Literature, art, and the World of Intellect in the High Middle Ages, from about mid-11th to mid-13th centuries

1

• Literature, art, and the World of Intellect in
  the High Middle Ages, from about mid-11th to
  mid-13th centuries
• Haskins, Charles Homer. The Renaissance of the
  Twelfth Century. 1927
• Hollister, C. Warren, ed. The Twelfth-Century
  Renaissance. 1969
• Brooke, Christopher. The Twelfth-Century
  Renaissance. 1969

2

• Knowles, David. The Evolution of Medieval
  Thought. 1962
• Treadgold, Warren, ed. Renaissances before the
  Renaissance. 1984
• Chapter 6 The 12th Century Renaissance by S.C.
  Ferruolo
• (cf. Jacob Burckhardts The Civilization of the
  Renaissance in Italy. 1860 -- the traditional
  view -- Renaissance in Italy in 14th -- 15th
  centuries)

3

• 1927 Prof. Charles Homer Haskins (US medievalist)
  published Renaissance of the Twelfth Century
  refuted the traditional views from the scholars
  of the Italian Renaissance of the 14th century
  (who called the European Middle Ages as Dark Ages
  of 1000 years of medieval darkness, etc.).
  The title of this book will appear to many to
  contain a contradiction. A renaissance in the
  12th century! Do not the Middle Ages, the epoch
  of ignorance, stagnation, and gloom, stand in the
  sharpest contrast to the light and progress and
  freedom of the Italian Renaissance which
  followed? Of course, the answer of Prof.
  Haskins was NO!

4

• Yet, there was the older view (outdated) 1000
  years of medieval darkness until the great
  Italian awakening!
• Historical periodization
• Classical Antiquity
• Medieval
• Renaissance
• (cf. very different in Chinese history)

5

• In Europe, the Middle Ages, at best, is a neutral
  term, suggesting a colorless age, lacking in
  accomplishment and historical distinctiveness, an
  age of intermission between 2 creative eras --
  the Classical and the Renaissance.
• Indeed, the sensitive student ought to ask not
  merely was the medieval period necessarily
  superstitious and backward, but further, is there
  necessarily any intellectual coherence in the
  concept of the Middle Ages as a distinctive
  cultural epoch running from about 400 or 500 to
  the eve of the Italian Renaissance?

6

• What has 6th century Europe in common with 13th
  century Europe?
• Some medievalists (in return) even deny the
  existence of an Italian Renaissance
• Some medievalists agree that there was an Italian
  Renaissance, but, at the same time, point out
  that it was merely one of many Northumbrian
  Renaissance (England), Carolingian Renaissance
  (Charlemagnes Frankish Empire), Ottonian
  Renaissance, and 12th century Renaissance.

7

• Jacob Burckhardt, Swiss historian (1818-1897),
  The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy
  (1860), In the Middle Ages, both sides of human
  consciousness -- that which was turned within
  inside as that which was turned without
  outside -- lay dreaming or half awake beneath a
  common veil mask. The veil was woven of faith,
  illusion, and childish prepossession,
• Renaissance is defined as rebirth of the forms
  and spirit of Classical Antiquity in the 15th
  century Italy rebirth, recover discovery of
  individual, etc. -- a new beginning, a period of
  dynamic and fruitful growth

8

• Medievalists claim 7th 8th centuries
  Carolingian scholars, such as Alcuin on Classical
  Culture, have all the above rationalism,
  individualism, or even the birth of modern man
  (C. Warren Hollister, The 12th Century
  Renaissance, Colin Morris, The Discovery of
  the Individual, 1050-1300.)
• John of Salisbury (1115-1180) was a model of
  Classical humanist.
• His On Tyranny, A ruler who exceeds the bounds
  of law is no king but a tyrant. the concepts
  of the majority opinion, and the common goods.
• St. Thomas Aquinas (later)

9

• Charles Homer Haskins, Both continuity and
  change are characteristics of the Middle Ages, as
  indeed of all great epochs of history.
• So, the old (outdated) view that medieval Europe
  was static, superstitious, ignorant, etc. was
  wrong.

10

• 11th to 13th centuries Europe witnessed the rise
  of towns and commerce, the maturation of
  Romanesque architecture and the invention of the
  Gothic style, the expression of constitutionalism
  (England), in political theory (John of
  Salisbury), and practice, the birth of romantic
  love, upsurge of philosophical rationalism,
  increase of population/ food production, and the
  rise of universities, etc.

