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Scholasticism

The Golden Age of the

Medieval Church

th

th

Centuries

Scholasticism as Intellectual Transformation

1. Biblical Study – The collection and organization of comments from Early Christian Fathers is a focal point for refining Theology. Glossa Ordinaria becomes the dominant “in-text” commentary.
2. Philosophy – Confidence in Reason and the influence of Aristotle’s thought led to the application of critical reasoning to matters of faith. Theology became logical.

Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109)

• (^) Anselm defended Church authority against English kings and was exiled twice for his troubles.
• (^) He adopted an approach to study summarized as “faith seeking understanding (or knowledge)”
• (^) Major Theological Contributions:
  • (^) An Ontological Argument for the existence of God rooted in the capacity of humans to imagine “something than which nothing greater can be conceived.”
  • (^) Satisfaction Theory of Atonement blending feudalistic concepts of honor and obligation with the concept of penance.

Cistercians

• (^) Sought to reform Benedictine monastic

Excesses

• (^) Wealth & luxury – Cistercians built plain monasteries in secluded locations; insisted that members work rather than rely on serfs
• (^) Arrogance –the black robes adopted by Benedictines were replaced by simple white robes (of the angels); ornate liturgies were simplified and contemplation was stressed
• (^) Tradition versus Restoration

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

• (^) He rejected the emerging trend of relying upon reason to validate faith; he insisted that belief provides the experience of God that validates faith.
• (^) He emphasized spiritual progress, humility, love of God and devotion to Mary as spiritual keys.
• (^) As a Cistercian he rejected ornate art as a distraction preferring simple art and especially music as the best medium of praise
• (^) His On the Love of God identified 4 degrees of love (Selfish, mercenary, filial, divine)
• (^) B. was a major power broker negotiating the appointment of Innocent II as Pope; and powerfully preaching for the 2nd^ Crusade

John Gratian (d.ca. 1160)

• (^) Gratian compiled the Decretum Gratiani

which served as the primary source book

for medieval Canon Law.

• (^) He distinguished between divine and

human laws, ecclesiastical and secular

authorities. Gratian provided all of the

important authorities and then reconciled

their contradictions.

Peter Lombard (1100-1160)

• (^) Lombard’s greatest contribution was in his orderly arrangement of the Sentences. - (^) Each book of the Sentences takes up specific theological topics and presents the range of varying statements on the topic and the consensus resolution to the topic under discussion. - (^) He identified the 7 sacraments on the basis of the combination of words and actions as follows: (1) baptism (2) confirmation (3) penance (4) eucharist (5) last rites (extreme unction) (6) marriage and (7) ordination - (^) Lombard’s Sentences became the foundation for scholarship for the next 400 years

Mendicant Orders Trying to Break the Cycle

1. Corporate Poverty
2. Popular Preaching
3. Education (especially University Training)
4. Piety among the laity who were encouraged to imitate the monks
5. Absolute obedience to Rome
6. Mobility
7. An Order of Friars Loyal to the whole order not simply one monastic house

The Dominicans

• (^) Dominic (1170-1221) – established an

order of preachers who through study and

asceticism prepared to care for the souls

and preach the faith to the masses. The

order renounced property and focused on

preaching as the “Order of Preaching

Brothers, O.P.” They especially took up

the battle against heresy.

Bonaventure (1217-1274)

• (^) B. took over the leadership of the

Franciscans shortly after the death of

Francis.

• (^) B. stressed the love of God over the truth

or knowledge of God; he provided a guide

to contemplation aimed at promoting love

of God.

• (^) Grace and Reason are necessary to

illumination

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)

• (^) Thomas became a Dominican monk in

1244, his teacher Albert the Great

introduced him to a program to reconcile

Christian theology to Aristotle’s

philosophy.

• (^) Thomas’s great contributions were an

apologetic defense of Christianity against

non-christian views and a systematic

theology the Summa Theologiae.

Thomas Aquinas’sThomas Aquinas’s

Proofs Proofs



1. All motion is the result of something1. All motion is the result of something else causing the motion. else causing the motion. This chain ofThis chain of movers cannot be endless, therefore, movers cannot be endless, therefore, God is the unmoved mover who starts God is the unmoved mover who starts everything. everything. 
2. Everything exists in a cause and2. Everything exists in a cause and effect relationship. effect relationship. There cannot beThere cannot be an endless chain of causes and effects, an endless chain of causes and effects, therefore, God is the First Cause of all therefore, God is the First Cause of all Creation Creation (Cosmological Argument).(Cosmological Argument).

Thomas Aquinas’Thomas Aquinas’

Proofs 2 Proofs 2



3. All things may be as a matter of3. All things may be as a matter of

possibility or necessity. All possibility or necessity. All

necessarily depend upon others, necessarily depend upon others,

however, this chain of dependency however, this chain of dependency

cannot be endless. cannot be endless. Therefore, God isTherefore, God is

the only necessity which does not the only necessity which does not

owe its necessity to any other thing owe its necessity to any other thing

but is the cause of the necessity of but is the cause of the necessity of

other things. other things.