metodichka_dlya_filos

UNIT 3

PHILOSOPHERS OF THE MIDDLE AGES

KEY WORDS

Piety

dutiful devotion to God and observance of religious principles.

Supernatural

of or relating to things that cannot be explained according to natural laws.

Dogma

a religious doctrine or system of doctrines proclaimed by ecclesiastical authority as true.

Confession

(Christianity, mainly Roman Catholic Church) the act of a penitent accusing himself or herself of his or her sins.

3.1 AUGUSTINE

Early Christian philosophy found its most complete expression in the Numidian orator, Aurelius Augustinus (354-430), who became a bishop during his lifetime and was sainted by the Catholic Church after his death. Augustine assumed early a commanding position in Christian history, and is generally considered the most distinguished of the Church Fathers. His Confessions give us more than a little information about his private life, though the confessor is not always specific in describing his early pagan activities. The truth is that after a period of dissolute living Augustine was converted by the Ciceronian, Hortensius, to a belief to which he remained faithful to the end of his days. The Neoplatonism of Plotinus and the theology of Alexandria held a dominant place in his philosophy.

In his great work, The City of God Augustine divides history into six periods analogous to the six days of creation, the periods beginning with Adam, the Deluge, Abraham, David, the Babylonian exile, and the coming of Christ.

Otherwise the De Civitate Dei is a compilation of essays intended to prove the superiority of the Christian religion to that of pagans, plus innumerable comments on the Gospels.

What should be made clear is that Augustine taught nothing which might contradict the dogmas of the growing Catholic Church. He placed the authority of the Church Fathers far above reason, and held philosophy to be identical with Christianity. He accepted Jesus, the Creator of the

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universe, as identical with God, and called him "the All-Knowing." But even in this he was not original. It is a doctrine that has been endlessly repeated in the Church's articles of faith.

How could the Church fail to recognize the merit of a bishop who stated: "He who is separated from the Catholic Church, no matter how praiseworthy his life, will not possess eternal life, but only the anger of God, even if only for this sin alone"?

In himself Augustine combined pre-Christian philosophic-religious superstition with Christian myth in ideal proportions. He was convinced of the healing powers of relics as well as the resurrection of the dead performed by saints. He preached that man's real happiness is attainable only in the other world, a view shared later by Kant. The only real good, he claimed, lay in obedience to the will of God as manifested through Catholicism. All evil is nothing more than the lack of this will, the absence of good.

I. Practise reading the following words and find the sentences with

them in the text :
Abraham [ʹeɪbrəˏhæm, -hem]	Hortensius [hɔ:ʹtenzəz]
Adam [ʹædəm]	Jesus Christ [ʹdʒi:zəs] [kraɪst]
analogous [əʹnæləgəs]	Neoplatonism [ˏni:əʋʹpleɪtəˏnɪzəm]
Babylonian [ˏbæbɪʹləʋnɪən]	Numidian [nju:ʹmɪdɪən]
Ciceronian [ˏsɪsəʹrəʋnɪən]	obedience [əʹbi:dɪəns]
Deluge [ʹdelju:dʒ]	Plotinus [plɒʹtainəs]
exile [ʹegzaɪl], [ʹeksaɪl]	The Gospel [ʹɡɒsp(ə)l]

II. Answer the questions to the text:

1.What was Augustine’s occupation before he became a bishop?

2.Who led Augustine from paganism into Christianity?

3.What doctrines were dominant for Augustine’s philosophy?

4.What periods is human history divided by according to Augustine?

5.What place does Jesus occupy in Augustine’s ideas as to the creation of the universe?

6.Why is Augustine’s theory a combination of pre-Christian philosophic-religious superstition with Christian myth in ideal proportions?

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III. Give Ukrainian equivalents for the following wordcombinations:

the most distinguished of the Church Fathers, pagan activities, to be faithful to the end of one’s days, to hold a dominant place in philosophy, the Babylonian exile, the Deluge, the Gospels, the creator of the Universe, philosophic-religious superstitions, to attain one’s happiness, obedience to the will of God.

