DOCSLIB.ORG

The Metaphysics of Light in the Hexaemeral Literature

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Metaphysics of Light in the Hexaemeral Literature The Metaphysics of Light in the Hexaemeral Literature From Philo of Alexandria to Ambrose of Milan I S I D O R O S C H A R A L A M P O S K A T S O S Pembroke College December 2018 This dissertation is submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy D e c l a r a t i o n This dissertation is the result of my own work and includes nothing which is the outcome of work done in collaboration except as declared in the Acknowledgements and specified in the text. It is not substantially the same as any that I have submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for a degree or diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Acknowledgements and specified in the text. I further state that no substantial part of my dissertation has already been submitted, or, is being concurrently submitted for any such degree, diploma or other qualification at the University of Cambridge or any other University or similar institution except as declared in the Acknowledgements and specified in the text. It does not exceed the prescribed word limit. Isidoros Charalampos Katsos Pembroke College CB2 1RF [email protected] The Metaphysics of Light in the Hexaemeral Literature From Philo of Alexandria to Ambrose of Milan Summary This study investigates the concept of light in the early Jewish-Christian exegesis of the biblical creation narrative (Gen. 1, so-called ‘hexaemeron’). The study argues that the early hexaemeral exegetes theorised light from a dual perspective, both physical and metaphysical. The physical exegesis explained how light emerges as the natural capacity or power of the first material element of the world: fire. The metaphysical exegesis aimed to capture that light is the first immanent form of creation. The argument evolves in three stages. The first chapter discusses contemporary objections to the possibility of an investigation into the nature of light in ancient sources. It argues for the coherence of an ancient ‘physics of light,’ properly speaking, that was also used by hexaemeral authors in the course of their scriptural exegesis. The second chapter addresses modern and ancient objections to the justifiability of a scientific reading of Scripture. It aims to show that in the eyes of early Christian exegetes the rational enquiry into the physicality of light was indispensable for a proper understanding of the skopos (intended meaning) of the biblical creation narrative. Once the historiographical and hermeneutical objections have been removed, the study proceeds with the investigation of the nature of hexaemeral light itself. The third chapter proposes a systematic reconstruction of the hexaemeral theory of light, as it would appear at the end of the fourth century, taking into account its historical development from Philo to Ambrose, with Origen, Basil and Nyssen as the main protagonists. It shows that, from a premodern perspective, the rational account of the nature of light leads through the study of the physical properties to the grasp of the logos or intelligible cause of light. The three chapters build gradually towards the insight that the logos of light is the first manifestation of the logos of God in creation. The study offers a performative argument that, in the eyes of early hexaemeral exegetes, the metaphysics of creation is inherently incarnational: the contemplation of the light of the world reveals Christ as the creative logos of God at work. In this way, the study points towards a Christological answer to the much-debated question whether the talk of God as light (so- called ‘metaphysics of light’) is literal, metaphorical or anagogical. It thus provides the necessary background to deciphering the precise meaning of the Nicene formula ‘light from light.’ For Bartholomew “Which one can you name of the divinities in heaven as the author and cause of this, whose light makes our vision see best and visible things to be seen?” “Why, the one that you too and other people mean,” he said; “for your question evidently refers to the sun.” “Is not this, then, the relation of vision to that divinity?” “What?” “Neither vision itself nor its vehicle, which we call the eye, is identical with the sun.” “Why, no.” “But it is, I think, the most sun-like of all the instruments of sense.” “By far the most.” “And does it not receive the power which it possesses as an influx, as it were, dispensed from the sun?” “Certainly.” “Is it not also true that the sun is not vision, yet as being the cause thereof is beheld by vision itself?” “That is so,” he said. “This, then, you must understand that I meant by the offspring of the good…” (Plato Republic 508a-b tr. Shorey) The eye is the lamp of the body. If, therefore, your eye is simple, your whole body will be full of light (Mt. 6:22) For the one who sees has a kinship with that which is seen, and he must make himself the same as it if he is to attain the sight. For no eye has ever seen the sun without becoming sun-like, nor could a soul ever see Beauty without becoming beautiful. You must first actually become wholly god-like and wholly beautiful if you intend to see god and Beauty. (Plotinus Enn. I.6.9 tr. Gerson) Were not our eye another sun, How could we contemplate the light? Did God’s own power not within us run, How could we share in God’s delight? (Goethe Zahme Xenien III tr. Key-Fowden and Pilavachi) C o n t e n t s Abbreviations xi Acknowledgments xiii I N T R O D U C T I O N 1 I. The ‘metaphysics of light’: status quaestionis 1 II. What this study aims to do 5 III. Method, working hypothesis and contribution to knowledge 7 C H A P T E R 1 “From Sight to Light”: A Hexaemeral Guide for the Perplexed 11 I. The intelligibility of hexaemeral light 12 II. The oculocentric thesis 14 III. Three arguments for oculocentrism in the hexaemeral literature 19 1. Sight fantastic 19 2. A world with a view 23 3. A Christocentric vision of creation 27 IV. Re-thinking oculocentrism 35 1. Narrowing down the scope 35 2. Sight is light 36 3. From the phenomenal to the noumenal 39 C H A P T E R 2 The Light of the World: Hexaemeral Physics and Anti-physics 45 I. Science at the service of Scripture 46 II. In defence of hexaemeral physics 53 1. Origen and his legacy 53 2. Introducing Nyssen’s Apology 57 3. Approaching nature through the lens of Scripture: Physics as hermeneutics 60 III. Enter light 69 1. A look behind the scenes: The hexaemeral theory of change 69 2. A physics of power: The co-substantiality of fire and light 73 C H A P T E R 3 The Nature of Light: The Dawn of the First Material Form 79 I. Between physics and metaphysics: The ‘immateriality’ of light 81 1. Scriptural questions 81 2. Philosophical investigations 83 3. Cappadocian answers 88 4. Hexaemeral physics 92 5. Hexaemeral hermeneutics 93 II. Going ballistic: The singularity of the light-ray 95 1. Rectilinearity 95 2. Light mechanics 96 3. Light kinetics 97 4. The speed of light 101 5. Introducing field theory 102 III. The metaxu of light: A metaphysical note on the medium 103 1. A medium of light? 103 2. Transparency and brightness 104 3. Light semantics as key to light hermeneutics 106 IV. The metaphysics of light: A hermeneutical coda 108 1. A dual aspect interpretation 108 2. Back to Origen 110 3. Philonic beginnings 112 C O N C L U S I O N S 117 Bibliography 129 x A b b r e v i a t i o n s Abbreviations follow the standard bibliographical practice, see e.g. Seland (2014), xii-xvi; Kalligas (2014), 681- 706. Unusual abbreviations in this work are: CC Contra Celsum DP De principiis A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s This study comes at the end of a long journey. This journey brought me from Athens to Cambridge, my intellectual Jerusalem. I want to thank all those whom I met on the way and who honoured me with their guidance and friendship. Amidst so many, whom I cannot all mention here, I am first and foremost indebted to my supervisor, Rowan Williams, for his sagacious mentorship. He has guided me through this PhD research with astonishing erudition, saintly humility and the gift of freedom to grow in knowledge and explore. From my teachers at the Divinity Faculty, I am particularly grateful to Douglas Hedley for undiminished support, not the least through the Cambridge Centre for the Study of Platonism. I am also grateful to Sarah Coakley, Catherine Pickstock, Janet Soskice and Jim Aitkin for support and discussions during my PhD research. I thank David Sedley, Catherine Rowet, Katerina Ierodiakonou and Paul Kalligas for insightful comments on earlier drafts of this study. Philip McCosker, Boris Grundjevic, James Orr, Evan King and Simone Kotva are friends I have learned from. In Christian Hengstermann I have met a kindred spirit whose knowledge and kindness I admire. I am indebted to him and Rachel Evan Webb for reading the manuscript thoroughly and giving me precious feedback. I undertook this journey with the paternal blessings and support of his Beatitude, Archbishop Hieronymus the Second of Athens and all Greece, and the welcoming blessings and support of his Eminence, Archbishop Gregorios of Thyateira and Great Britain.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Philosophy of Physics
