The Medieval Christian Philosophers

The High Middle Ages were remarkable for their coherent sense of 'Christendom': of people who belonged to a homogeneous Christian society marked by uniform rituals of birth and death and worship. That uniformity, which came under increasing strain as national European characteristics became more pronounced, achieved perhaps its most perfect intellectual expression in the thought of the western Christian thinkers who are sometimes called 'scholastic theologians'. These philosophers produced (during roughly the period 1050-1350 CE) a cohesive body of work from their practice of theology as an academic discipline in the university faculties of their day. Richard Cross' elegant and stylish textbook - designed specifically for modern-day undergraduate use on medieval theology and philosophy courses - offers the first focused introduction to these thinkers based on the individuals themselves and their central preoccupations.The book discusses influential figures like Abelard, Peter Lombard and Hugh of St Victor; the use made by Aquinas of Aristotle; the mystical theology of Bonaventure; Robert Grosseteste's and Roger Bacon's interest in optics; the complex metaphysics of Duns Scotus; and the political thought of Marsilius of Padua and William of Ockham. Key themes of medieval theology, including famous axioms like 'Ockham's Razor', are here made fully intelligible and transparent.

Richard Cross is John O'Brien Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. He has published widely on the history of philosophical theology, and his books include Duns Scotus (1999), The Metaphysics of the Incarnation (2002) and Duns Scotus on God (2005).

Preface Introduction: Institutions and Sources Part I: CONSOLIDATION Chapter 1. Anselm of Canterbury (1033 - 1109) Chapter 2. From 1100 to 1200 Peter Abelard Gilbert of Poitiers Bernard of Clairvaux The Victorines Peter Lombard Part II: REVOLUTION Chapter 3. From 1200 to 1277 Robert Grosseteste William of Auvergne Alexander of Hales Albert the Great Bonaventure Roger Bacon The Paris Arts Faculty Chapter 4. Thomas Aquinas (c.1225 - 74) Part III: INNOVATION Chapter 5: From 1277 to 1300 Correctorium literature Henry of Ghent Peter Olivi Giles of Rome Godfrey of Fontaines Chapter 6. Duns Scotus (c.1266 - 1308) Part IV: SIMPLIFICATION Chapter 7. William of Ockham (c. 1287 - 1347) Chapter 8. From 1310 to 1350 Durand of St Pourcain (and Hervaeus Natalis) Peter Auriol Ockham's Oxonian contemporaries, followers, and opponents Nicholas of Autrecourt Epilogue. Retrospection: John Wyclif (c.1330 - 84) Glossary Bibliography Index