From paradise to paradigm : a study of twelfth-century humanism / by Willemien Otten.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Otten, Willemien.

Series:

Brill's studies in intellectual history ; v. 127.

Brill's studies in intellectual history, 0920-8607 ; v. 127

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civilization, Medieval--12th century.

Civilization, Medieval.

Theology--History--Middle Ages, 600-1500.

Theology.

Philosophy, Medieval.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xv, 330 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2004.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

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.

Contents:

Preliminary Material

Introduction: Understanding Medieval Humanism

Chapter One: From Paradise to Paradigm. An Introduction to the Problem of Twelfth-Century Humanism

Chapter Two: Nature and Scripture: Tale of a Medieval Analogy and Its Demise

Chapter Three: Opening the Universe: William of Conches and the Art of Science

Chapter Four: Opening the Mind: Peter Abelard and the Makeover of Traditional Theology

Chapter Five: Fortune or Failure: the Problem of Grace, Free Will and Providence in Peter Abelard

Chapter Six: Tragedy in the Twelfth-Century Rhetorical Imagination: Bernard Silvestris on Suicide

Chapter Seven: Conclusion. From Adam’s Fall to Nature’s Tear and Beyond: Paradise and Its Discontent

List of Abbreviations

Latin Appendix

Bibliography

Index of Names

Index of Subjects.

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [309]-319) and indexes.

ISBN:

1-280-85986-5

9786610859863

1-4294-2714-0

90-474-0617-6

1-4337-0502-8

OCLC:

191935014

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789047406174 DOI