medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Doctissimi,
It is very enjoyable to read the thread on this frustratingly complicated subject, in which – obsessed by historiography – I confess to be quite interested. :-)
The jokes are great, and I hope we all bear in mind that the real irony beyond John's playful definition – and which makes it truly great fun - is that the event (the nailing to the gates of the castle church in Wittenberga) never happened ... The theses of Luther, as far as I know, formed an appendix to his letter to the general chapter. The nailing is a myth, in the vein of Columbus' egg, or the Leaning tower experiment of Galileo, or the legends about Giordano Bruno being a martyr of science. ... sono molto ben trovati. :-) These stories are not about historical fact, but are founding myths of the identity of the modern age, expressing how early modernity did in fact create an “other” in the shape of the “Middle / barbaric / Ages”. This is why, I think, it is such a unique term.
One (or perhaps two) suggestions to Kerry's reading list:
A. de Libera, Penser au Moyen Age - I think it is a thoughtful, entertaining and good read, similarly, K. Flasch's Das philosophische Denken im Mittelalter - which is deeply (programmatically) historic in its approach (in the sense that Flasch is radically anti-philosophia perennis).
Finally, if I may add a few thoughts:
From my point of view, that is, strictly for the historian of philosophy (or ideas), the term "middle ages" is a convenient term, but only in European historiography. That is, while it is not applicable to the Byzantine commonwealth (though I did like the way Diana explained her use), or to the Muslim empires, to India, China or Japan, it does, I think, have a specific meaning in the Latin West. Especially, if applied to a more or less deliberate attempt at establishing a characteristically Wester theology in the Carolingian period (filioque, azyma, celibacy, etc.). This seems to me the moment when the Latin speaking world began to develop a specific face with its own traditions (in a subtle, often hardly perceptible way, but clearly against prevalent Greek theological ideas, which served the legitimacy – so to say – the theology in the Eastern Empire). The end of which period, at least in my opinion, is when the Summulae logicales of Petrus Hispanus were replaced at Paris with the Logica of Petrus Ramus (a very clear indication of the change of educational philosophy, moving away from logic towards humanist rhetoric). This is to me “Middle Ages” in the narrow sense.
In a broader sense, however, I tend to approve the idea of H.A. Wolfson that there is something unique in the development of philosophy beginning with (or epitomized by) Philo of Alexandria, adopting revealed religious doctrines as a meaningful subject for philosophical – rational - analysis, which period come to an end with Spinoza, who was the harbinger of the secular approach to (or historic analysis of) religious texts.
But these are all kitchen rules, of course.
Valete,
George
>>> Cecil T Ault <[log in to unmask]> 06/25/07 8:15 PM >>>
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
But, are you SURE that Luther used four nails? yrs, t. ault
On Mon, 25 Jun 2007 09:17:20 -0400
Frank Morgret <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
>culture
>
> Good morning!
>
> John Briggs wrote:
>
>> Actually, it's High and Late Medieval as well - the Medieval
>> period conventionally ends in 1453, or 1485 (England) or
>> 1492 (the Americas) or 1500 (elsewhere). For this list, it is
>> probably 1570, but that's another story.
>
> Or for the dogmaticians among us, the Middle Ages ended
> shortly before noon, Saturday, October 31, 1517, when Martin
> Luther drove the fourth nail into the 95 Theses he had posted
> on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg and tucked his
> hammer back into his cincture. Sorry I can't be more precise.
> Best estimatFrank
>
> **********************************************************************
> To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
> to: [log in to unmask]
> To send a message to the list, address it to:
> [log in to unmask]
> To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
> to: [log in to unmask]
> In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write
>to:
> [log in to unmask]
>For further information, visit our web site:
> http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
**********************************************************************
To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME
to: [log in to unmask]
To send a message to the list, address it to:
[log in to unmask]
To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion
to: [log in to unmask]
In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to:
[log in to unmask]
For further information, visit our web site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html
|