    The Philosophy of Physics ROBERTO TORRETTI University of Chile PUBLISHED BY THE PRESS SYNDICATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, United Kingdom CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 2RU, UK www.cup.cam.ac.uk 40 West 20th Street, New York, NY 10011-4211, USA www.cup.org 10 Stamford Road, Oakleigh, Melbourne 3166, Australia Ruiz de Alarcón 13, 28014, Madrid, Spain © Roberto Torretti 1999 This book is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 1999 Printed in the United States of America Typeface Sabon 10.25/13 pt. System QuarkXPress [BTS] A catalog record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available. 0 521 56259 7 hardback 0 521 56571 5 paperback Contents Preface xiii 1 The Transformation of Natural Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century 1 1.1 Mathematics and Experiment 2 1.2 Aristotelian Principles 8 1.3 Modern Matter 13 1.4 Galileo on Motion 20 1.5 Modeling and Measuring 30 1.5.1 Huygens and the Laws of Collision 30 1.5.2 Leibniz and the Conservation of “Force” 33 1.5.3 Rømer and the Speed of Light 36 2 Newton 41 2.1 Mass and Force 42 2.2 Space and Time 50 2.3 Universal Gravitation 57 2.4 Rules of Philosophy 69 2.5 Newtonian Science 75 2.5.1 The Cause of Gravity 75 2.5.2 Central Forces 80 2.5.3 Analytical
    [Show full text]
  • From Hades to the Stars: Empedocles on the Cosmic Habitats of Soul', Classical Antiquity, Vol
    Edinburgh Research Explorer From Hades to the stars Citation for published version: Trepanier, S 2017, 'From Hades to the stars: Empedocles on the cosmic habitats of soul', Classical Antiquity, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 130-182. https://doi.org/10.1525/ca.2017.36.1.130 Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1525/ca.2017.36.1.130 Link: Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Published In: Classical Antiquity Publisher Rights Statement: Published as Trépanier, S. 2017. From Hades to the Stars: Empedocles on the Cosmic Habitats of Soul, Classical Antiquity, Vol. 36 No. 1, April 2017; (pp. 130-182) DOI: 10.1525/ca.2017.36.1.130. © 2017 by the Regents of the University of California. Authorization to copy this content beyond fair use (as specified in Sections 107 and 108 of the U. S. Copyright Law) for internal or personal use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted by the Regents of the University of California for libraries and other users, provided that they are registered with and pay the specified fee via Rightslink® or directly with the Copyright Clearance Center. General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation.
    [Show full text]
  • Jantzen, GOD's WORLD, GOD's BODY
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Asbury Theological Seminary Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers Volume 4 Issue 1 Article 8 1-1-1987 Jantzen, GOD'S WORLD, GOD'S BODY Charles Taliaferro Follow this and additional works at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy Recommended Citation Taliaferro, Charles (1987) "Jantzen, GOD'S WORLD, GOD'S BODY," Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers: Vol. 4 : Iss. 1 , Article 8. Available at: https://place.asburyseminary.edu/faithandphilosophy/vol4/iss1/8 This Book Review is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faith and Philosophy: Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers by an authorized editor of ePLACE: preserving, learning, and creative exchange. BOOK REVIEWS God's World, God's Body,by Grace Jantzen. Foreword by John Macquarie (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1984). Pap. $10.95. Reviewed by CHARLES TALIAFERRO, St. Olaf College. In recent years philosophers have sought to retain a Christian metaphysics while either dispensing with or radically revising important tenets of the classical Christian conception of God. Immutability, metaphysical simplicity, eternity, necessary existence, essential goodness, omniscience, and omnipotence have been among the most popular Divine attributes targetted for critical review. In God's World, God's Body Grace Jantzen argues for the bold thesis that a Christian metaphysics need not claim that God is incorporeal. Criticism of the thesis that God is incorporeal is not new to philosophical theology, but Jantzen's work is a significant, new attempt to establish the compatibility of theism with the view that there are no incorporeal, nonphysical persons.