IV. Give English equivalents for the following word-combinations:

сповідь, бути наверненим до християнства, компіляція, поганське життя, теологія Александрії, нариси, починаючи від Адама і закінчуючи Христом, численні коментарі до Євангелій, бути протиречним доктринам католицької церкви, набути вічного життя, філософсько-релігійні забобони, воскресіння мертвих, воля Бога.

V. Put the words in the following sentences into the correct order:

1.The Catholic Church / Aurelius Augustine / during his lifetime / after his death / become a bishop / and was sainted by.

2.A period of dissolute living / was converted / Augustine / after / into Christianity.

3.Six periods of history / the six days of creation / are analogous to / and finishing with Jesus / beginning with Adam.

4.Far above reason / Augustine / the authority of Church Fathers /

placed.

5.Augustine / Jesus / the all-knowing / identified with God / and called him.

6.The healing powers of relics / performed by saints / Augustine / as well as / was convinced of / the resurrection of the dead.

VI. Find in the text the synonyms / antonyms to the following words and make up your own sentences with them:

Synonyms: leading position, to stay, faithful, numerous, to treat (illness).

Antonyms: much, late, end, creation, eternally, powerless.

VII. Pick up the sentences from the text that express:

Augustine’s thoughts referring to the Creator of the Universe;

Augustine’s understanding of the men’s happiness.

Translate them into Ukrainian

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3.2 THOMAS AQUINAS

The Italian, Thomas of Aquino (1225-1274), "princeps scholasticorum" and "doctor ecclesias et angelicus," a pupil of Albertus Magnus and patron saint of all Catholic schools since 1880.

Thomas followed his master in all things except natural science. He too was convinced that philosophy must not contradict revelation, and that both led to the same goal. The norm of his philosophy is, of course, the Catholic faith. True knowledge is philosophy, but man can achieve it only in the world to come. Since it is unattainable in this world, man must accept the supernatural teachings of revelation.

As a disciple of Aristotle, Thomas conceives the ideal state as an inherited monarchy which caters to the Catholic well-being of its subjects. In this sense the ruler of the state is the representative of God on earth. This larger responsibility gives kings greater claim to honor and indulgence, and greater reward in the world to come. Thomas urgently warns the people against revolution and the sinful murder of tyrants. He advises them to rely rather on the mercy of God, who in time of real need will interfere more swiftly, the more virtuously and faithfully they have conducted themselves.

Thomas assigns to women a subordinate role in life. He calls them unsuccessful men, in spite of the fact that God made Adam and Eve personally, without intermediary, according to preexistent idea.

This is another of the areas in which philosophy has done not a little to retard social advancement. Schopenhauer considered women unfit to hold political office, while Fichte taught that a woman's duty, is to obey, first her father and then her husband. Even in our time the chains of religious and philosophic prejudice against women have not been entirely abandoned.

The philosophies of Albertus and Aquinas enjoyed wide influence in their time and continue to do so to this very day.

I. Practise reading the following words and find the sentences with

them in the text :
abandon [əʹbændən]	prejudice [ʹpredʒədɪs]
Albertus Magnus [ælʹbɜ:təs]	revelation [ˏrevəʹleɪʃ(ə)n]
[ʹmægnəs]	subordinate [səʹbɔ:dɪnɪt]
faithfully [ʹfeɪƟfəlɪ]	supernatural [ˏs(j)u:pəʹnætʃ(ə)rəl]
indulgence [ɪnʹdʌldʒəns]	Thomas Aquinas [ʹtɒməs]
inherit [ɪnʹherɪt]	[əʹkwaɪnəs]
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interfere [ˏɪntəʹfɪə]	tyrant [ʹtaɪrənt]
intermediary [ˏɪntəʹmi:dɪərɪ]	unattainable [ˏʌnəʹteɪnəb(ə)l]
mercy [ʹmɜ:sɪ]	virtuously[ʹvɜ:tʃʋəslɪ]

II. Answer the questions to the text:

1.What position in Catholic religion holds Thomas Aquinas?

2.When can a man achieve true knowledge? Why so?

3.What form of a state did Thomas Aquinas conceive as the ideal

one?

4.Against what sinful actions did Thomas Aquinas warm people?

5.Who can a man rely upon in this world?

