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From Paradise to Paradigm
A Study of Twelfth-Century Humanism
Series: - Brill's Studies in Intellectual History, Volume: 127
Author:
This book presents a study of twelfth-century humanism seen as an all-embracing discourse in which the human and the divine interact on equal terms. The book focuses on a number of twelfth-century intellectuals, especially Thierry of Chartres, Peter Abelard, William of Conches, Bernard Silvestris, and Alan of Lille. Defining characteristic of their texts is the fact that God, nature and humanity enter into a trialogue of sorts involving many disparate subjects and aiming to bring out the archetypal relatedness of all kinds of knowledge with respect to human nature. As the authors studied here engage the divine and the universe in a joint conversation, the book ultimately concentrates on trying both to understand its appeal and to explain its subsequent demise.
Willemien Otten, Ph.D. (1989) in Theology, University of Amsterdam, is currently Professor of the History of Christianity and Dean of Theology at Utrecht University. Her publications focus on early Christian and medieval theology and intellectual culture, especially on John Scottus Eriugena.
"...the work is worth consulting for those studying individual twelft-century thinkers, epecially Peter Abelard and the philosophers associated with the school of Chartres, where Otten offers judicious insights into specific texts and well-informed translations of seminal passages."
Constance B. Bouchard, American Historical Review, 2005.
Constance B. Bouchard, American Historical Review, 2005.
Acknowledgements
Preface
Understanding Medieval Humanism
1. From Paradise to Paradigm. An Introduction to the Problem of Twelfth-Century Humanism
2. Nature and Scripture: Tale of a Medieval Analogy and Its Demise
3. Opening the Universe: William of Conches and the Art of Science
4. Opening the Mind: Peter Abelard and the Makeover of Traditional Theology
5. Fortune or Failure: the Problem of Grace, Free Will and Providence in Peter Abelard
6. Tragedy in the Twelfth-Century Rhetorical Imagination: Bernard Silvestris on Suicide
7. Conclusion. From Adamâs Fall to Natureâs Tear and Beyond: Paradise and Its Discontent
List of Abbreviations
Latin Appendix
Bibliography
Index of Names
Index of Subjects
Preface
Understanding Medieval Humanism
1. From Paradise to Paradigm. An Introduction to the Problem of Twelfth-Century Humanism
2. Nature and Scripture: Tale of a Medieval Analogy and Its Demise
3. Opening the Universe: William of Conches and the Art of Science
4. Opening the Mind: Peter Abelard and the Makeover of Traditional Theology
5. Fortune or Failure: the Problem of Grace, Free Will and Providence in Peter Abelard
6. Tragedy in the Twelfth-Century Rhetorical Imagination: Bernard Silvestris on Suicide
7. Conclusion. From Adamâs Fall to Natureâs Tear and Beyond: Paradise and Its Discontent
List of Abbreviations
Latin Appendix
Bibliography
Index of Names
Index of Subjects
All those interested in intellectual history, the history of Christianity and Christian culture, the history of the Middle Ages, the twelfth-century renaissance, medieval philosophy, medieval literature and medieval theology.