Medieval Philosophy Matters

 Recently, I finished The Proslogion by Anselm of Canterbury. In it, Anselm uses reason to argue for the existence of God. For me, this is one of my favorite works to have come out of the Middle Ages. Hopefully, I will discuss more about it in a future post. 

While many today, see theology and philosophy as two separate disciplines, this was not the case for many in the twelfth-century. Indeed, many medieval philosophers saw their ideas as being in harmony with the Bible (though sometimes opposed by the church itself). As the university generally protected its people's freedom of speech, some church officeholders such as Martin Luther were able to challenge the status quo more than those outside of its setting.  

In general, all that we believe comes from a worldview. Whether or not we claim to believe in the existence of God, what we believe about the authority of religion, and how we perceive the afterlife is all reflected in our worldview. If our worldview is not based on the Bible, then it's based on something else; another religious work, one's culture, or one's upbringing. The Bible was the foundation for all of what those in the Middle Ages believed about both matter and time; this was even the case for illiterate peasants who learned Bible stories from the artwork in medieval churches. 

For many in the Middle Ages, the works of Augustine of Hippo were foundational to their theological understandings. His Confessiones (Confessions), for example, was important for its bluntness about his penitence over sin. De civitate Dei contra Paganos (The City of God), however, defended Christendom against accusations from the pagans in Rome who blamed Christianity for the former empire's downfall. De Trinitate (On the Trinity), likewise, served as a reminder to the orthodox communities of the many threats to true Christianity across the known world. Finally, in The Enchiridion (Faith, Hope, and Charity), Augustine defended God's predestination of men to salvation against some of the Semi-Pelagian groups that were at odds with Catholic Christianity. As someone who has read more than five of Augustine's works, I can personally testify to his great influence also on my own life. 

Many of us have heard of the Summa Theologica. We know that Thomas Aquinas was among the best of Medieval scholastics. However, fewer of us are familiar with his Contra Errores Graecorum. In this latter work, Aquinas wrote both against the Greek Orthodox Christians and the Muslims. While Aquinas was arguably more gentle in his dialogues than some, he reflected a growing divide between both western and eastern Christians that had been building for centuries. 

While many of the medievals differed from each other on particular points of doctrine such as what happens at mass, when is just war right, and whether or not the Virgin Mary was immaculate, they universally held to the belief that Christianity is the only way to God. Peter the Venerable, for instance, did not believe that Muslims worship the one true God as he explained in Against the Saracens*1. Likewise, the Council of Florence later dogmatically taught that all those who leave this life without water baptism shall be lost forever. 

According to Oxford historical theologian and scholar Alister Mcgrath*2, medieval theologians believed that scripture was the highest of all authorities. Indeed, because of this, many of them intended to base their views off of the Bible. Certainly, they knew that all other authorities are sinking sand and will fade with time (Ecclesiastes 1:14, Romans 12:2). Scripture, on the other hand, though, is forever (1 Peter 3:21). 

Whether or not we agree with the medievals, understanding their worldview helps us to understand them. For example, if we wish to learn more about twelfth-century England, then reading the theological writings of Anselm of Canterbury will enlighten us to common thoughts of that time. Knowing Medieval Philosophy also helps us to understand both the culture and the art of the era. One of the interesting particulars of historical studies is that both an Evangelical Christian and a professing atheist*3 can differ from each other's worldviews and yet still study the past as historians. Truly, even people whose ideas are nothing alike to each other, are able to mutually construct facts together about what it meant to live in Medieval Times. 

1*For this compilation of several of his works, see the volume Church Fathers: Medieval Continuation Against the Saracens translated by Irven M. Resneck. 

2* See Reformation Thoughts: An Introduction. 

3* According to scripture, there are no true atheists (Jeremiah 11:20, Psalm 44:21, Romans 1:19).