    [Show full text]
  • Bonaventure's Threefold Way to God
    BONAVENTURE’S THREE-FOLD WAY TO GOD R. E. Houser Though he became Minister General of the Franciscan Order in 1257, Bonaventure’s heart never left the University of Paris, and during his generalate he delivered three sets of “collations” or university sermons at Paris. On 10 December 1270 Itienne Tempier, bishop of Paris, had condemned certain erroneous propositions. Bonaventure ruminated over these matters, and in the Spring of 1273 delivered his magisterial Collations on the Hexameron.1 Left 1 For Bonaventure’s dates see J.G. Bougerol, Introduction a l’étude de saint Bonaventure 2nd ed. (Paris: Vrin, 1988); J. Quinn, “Bonaventure” Dict. of the M.A. 2: 313-9. On the circumstances of the Collations, one friar noted: “But oh, no, no, no! Since the reverend Lord and Master who gave out this work has been elevated to a sublime position, and is leaving his way of life [as a friar], those attending his sermons have not received what was to follow [the missing last three collations]. This work was read and composed at Paris, in the year of our Lord 1273, from Easter to Pentecost, there being present Masters and Bachelors of Theology and other brothers, in the number of 160.” Bonaventure, Opera Omnia (ed. Quaracchi) 5: 450 n. 10; Coll. in Hex. ed. F. Delorme (Quaracchi: 1934) 275. 92 unfinished owing to his elevation to the cardinalate, in them he read the first chapter of Genesis spiritually, distinguishing seven levels of “vision” corresponding to the seven days of creation. The first level is “understanding naturally given” or philosophy, divided into logic, physics, and ethics.
    [Show full text]
  • A Theologian's Brief: the Human Embryo In
    Copyright © 2005 The Center for Christian Ethics 37 A Theologian’s Brief This statement on the place of the human embryo in the Christian tradition and the theological principles for evaluating its moral status was submitted to the House of Lords Select Committee on Stem Cell Research on June 1, 2001, by an ad hoc group of Christian theolo- gians from the Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, and Reformed traditions. BASIS OF THIS SUBMISSION 1. In a multi-cultural and multi-religious society, it is appropriate to take account not only of secular arguments concerning the place of the hu- man embryo but also of arguments expressed in the religious language of some sections of the community. It is particularly important to understand the Christian tradition in this regard because of the place Christianity has had in shaping the moral understanding of many citizens in this country, and because this tradition has already been invoked in the context of public debate.1 2. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Research Purposes) Regu- lations 2001 greatly expand the purposes for which research using human embryos can take place, and thus, if implemented, will inevitably lead to a massive increase in the use and destruction of embryos. The Select Com- mittee has expressed its wish not “to review the underlying basis of the 1990 Act”;2 however, the ethical and legal issues surrounding “the Regula- tions as they now stand” cannot adequately be addressed without consid- ering the moral status of the human embryo. Similarly, the “regulatory framework established by the 1990 Act” cannot operate effectively if it is flawed in principle.
    [Show full text]
  • The Greatest Mirror: Heavenly Counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha
    The Greatest Mirror Heavenly Counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha Andrei A. Orlov On the cover: The Baleful Head, by Edward Burne-Jones. Oil on canvas, dated 1886– 1887. Courtesy of Art Resource. Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2017 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, contact State University of New York Press, Albany, NY www.sunypress.edu Production, Dana Foote Marketing, Fran Keneston Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Orlov, Andrei A., 1960– author. Title: The greatest mirror : heavenly counterparts in the Jewish Pseudepigrapha / Andrei A. Orlov. Description: Albany, New York : State University of New York Press, [2017] | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2016052228 (print) | LCCN 2016053193 (ebook) | ISBN 9781438466910 (hardcover : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781438466927 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Apocryphal books (Old Testament)—Criticism, interpretation, etc. Classification: LCC BS1700 .O775 2017 (print) | LCC BS1700 (ebook) | DDC 229/.9106—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016052228 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 For April DeConick . in the season when my body was completed in its maturity, there imme- diately flew down and appeared before me that most beautiful and greatest mirror-image of myself.