6.What idea of Thomas Aquinas referring to women was supported by many philosophers?

III. Give Ukrainian equivalents for the following wordcombinations:

a patron saint of all Catholic schools, to contradict revelation, a goal unattainable in this world, to accept the supernatural teachings, an inherited monarchy as the ideal state, the representatives of God on earth, to rely on the mercy of God, to conduct virtuously and faithfully, to hold political office, religious and philosophical prejudice, to enjoy wide influence.

IV. Give English equivalents for the following word-combinations:

протиречити воскресінню Христа, норма католицької віри, прийдешній світ, мета, яка є недосяжною у цілому світі, учень Аристотеля, представник Бога на землі, застерігати людей проти гріха, Бог може втручатися у життя людини, вести життя, сповнене чеснот і віри, Адам і Єва, уповільнювати розвиток суспільства.

V. Find in the text the synonyms / antonyms to the following words and make up your own sentences with them:

Synonyms: disciple, leader, great, faith, to behave. Antonyms: natural, true, unattainable, real, successful, little.

VI. Find information which is not true to the text:

1. True knowledge is philosophy and man can achieve it during his lifetime.

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2.The ideal state is a constitutional monarchy which caters to the Catholic well-being of its subjects.

3.Thomas Aquinas didn’t mind revolutions at all as well as the murder of tyrants.

4.A subordinate role in the society belonged to women.

5.It was Fichte who claimed that women were unfit to hold political

office.

VIII. Dwell on the following mini-topics:

1.The ideal state caters to the well-being of its subjects.

2.Philosophy must not contradict revelation.

3.Women’s subordinate role in the society is not a prejudice.

3.3 PIERRE ABELARD

The most intriguing representative of Platonic Catholicism was the French cleric, Pierre Abelard (1079-1142), more widely known for his unfortunate love affair with Heloise. He preached neither the reality of universals nor the reality of single objects. Rather, he ascribed to universals a sort of prehistoric existence, declaring that before the creation they existed in the mind of God, whereas after the creation they subsisted in individual things. Such speculations regarding sacred dogma proved too daring for the Roman Church, however, and the poor preacher was persecuted relentlessly.

The Church disapproved of Abelard's logical explanation of revelation, above all because it threatened the supernatural authority of Church dogma. But Abelard exhibited a regrettable tendency to place common sense above the authority of the Fathers, and in his Sic et Non even tried to expose their contradictions on some of the most vital points of Catholic dogma.

Like many of his successors, however, Abelard failed to make a convincing plea for the investigation of true knowledge, for he went astray in his own fashion. He did not struggle against dogma for the sake of understanding; rather did he struggle with reason for the sake of dogma. Such remarks as that the trinal unity of God was known even to Plato, and that the Sybils emanated from the divine assumption of flesh, are as characteristic of Abelard as of his contemporaries. He believed that the trinity of God and the virginity of the Holy Mother were susceptible to logical proof, and drew up twenty-three tricky arguments to overwhelm

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those who doubted these dogmas.

His moral philosophy, marked by a tendency to subjective piety, rather than blind Catholic discipline, makes a quite sympathetic impression. Here again we find a Platonic influence, while his logic and dialectic are derived directly from Aristotle.

I. Practise reading the following words and find the sentences with

them in the text :
assumption [əʹsʌmpʃ(ə)n]	Platonic [pləʹtɒnik]
Catholicism [kəʹƟɒlɪsɪzəm]	plea [pli:]
Cleric [ʹklerɪk]	preach [ʹpri:tʃ]
dialectic [ˏdaɪəʹlektɪk]	speculation [ˏspekjʋʹləɪʃ(ə)n]
dogma [ʹdɒgmə]	successor [səkʹsesə]
emanate [ʹeməneɪt]	susceptible [səʹseptəb(ə)l]
Heloise [ˏheləʹi:z]	threaten [ʹƟretn]
piety [ʹpaɪətɪ]

II. Answer the questions to the text:

1.Is it true that Abelard’s unfortunate love affair made him more widly known than his Platonic Catholicism?

2.Did the universals have any prehistoric existence? How was it?

