Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Middle Ages and the
Renaissance (c.700-c.1500)
- Tensions between the East
(Constantinople/Orthodox) and
the West (Rome/Catholic)
- Nicene Creed 'filioque (and
from the Son) controversy'
- East: Believe the Holy Spirit only
proceeds from the Father, not the Son
- Greek speaking vs.
Latin speaking
- Claims of authority by
the Roman Pope
- Split around 1054
- Constantinople fell to the muslims in
1453, ending the Byzantine period
- Started during the
reign of Charlemagne
- Renewing of the life of the
mind within the church
- Alcuin (735-804), Abbot of St.Martin
of Tours established monastic
schools and cathedral schools
- The Great
monastery of
Fulda (744)
- Critical role in bring
about the theological
renaissance of the
12th century
- Monastic
movement
- Originated in Egypt and eastern
Syria during the patristic period
- Withdrawal from
the sinful world
- Significant growth
during the 6th century
- Benedict of Nursia
(c.480-c.550)
- The 'Rule of Benedict'
- Unconditional
following of Christ
- Regular corporate
and private prayer
- Reading
Scripture
- Established Monte Cassino (529)
- Religious Orders
- Cistercian
- Founded 1097 at Citeaux, France
- Noted leader: Bernard of
Clairvaux (1090-1153)
- Beginning of 14th century:
approx. 600 monasteries
- Emphasized Spirituality
over academia
- Franciscans
- Founded by Francis of
Assisi (c.1181-1226)
- Renouced a life of
wealth to live in prayer
and poverty
- Joined by Clare of Assisi,
a former noblewoman
- Founded 'Poor
Clare's'
- Referred to as
the 'Gray Friars'
- Emphasis on individual
and corporate prayer
- Theologians
- Bonaventure
(1221-1274)
- Duns Scotus
(1266-1308)
- William Ockham
(c.1285-1347)
- Domincians
- Founded by Spainard Dominic de
Guzman (1170-1221)
- Referred to as
the 'Black Friars'
- Focus on
education
- Theologians
- Albert the Great
(c.1200-1280)
- Thomas Aquinas
(1225-1274)
- Peter of Tarantaise
(1102-1074)
- Augustinians
- Theologians
- Giles of Rome
(c.1244-1316)
- Thomas of Strasbourg
(c.1275-1357)
- Scholasticism
- Developed between 1200-1500
- Emphasis of rational jusitification
and the systematic presentation
of those beliefs
- Influenced by the early church
fathers, Augustine and Aristotle
- Influential writers
- Thomas Aquinas
- Duns Scotus
- William of
Ockham
- Italian Renaissance
(14th & 15th centuries)
- A return to the glories of antiquity
- Byzantium/Constantinople
fell and 1453
- An exodus of Greek
speakers settled in Italy
- Led to an interest in
Greek and Greek classics
- They marginalised the interlectual
achievements of the Middle Ages
- Considered too technical
- Lay the groundwork to bypass the
middle ages writers and focus on
Scripture and the patristic period
- 'ad fontes' - back to the sources
- Byzantine
Theology
- Rejected Catholic (western)
views on the Holy Spirit &
purgatory
- Orientated towards the
tradition of the Greek
fathers
- Gregory of
Nyssa
- Maximum the
Confessor
(c.580-662)
- Dionysius the
Areopagite
- Theology as an
expositor of faith, rather
than speculative thought.
- Controversies
- Iconoclastic
(725-842)
- Emperor Leo III (717-742) gave
orders to destroy images to open up
the conversion of Jews and Muslims
- John of Damacus defended the use
of icons based on the incarnation
(Christ become body and blood)
- Hesychastic
(14th century)
- Inner quietness (silence) to see the
'divine light'
- Opponents disturbed that
God could be 'seen'
- Adherents
- Simeon the New Theologian (949-1022)
- Gregory Palamas (Archbishop
of Thessalonika 1347)
- Palamism - developed distinction between
'divine energy' and 'divine essence'
- Believers were only
experiencing the
'divine energy'