    [Show full text]
  • St. Thomas' Principle of Individuation, Materia Quantitate Signata
    Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Master's Theses Theses and Dissertations 1951 St. Thomas' Principle of Individuation, Materia Quantitate Signata Joseph M. Loftus Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses Part of the Philosophy Commons Recommended Citation Loftus, Joseph M., "St. Thomas' Principle of Individuation, Materia Quantitate Signata " (1951). Master's Theses. 1418. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/1418 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 1951 Joseph M. Loftus " ST. THCllAS' PRINCIPLE OF INDIVIDUAfiClf MATERIA QUANTITA'lE SIGNATA Joseph M. Loftus, O.S.U. A 1b,esis SUbmitted to the Faculty ot the Graduate School of La,yola University in Partial Fultillment ot thl Re~iremsnt8 tar the Degree ot Master of .A:rts June 1951 Father Joseph ~. Lof'tus, O.S.M. waS born in Chicago, Illinois, November 9, 1921 • .... - He was graduated f'rom st. Philip High School, Chicago, Illinois, June, 1939. In September of' the same '. year he entered the Servite Order as a postulant at HillSide, Illinois. The f'ollowing September he entered . the novitiate at Granville, Wisoonsin. From September, 1941 to June, 194.3, he studied philosophy at HillSide, Illinois. During, the remainder of' 1943 and until June, 1944, he taught English at St.
    [Show full text]
  • The Poetics of Science: Intertextual and Metatextual Themes in Ovid's Depiction of Cosmic and Human Origins
    Provided by the author(s) and NUI Galway in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite the published version when available. Title The poetics of science: intertextual and metatextual themes in Ovid's depiction of cosmic and human origins Author(s) Kelly, Peter Publication Date 2016-09-09 Item record http://hdl.handle.net/10379/6075 Downloaded 2021-09-28T20:42:11Z Some rights reserved. For more information, please see the item record link above. The Poetics of Science Intertextual and Metatextual Themes in Ovid’s Depiction of Cosmic and Human Origins By Peter M. J. Kelly A Thesis Submitted to the National University of Ireland, Galway in the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Classics September 2016 Supervisor: Prof. Michael Clarke ii Preface This work explores ancient views of cosmogony and the material structure of the universe in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. In particular it focuses on the way in which Ovid problematizes how we define myth and poetry versus science and philosophy. It examines how Ovid generates a parallel between the form and content of the text in order to depict a world where abstract scientific principles can become personified deities. This work will seek to reevaluate the impact of Greek Philosophy on Roman poetry through extending the series of intertexts which we may observe Ovid alluding to. Through following and analysing these sets of allusions this work will seek to gain an insight into Ovid’s depiction of the metatextual universe. iii iv For my Parents The scientist’s demand that nature shall be lawful is a demand for unity.
    [Show full text]
  • The Great Struggle Accretions
    The Great Struggle Accretions I Sunday rest I Satan’s agency in the serpent’s actions I The type of fruit eaten I The date/time of year of Christ’s birth I The number of magi I Mary Magdalen’s profession Doctrine Orthodox Medieval Western/Catholic Christianity = Bible + Patristic Commentaries + Adopted elements from folklore, missionary target cultures, … Latin Church Fathers (Selective) I Tertullian (c. 160–c. 225) I Ambrose (c. 340–397) I Jerome (c. 347–420) I Augustine of Hippo (354–430) I Gregory the Great (c. 540–604) I Isidore of Seville (c. 560–636) In the Beginning I Gn 1: Creation I Gn 2: Creation; Paradise I Gn 3: The Fall …angels? …Lucifer/Satan? The Lucifer Passage “ Thy pride is brought down to hell, thy carcass is fallen down: under thee shall the moth be strewed, and worms shall be thy covering. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who didst rise in the morning? how art thou fallen to the earth, that didst wound the nations? And thou saidst in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit in the mountain of the covenant, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the most High. But yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, into the depth of the pit. (Is 14:11–15) ” Typology: The Four Senses of Scripture 1. History: the literal text 2. Allegory: a reflection of redemption (Isaac:Christ) 3.
