Medieval Doctrine

[Michael16]

I’ve been reading an interesting book “ Positively Medieval “ by Jamie Blosser.

It’s a collection of writings from the medieval saints that illustrates how the medieval Church was a Jesus centered, Bible believing Church.

In my studies, I get the impression that medieval theology was largely done by monastics teaching in the universities and that their work was rigorous in referencing the Early Church Fathers, Scripture and Tradition. And that they rigorously employed Aristotelian philosophy and philosophical argumentation in their work.

Am I correct in this?

 

[vern_humphrey]

After Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Church adopted Aristotle’s philosophy. Prior to that, Aristotle was unknown in the West.

If you watch the movie, The Name of the Rose, the blind old librarian preaches a sermon in which he says, “There is no progress, only endless recapitulation.” That isn’t a real event, of course, but it illustrates how some early churchmen were influenced by Plato.

 

[Dovekin]

It depends on what you mean by medieval.

Universities began in about the 12th century. While some teachers were monastics, there were other types of scholars. In the 13th Century, the franciscans and Dominicans started and were frquently seen at the Universities and higs were as you described.

Before that, learning was dispersed among the monasteries in a less organized fashion. jean Leclerq’s The Love of Learning and he Desire for God is probably still the best book on this earlier period, though there may be something else out there that includes newer research. (Anyone know of anything?)