medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Have you looked at Peter Brown? He's looking primarily at early Xty, but it might still be useful. In my own work (which is on Byzantine history, esp. 8th-13th c.), I found that "medical" ideas were basically those of Galen and Hippocrates (so females are deformed males, etc.).
- Kurt
-----Original Message-----
From: medieval-religion - Scholarly discussions of medieval religious culture [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Hiram Kümper
Sent: Sunday, April 22, 2012 3:27 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [M-R] medical theory and religious belief
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear everyone,
please allow me to ask for your help in a question that has been hauting me now for several weeks: from at least the twelfth century onwards natural philosophers and later medicins discuss the idea of a female contribution to conception, be it in the form of sperm or some other material. Many of these even conflicting ideas have in common that they see the woman’s active consent (mostly in terms of “lust”) as obligatory for conception.
Now, how does this go along with the idea of Mary’s immaculate conception and the debate over her perpetual virginity? This question certainly goes beyond the integrity of the hymen when theories of conceptions are concerned, especially when it comes to the immaculate conception.
I wonder whether there are discussions between medieval theologians where arguments and questions of theology and medical theory meet in this respect? I strongly suspect there must be. Still surprisingly, I hardly found any. But that might certainly be my fault. John Bugge, for instance, who devotes an appendix to his fine study on “Virginitas”
(1975) to Mary’s immaculate conception, does not mention anything either. Does, by any chance, anyone of you know the one or other example or could point me at some eminent study that I might have overlooked?
Thanks so much for any hint!
Yours
Hiram
--
Dr. Hiram Kümper
Universität Bielefeld
Geschichte des Mittelalters und der Frühen Neuzeit Universitätsstraße 25 S 4-211
D-33615 Bielefeld
(+049) 0521/106-3245
http://wwwhomes.uni-bielefeld.de/hkuemper
**********************************************************************
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
|