is it possible for evil to exist in a perfectly good world?

A wayward Christian Although his mother was a devout Christian, Augustine did not get baptized until age 33. Influenced by Manicheanism and Plotinus he struggled to find meaning in the world. Confessions - explains how he discovered God Influenced by Ambrose in 387 who he traveled to hear preach the Good News. Converts and quickly ascends … became the Bishop of Hippo in 395

Overcoming Skepticism Any conscious person is certain he exists, that he is alive, and that he can think “We move up toward God form exterior to the interior”

Doctrine of Illumination Plato discussed the concept of memory … world of the forms. To Augustine this is Grace and it comes directly from God.

Ex Nihilo God created all things ex nihilo that is ‘out of nothing’ “We made not ourselves, but He made us that abideth forever” Distinction between finite and infinite.

Augustinian Theology The Sinfulness of Humanity God’s Omnipotence and Human Corruption Although one has the power to choose good over evil, only God chooses to save mankind. Doctrine of Predestination

City of God Augustine believed people chose good in the hopes that they would be chosen by God (Grace). Doctrine of Charity (good works) and avoids a life of cupidity. City of Earth - “live according to man” vs. City of God = “live according to God”

Boethius 480 - 524 A roman aristocrat who became a follower of Augustine Ancient Learning at the end of Antiquity Liberal Arts More of a philosopher than a theologian

Liberal Arts Boethius wanted to preserve the ancient ways of learning. grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music Wrote handbooks on two … arithmetic and music

Consolation of Philosophy Christian Theology = Augustinian as seen in the Consolation of Philosophy Condemned to die by Theodoric asks the questions - What is human happiness? Highest Good = pursuit of God

The Wheel of Fortune Since Boethius was condemned to die, he equated his life to the downward fall of the Rota Fortunae Myth of Orpheus - man chooses good or evil “Happy is he who can look into the shining spring of good; happy is he who can break the heavy chains of earth”

St. Anselm 1033-1109 No clear line between philosophy and theology Sought clarity in the depiction of the universe as related to God.

Ontological Argument Faith Seeking Understanding Psalms 14:1 “The fool in his heart said there is no God” That than which nothing greater can be thought

The Essence Monologion and Proslogion Degrees of gradation He already starts with his mind and the belief in God The Definition of God Issues???

Avicenna 980-1037 Born in Persia and studied geometry, logic, jurisprudence, physics, theology and the Koran. Became a physician at 16 Rediscovery of Aristotle

Proof For God Something Exists Either it is a necessary being or a possible being If it is a necessary being, then QED If it is a possible being, then its existence must be caused by some other being This other being causes must be either necessary or possible. There cannot be an infinite series of possible beings. Therefore there must be a necessary being

Averroes 1126-1198 Spanish Muslim scholar Rejected the disillusion between essence and existence The Truth

Moses Maimonides 1135-1204 Spanish Jewish scholar Guide of the Perplexed Borrowed heavily from the philosophy of Aristotle

The Perplexed No contraction between faith and reason Law (Torah) and Philosophy does not contradict “The goal (teleos) of human life is to achieve humanity’s appropriate perfection.

Scholasticism Emphasis upon logic and dialectic Conceptual analysis rooted in the art of disputation Aristotelian principle of Sufficient Reason

Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274 Influenced by Avicenna and Maimonides Linked God to Humans

Via Antique Aquinas believed that essence was existence. I am who am Deontological - cause to effect The Five Proofs - Aristotle’s Reasons for Causality. Summa Contra Gentiles & Summa Theological

The Five Ways Proof from Motion Proof from Efficient Cause Proof from Necessary versus Possible Beings Proof from Degrees of Perfection Proof from the Order of the World

Views on Law Eternal Law Natural Law Human Law Divine Law

William of Ockham 1280 - 1349 Ockham’s Razor Reduces everything to the simplest equation. Nominalism

Via Moderna Ockham did not believe there was a need for proofs because there is faith. There are no UNIVERSALS outside of words and concepts. To be is to be an individual

Next Week We shall turn the medieval world upside down and look to the age of progress during the period of the Scientific Revolution and Enlightenment. Question Cards - What was the biggest take away from today’s lecture? What questions do you still have lingering?