Middle Ages/Renaissance

Review

Roman Empire 120 AD

• The queen of the sciences was theology, the intellectual study of religion. Many in Europe, by the eleventh century, were beginning to reflect upon their beliefs. They continued to believe but could no longer believe with naive or unthinking acceptance. It was accepted as a fact, for example, that the Son of God had been incarnated as a man in Jesus Christ. But in the eleventh century an Italian named Anselm, who became archbishop of Canterbury, wrote a treatise called Cur Deus Homo?- "Why Did God Become Man?"- giving reasoned explanations to show why God had-taken this-means to save mankind. Soon afterward Peter Abelard, who taught at Paris, wrote his Sic et non -"Yes and No" or "Pro and Con"-a collection of inconsistent statements made by St. Augustine and other Fathers of the Church. Abelard's purpose was to apply logic to the teachings of the early Church fathers, and show where the truth of Christian doctrine really lay, and so make the faith consistent with reason and reflection.

• The great problem for Europeans was how to digest the gigantic bulk of Aristotle, or, in more general terms, how to assimilate or reconcile the body of Greek and Arabic learning to the Christian faith. The universities, with their "scholastic" philosophers or "schoolmen," performed this useful social function. Most eminent of scholastics was Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), the Angelic Doctor, known also to his own contemporaries as the Dumb Ox from the slow deliberation of his speech. His chief work, appropriately called the Summa Theologica, was a survey of all knowledge.

Scholastic Purpose

• Provide rational explanation for what was believed on faith

• Prove reason and faith were harmonious

• Reconciled traditional Christian teaching and the new body of information recovered from the Ancient Greeks after 12^th Century

• Use human reason (Aristotle) to understand the supernatural content of Christian revelation

Influences on Scholasticism

• Aristotle

– Translation of Aristotle into Latin opened up new world of information that could not be ignored

– Aristotle was the Authority on all areas other than religion

Scholastic Philosophy

• Convinced of fundamental harmony between reason and revelation

• When conflicts arose between faith and reason faith was supreme

– Philosophy was the servant to theology

– Theology defined as the intellectual study of religion

– Theology known as the “Queen of the sciences”

Scholastic Method

• Reliance on authority

• Use of precision in language

• Use of Deductive Logic

– From large accepted truth to smaller truths

• Not at all like the scientific method

Scholastic Philosophers

• Peter Abelard 1079-1142

– Wrote Sic et non “Yes and No”

– Utilized systematic doubting

– “By doubting we come to questioning and by questioning we perceive the truth”

– Use of dialectics: Any systematic reasoning that juxtaposes two contradictory ideas and seeks to resolve their conflict

Scholastic Philosophers (cont.)

• St. Thomas Aquinas 1225-1274

• Summa Theologica

• Foremost Scholastic Philosopher

• Created a synthesis of western philosophies and attempted to reconcile to Christian belief

• Drew distinction between faith and reason

– Reason can demonstrate many basic principles such as the existence of God, Trinity can’t be proved by logic

Durham Cathedral

Dark Ages in Latin Christendom
500-1000A.D.

• Loss of Security

• Trade died

• Chaos- roaming bands of thugs

• Disintegration of social Institutions

Scholasticism and Universities

• Education in Early Middle Ages

– Society organized for war and defense

– Slight support for education

• Improved Economy and stability led to the possibility for education

• The Scholastic method was the method used to gain knowledge

• Latin was the language use in all Universities

Key Concept:

• Medieval thought began with the existence of God and the truth of his revelation as interpreted by the Church. The Medieval mind rejected the fundamental principle of Greek Philosophy-the autonomy of reason. Without the guidance of revealed truth, reason was seen as feeble.

Humanists

• Wrote a good deal in Latin

• Preferred Latin style of the classical Roman period

– Complained that Middle Age Latin was too monkish, scholastic

• Also wrote in the Vernacular, Italian

• Definition: Vernacular

– Using a language native to a region rather than a literary language (Italian in place of Latin)

• In the ancient writers the humanists found a new range of interests, discussion of political and civic questions

• HE was regarded as the greatest scholar of his age. He wrote the majority of his works in Latin, although his sonnets and canzoni written in Italy were equally influential. HE was known as a devoted student of antiquity. He combined interest in classical culture and Christianity and left deep influence on literature throughout Western Europe. A prolific correspondent, he wrote many important letters, and his critical spirit made him a founder of Renaissance humanism.

• Loose to the breeze her golden tresses flowed

• Wildly in thousand mazy ringlets blown,

• And from her eyes unconquered glances shone,

• Those glances now so sparingly bestowed

• And true or false, meseem’d some signs she show’d

• As o’er he cheek soft pity’s hue was thrown;

• I, whose whole breast with loves soft food was sown,

• What wonder if all at once my bosom glowed?

• Graceful she moved, with more than mortal mien,

• In form an angel: and her accents won

• Upon the ear with more than human sound.

• A spirit heavenly pure, a living sun,

• Was what I saw; and if no more ‘twere seen,

• To unbend the bow will never heal the wound.

Francesco Petrarch 1304-1374

• “The first man of letters”

• First Italian humanist

• Trained for law and the clergy he criticized both professions for their “Scholasticism”

• Wrote Sonnets to Laura-clearly meant to be literary productions

• I say, then, that in the year 1348 after the Son of God's fruitful incarnation, into the distinguished city of Florence, that most beautiful of Italian cities, there entered a deadly pestilence. Whether one believes that it came through the influence of the heavenly bodies or that God, justly angered by our iniquities, sent it for our correction, in any case it had begun several years earlier in the east and killed an innumerable mass of people, spreading steadily from place to place and growing as it moved west.

• … I would have the courtier know literature, in particular those studies known as the humanities. He should be able to speak Latin but Greek, as well. Let him read and know the Roman and Greek poets, orators and historians. Let him be proficient in writing verse and prose in our own vulgar language. …I am not content with the courtier unless he is also a musician… He should know how to draw and paint.

Renaissance Art

Other Italian Humanists

• Boccaccio Decameron-a series of tales designed to entertain and impart wisdom about human character

• Leonardo Bruni- Florentine Historian. Showed a need for authentic sources

• Pico della Mirandola Oration on the dignity of man

• Baldasare Castiglione The Book of the Courtier

– “must converse with facility, be proficient in sports, know how to dance and appreciate music, should know Latin and Greek

• Macchiavelli The Prince 1513

Humanist Education

• Medieval schooling had been chaotic and repetitious

• Renaissance separated students by age and class

• Latin was the Principal subject with Greek added

• Learned Latin and Greek to read the ancient writings

• I say that every prince must desire to be considered merciful and not cruel. He must, however, take care not to misuse this mercifulness. Cesare Borgia was considered cruet, but his cruelty had brought order to the Romagna,' united it, and reduced it to peace and fealty. If this is considered well, it will be seen that he was really much more merciful than the Florentine people, who, to avoid the name of cruelty, allowed Pistoia to be destroyed.

The Prince 1513

• He produced the first purely secular writing on politics.

• He emancipated politics from moral philosophy and theology

• His writing was amoral- he simply sought to describe what effective politicians did.

• Credited with the phrase “the end justifies the means”

• In the Prince Machiavelli produced a handbook of statecraft which he hoped Italy might find useful.