11

• Nevertheless, Europe between 800 and 1300
  definitely changed.
• Development economic changes (growth of towns
  and commerce), new learning from the East, such
  as stirrup, printing, compass, and gunpowder (cf.
  Lynn Whyte, Jr., Medieval Technology and Social
  Change) medieval revival of Latin Classics
  complete development of Romanesque art and the
  rise of Gothic the full bloom of vernacular
  poetry, both lyric and epic the new learning
  and new literature in Latin flourishing age of
  the cathedral schools (which became the later
  universities, such as Bologne, Paris, Oxford, and
  Cambridge).

12

• the writing of biographies and memoirs
  indicating the rise of individualism
• (cf. Colin Morris, The Discovery of Individual,
  1050-1300) and Peter Abelard (1079-1142) and
  Heloise -- their love affairs indicating strong
  sense of individualism.
• feudal epics, such as Robin Hood ( King Arthur
  and the Knights of the Round Table).

13

• The 12th century Renaissance -- unlike the
  Carolingian Renaissance -- was NOT the product of
  a court or a dynasty.
• Unlike the Italian Renaissance, the 12th century
  Renaissance owed its beginning to NO single
  country (Italy) and socially and economically,
  the 12th century Renaissance was prosperous, but
  the 14th century Italian Renaissance coincided
  with famines, plagues, and Black Death.

14

• Impact of the Crusades on the 12th century
  Renaissance
• Ideas
• Translations (Greek philosophy and science,
  especially Aristotle) -- Reasons -- Albertus
  Magnus -- Thomas Aquinas (Dominicans)

15

• Conclusion
• In addition to continuity, the 12th century
  Renaissance definitely CHANGE or even a great
  leap forward or at least transformation and
  transition

16

• The Rise of Universities
• Baldwin, John W. The Scholastic Culture of the
  Middle Ages.
• Ferruolo, Stephen C. The Origins of the
  University.
• Rashdall, Hastings. Universities of Europe in
  the Middle Ages.
• Cobban, Alan B. The Medieval English
  Universities -- Oxford and Cambridge.
• Like Gothic Cathedrals, the medieval European
  University was a product of the medieval town --
  from Cathedral Schools, which were the centers of
  higher learning of the time.

17

• Basic curriculum -- traditional seven liberal
  arts 1. Astronomy 2. Geometry 3. Arithmetic
  4. Music 5. Grammar 6. Rhetoric and 7. Logic.
• Higher Disciplines
• 1. Theology
• 2. Law
• 3. Medicine.
• After completion -- license to teach
• By 13th century, there were Universities at
  Paris, Bologna, Naples, Oxford, and Cambridge.

18

• According to Rashdall, there were 3 vital
  educational values in medieval Universities
• 1. A commitment to providing not only useful
  professional training but also the highest
  intellectual cultivation possible
• 2. A desire not only to conserve and transmit
  knowledge but also to advance it by research and
  writing
• 3. The idea of joining together of diverse
  subjects into a single harmonious institution,
  the ideal of making the teaching body
  representative of the whole cycle of human
  knowledge.

19

• According to Stephen C. Ferruolo, there were 3
  basic characteristics in medieval Universities
• 1. It was an enduring and autonomous corporate
  body. As a formal association with a significant
  degree of legal autonomy and the right of
  self-governance, the corporation exercised
  control over its membership and could make
  enforce its own statues. In this sense, the
  University was similar to the other medieval
  guilds trading commercial associations. In its
  specific functions, the University was a
  community engaged in study, a studium. It was an
  association of men of diverse social status drawn
  from a wide geographical area, studying a variety
  of subjects at different levels of expertise
• 2. It emphasized on the sharing of transmission
  of knowledge. The professional identity of the
  University consisted in teaching or being taught
• 3. The University was not narrowly specialized
  either in its constitution or in its goals.

20

• Thomas Aquinas
• Knowles, David. The Evolution of Medieval
  Thought.
• chapter 21 St. Thomas Aquinas.
• Ullmann, Wlater. Medieval Political Thought.
• chapter 7 The New Orientation Thomism.
• St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225-1274, was born in a
  Norman-Italian noble family. His father wished
  him to be a Benedictine monk (prestigious and
  high class), therefore, he entered the Monte
  Cassino Monastery.
• But, in 1244, (when he was 18 years old), Thomas
  Aquinas joined the radically new Dominican Order
  (thus, shocked his father), and he became a
  student of St. Albertus Magnus (the new
  Aristotelianism).

21

• His education was at the University of Paris (and
  his nicknamed was dumb ox).
• According to Walter Ullmann, The power of Thomas
  Aquinas intellect produced a fusion of Christian
  and Aristotelian themes which entailed an
  infinity of nice distinction in accommodating a
  pagan philosophy to Christian cosmology.