3.What was criticized in Abelard’s theory by the Catholic Church?

Why?

4.He believed that the virginity of the Holy Mother was susceptible to logical proof, didn’t he?

5.What quality did Abelard’s philosophy possess in contrast to blind

Catholic disciplines?

III. Give Ukrainian equivalents for the following wordcombinations:

to preach neither the reality of universals nor the reality of single objects, to ascribe a prehistoric existence, to be relentlessly persecuted, to be disappointed of smth., to threaten the authority of Church dogma, to go astray to struggle with reason, the trinal unity of God, to be susceptible to logical proof, a tendency to subjective piety.

IV. Give English equivalents for the following word-combinations:

представник платонічного католицизму, не проповідувати ані реальності універсалій, ані реальності одиничних об’єктів міркування

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про священні догми, бути переслідуваним церквою, розвіяти логічні пояснення Абеляра щодо апокаліпсису, судове розслідування, зробити значущу заяву у суді, боротися з глуздом заради догми, триєдність Бога, бути сприятливим для логічного доказу, тенденція до суб’єктивної свідомості, логіка та діалектика.

V. Put the words in the following sentences into the correct order:

1.Of Platonic Catholicism / Pierre Abelard / the most intriguing representative / was.

2.Ascribed to / Abelard / a sort of prehistoric existence / universals.

3.The supernatural authority of Church dogma / threatened / explanation of revelation / Abelard’s logical.

4.The trinity of God / he / were susceptible / believed that / to logical proof / and the virginity of the Holy Mother.

5.Was marked by / Abelard’s moral philosophy / to subjective piety / a tendency.

VI. Find the statement which is not given in the text:

1.Abelard’s views were directly derived from Aristotle.

2.Abelard made a convincing plea for the investigation and was set

free.

3.According to the philosopher, the beginning of all creation was the thought of God.

4.Common sense was never placed above the authority of the Church Fathers.

5.Plato in contrast to Abelard never mentioned the trinal unity of

God.

VII. Find in the text the synonyms / antonyms to the following words and make up your own sentences with them:

Synonyms: a kind, to follow, to demonstrate, to do, to come from. Antonyms: wide, fortunate, a lie.

VIII. Prove that Abelard tried to persuade his contemporaries of the Holy Mother and the trinity of God’s susceptibility by means of logics. Find the sentence to confirm this idea.

IX. Explain why Pierre Abelard’s philosophy was threatening for the Catholic Church.

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REVISION

I. Read the following text and summarize the previous information:

Medieval philosophy is the philosophy in the era now known as medieval or the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century C.E. to the Renaissance in the 16th century. Modern historians consider the medieval era to be one of philosophical development, although one heavily influenced by Christian theology. One of the most notable thinkers of the era, Thomas Aquinas, never considered himself a philosopher, and criticized philosophers for always "falling short of the true and proper wisdom to be found in Christian revelation".

The problems discussed throughout this period are the relation of faith to reason, the existence and simplicity of God, the purpose of theology and metaphysics, and the problems of knowledge, of universals, and of individuation.

II. Find the correct variant:

1. Later … shared Augustine’s idea that man's real happiness is

attainable only in the other world.
a) Fichte;	c) Leibniz;
b) Kant;	d) Schopenhauer.
2. Thomas assigns to women a… role in life.
a) commanding;	c) insignificant;
b) subordinate;	d) significant.
3. The Church disapproved of … logical explanation of revelation.
a) Augustine’s;	c) Aquinas’;
b) Albertus’;	d) Abelard’s.

4. The period of Medieval philosophy roughly began from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in … century C.E.

a) the 6th;	c) the 5th;
b) the 4th;	d) the 7th.

III. The word ‘contradiction’ means:

a)ideas or beliefs about particular subject;

b)the act of doing a piece of work, duty;

c)a difference between two statements, beliefs or ideas about something that means they cannot both be true;

d)the act of guessing without knowing all the facts about something.

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IV. Which of medieval philosophers never considered himself a philosopher?

a)Augustine;

b)Thomas Aquinas;

c)Pierre Abelard;

d)Albertus Magnus.

V. Get ready to speak about one of the medieval philosophers.

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