Alister McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction

Chapter 2: The Middle Ages and the Renaissance, c.700-c.1500

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On Defining the “Middle Ages”

• Difficulties with defining the scope of the Middle Ages• By the 11th century, three major power centers:

– Byzantium– Western Europe– The Caliphate

• Strain in relationships between east and west– The filioque controversy– Political rivalry between Rome and Constantinople– Final break (often) dated to 1054

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Medieval Theological Landmarks in Western Europe

• The Carolingian renaissance– Charlemagne (742-814) and Alcuin (735-804)– Monastic schools and cathedral schools

• The rise of cathedral and monastic schools of theology– The “Rule of Benedict”– Women theological writers

• The religious orders and their schools of theology– Franciscans– Dominicans– Cistercians– Augustinians

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• The founding of the universities• Peter Lombard’s Four Books of the Sentences• The rise of scholasticism• The Italian Renaissance

– Lack of scholastic theology in Italy– Physical reminders of the greatness of antiquity– Fall of Constantinople

• The rise of humanism– “Ad fontes” (back to the sources)– The Latin Vulgate and the Greek New Testament

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Medieval Theological Landmarks in Eastern Europe

• The emergence of Byzantine theology• The iconoclastic controversy

– Emperor Leo III– John of Damascus

• The hesychastic controversy– Simeon the New Theologian– Gregory Palamas

• The fall of Constantinople (1453)– Eastern Orthodoxy in Russia

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Key Theologians

• John of Damascus (c.676-749)– Iconoclastic controversy– The Fountain of Wisdom; “the Orthodox Faith”

• Simeon the New Theologian (949-1022)– Abbot of St. Mamas in Constantinople

• Anselm of Canterbury (c.1033-1109)– Proslogion (the ontological argument)– Cur deus homo (theory of the atonement)

• Thomas Aquinas (c.1225-74)– Summa contra Gentiles– Summa theologiae

• The “Five Ways”• The principle of analogy• Relation between faith and reasonWiley-Blackwell 2010

• Duns Scotus (c.1265-1308)– The “subtle doctor”– Voluntarism v. illuminationism– Immaculate conception of Mary

• William of Ockham (c.1285-1347)– Ockham’s razor– Nominalism

• Erasmus of Rotterdam (c.1469-1536)– Christian humanism– Handbook of the Christian Soldier– First printed text of the Greek New Testament– Production of full texts of patristic works

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Key Theological Developments

• The consolidation of the patristic heritage– Augustine of Hippo

• The exploration of the role of reason in theology– Anselm

• faith seeking understanding• I believe, that I may understand

– Aristotle, “the Philosopher”– Apologetics (e.g., Aquinas’s Summa contra Gentiles)

• The development of theological systems• The development of sacramental theology• The development of the theology of grace

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• The role of Mary in the scheme of salvation– “maculists” v. “immaculists”– Mary as coredemptrix?

• Returning directly to the sources of Christian theology– The Latin Vulgate and the Greek New Testament

• The critique of the Vulgate translation of Scripture– First printed Greek New Testament in 1516– Translation errors in the Vulgate

• Matthew 4:17 - “do penance” or “repent”• Luke 1:28 - “full of grace” or “favored one”

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