    [Show full text]
  • THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY of AMERICA an Hexaëmeral Reading
    THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA An Hexaëmeral Reading of Bonaventure’s Breviloquium A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology and Religious Studies In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy By Daniel Wade McClain Washington, D.C. 2016 An Hexaëmeral Reading of Bonaventure’s Breviloquium Daniel Wade McClain, Ph.D. Director: Joshua Benson, Ph.D. This dissertation examines the structure of Bonaventure’s Breviloquium, a brief synthesis of theology produced in 1257 at the end of his tenure as Master at the University of Paris.1 Previous studies of this text have complicated its structure by emphasizing a distinction in genre between the prologue and the “body,” and by reading the “body” either in terms of the Platonic scheme of procession and return, or in terms of origin, procession, and return, which is a scheme supplied by Bonaventure himself.2 While attending to Bonaventure’s unique theology of the Trinity and Christ as 1 Cf. Jacques-Guy Bougerol, Introduction à Saint Bonaventure (Paris: J. Vrin, 1988), 197; Marianne Schlosser, “Bonaventure: Life and Works,” in A Companion to Bonaventure, ed. Jay M. Hammond, Wayne Hellmann, and Jared Goff (Leiden: Brill, 2013), 24–26. 2 Pedro Bordoy-Torrents, “Técnicas divergentes en la redacción del Breviloquio de San Bonaventura,” Cientia Tomista (1940): 442-51; Paula Jean Miller, F.S.E, Marriage: the Sacrament of Divine-Human Communion (Quincy, IL: Franciscan Press, 1995); Dominic Monti, O.F.M., “Introduction,” in Breviloquium (St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute Publications, 2005), xlviii-xlix; and Joshua C. Benson, “The Christology of the Breviloquium,” in A Companion to Bonaventure, 247–287.
    [Show full text]
  • 6 X 10.5 Long Title.P65
    Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-80279-6 - God and Reason in the Middle Ages Edward Grant Index More information INDEX Page numbers cited directly after a semicolon following a final text subentry refer to relatively minor mentions in the text of the main entry. Abelard, Peter: application of logic to theology, Questions on Generation and Corruption, 186; 57–9; importance of, 48; opposed reason to Questions on the Physics, 186, 187, 190–1; 153, authority, 357; Sic et Non, 60, 62, 79; 26, 46, 170, 275nn, 276nn 50, 51, 62, 63, 64, 73, 100, 144, 333, 337 Albertus Magnus: and the senses, 160; as accidents: lacking a subject, 252; 183 theologian-natural philosopher, 191; few acoustics, 163 mentions of God, 194–5; on God’s absolute Adalberon of Laon, 47 power, 193; on other worlds, 193; on relations Adelard of Bath: as translator, 69; attitude toward between natural philosophy and theology, authority and reason, 69–72; natural 192–5; Commentary on De caelo, 192, 193, 194; philosophy of, 69–72; opposed reason to Commentary on the Physics, 192, 194; 104, 161, authority, 357; Natural Questions, 69, 84; 73, 74 179, 180, 196, 344 Age of Enlightenment: based on seventeenth- Albigenses, 336 century thought, 284 Albucasis, 109 Age of Faith: rather than Age of Reason, 351; 335 Alexander of Aphrodisias, 86 Age of Reason: and Middle Ages, 15, 16, 285; Alexander of Hales, 207, 254nn arrived at religion based on reason, 289; al-Farghani, see Alfraganus began in Middle Ages, 8–9, 289, 290; could Alfraganus, 341 not have occurred without Middle Ages, 292;
    [Show full text]
  • The Presocratic Philosophers 374
    XXII De Anima (a) Material beginnings The psuchê or animator is that part or feature of an animate being which endows it with life; and since the primary signs of life are cognition and mobility, the psuchê is the source of knowledge and the source of locomotion. That gives a formal or functional account of psuchê; but it leaves us to ask what the psychic nature consists in: what sort of thing is it that provides us with life? is it the same sort of thing in men, in animals and in plants? where (if anywhere) is it located in the body? is it separable from the body? To those questions the early Presocratics had, by and large, no interesting answers. The doxography regularly deals with the question: What is psuchê made of? Anaximenes and Anaximander and Anaxagoras and Archelaus said that the nature of psuchê is airy (398: Aëtius, 12 A 29; cf. 13 B 2; Philoponus, 13 A 23).1 Parmenides and Hippasus and Heraclitus [say that the psuchê] is fiery (399: Aëtius, 18 A 9). And a fragment of Epicharmus indicates that the fiery soul was familiar enough outside professional scientific circles (23 B 48). Water and earth, the other two canonical elements, had fewer backers; but Hippo went for water (Hippolytus, 38 A 3), and late stories give souls of earth and water to Xenophanes (Macrobius, 21 A 50).2 In the physics ascribed by Diogenes to Zeno, ‘soul is a mixture of [the hot, the cold, the dry and the wet], with none of them having dominance’ (IX.
    [Show full text]