22

• Thomas Aquinas baptized Aristotle into Christian
  theology, just as St. Augustine had baptized
  Plato into Christianity.
• According to Russell, the philosopher, (History
  of Western Philosophy, London, 1982, p. 444), the
  impacts and influences of Thomas Aquinas were
  much greater than those by Kant and Hegel in the
  19th century.
• Late in life, Thomas Aquinas suddenly turned to
  mysticism and it was said that his final
  confession was as innocent as that of a
  5-year-old child.

23

• Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica (comprehensive
  work)
• Questions of philosophy, theology, political
  theory, and morality
• Used (pagan) Aristotles logical methods and
  categories of thought
• Yet, his conclusions were in complete harmony
  with the Christian faith.
• Comparison between Thomas Aquinas and Plato
• Platos literary elegance was better than Thomas
  Aquinas
• But, Thomas Aquinas intellectual elegance (i.e.,
  system and organization) was better than Plato.

24

• Thomas Aquinas was systematic and exhaustive --
  both pro for and con against -- analyzing
  every possible argument and every subject in
  presenting and exploring opinions contrary to his
  own, i.e. less passionate (or more rational) than
  St. Augustine and Plato

25

• There were 631 questions dealing with 10 thousand
  objections raised in Summa Theologica for
  instance, I. 2 Gods existence (i) Whether Gods
  existence is self-evident? Because ,
  therefore, conclusion was NO (ii) Whether it can
  be demonstrated that God exists? Because ,
  therefore, conclusion was YES (iii) Whther God
  exists? 5 proofs, therefore, YES.

26

• Rigorous analysis
• First, a series of objections -- set up arguments
  contrary to his final conclusion, for instance,
  God does not exist. God means that He is
  infinite goodness. Therefore, if God existed,
  there would be no evil discoverable but there is
  evil in the world. So, God does not exist.

27

• Then, on the contrary, quotation of authority,
  such as the Scriptures, etc. with logical
  reasons then, like a formula, mechanically
• I answer that, the existence of God can be proved
  in 5 ways, ...
• Finally, conclusion with refutation of the
  earlier objections, for instance, Reply to
  Objection 1 As Augustine says, Since God is
  the highest good, He would not allow any evil to
  exist in His works unless His omnipotence and
  goodness were such as to bring good even out of
  evil. This is part of the infinite goodness of
  God, that He should allow evil to exist and out
  of it, to produce good.

28

• Like geometry and law, once a problem is settled,
  the conclusion can be used in solving subsequent
  problems, thus, system grows.
• Thomas Aquinas harmonized faith and reason.
• Because human reason a valid avenue to truth
  (natural truth)
• Because Christian faith authoritative truth
• And the source of both natural truth and
  authoritative truth came from the same God and
  truth was one
• Therefore, reason faith

29

• Thomas Aquinas was similar to Aristotle as they
  both believed that knowledge came from
  observation and analysis (contrast to Platos
  contemplation and St. Augustines faith alone)

30

• On State,
• Previously, Christian thinkers believed that
  state necessary evil, (an unfortunate but
  indispensable consequence of the fall of Adam)
• But, Thomas Aquinas believed that mans natural
  instinct brought forth the state, i.e., organized
  human society thus, state a product of nature
  (law of nature) cf. Aristotle, Man is a
  creature of the polis, good and natural
  outgrowth of humanitys social impulse.

31

• Plato -- St. Augustine (main stream throughout
  the Middle Ages) -- Franciscans
• Aristotle -- (absent in medieval Europe went to
  the Middle East until the Crusades, which brought
  his ideas back to Europe) -- Dominicans Albertus
  Magnus, and then, Thomas Aquinas

32

• But, Thomas Aquinas was condemned by most of his
  contemporaries that his synthesis of faith and
  reason was a mirage, as
• Reason was of little or no use in proving
  metaphysical problems
• Christian doctrine could not be approached by
  reason at all but had to be accepted on faith

33

• Nevertheless, some scholars now believed that
  Thomas Aquinas had solved some contradictory
  problems between theology and philosophy, and
  expanded the realm of theology and that the
  harmony of faith and reason was a breakthrough.

34

• All in all, the medieval Europe was not the Dark
  Ages. It was an Age of striking contrasts -- of
  fear and hope, of poverty and commercial
  vitality and of crudeness and yet sophistication
  in many areas.
• Indeed, Europe had already awaken in the High
  Middle Ages.