From Athens to Chartres

The intellectual history of the Middle Ages involves many earlier traditions and developments from them, but just as many completely new lines of thought. The influence of Classical Antiquity is always present: in the continuation and adaptation of late antique forms of education and intellectual training, but also in the works of the Latin Church Fathers and of the major ancient philosophers whose works were passed down and built upon in the Middle Ages. From the 12th century onwards Arabic-Islamic learning, which bore the clear stamp of Greek philosophy and science, became known in Latin-speaking Europe and was a catalyst for many new developments. In keeping with the educational system of the period, theology and philosophy, the latter being seen as a universal science, were the main vehicles of intellectual life. In logic, ethics and natural philosophy as well as in scientific theology, medieval scholars attained standards, which in some cases have not even been equalled today. 'Studien und Texte zur Geistesgeschichte des Mittelalters' aims to address itself to this cultural plurality with a correspondingly broad publication programme. It is open to specialist research into the influence of Classical philosophy, to text editions, to monographs on the history of various intellectual problems, to examinations of hitherto undiscovered or undervalued contributions by medieval thinkers to the development of thought. Conceived as an hommage for Edouard Jeauneau - maitre par excellence - the volume is introduced by a reconstruction of the Creation on the North portal of Chartres Cathedral, followed by a section on the transmission of significant texts, such as Plato's Timaeus, through the manuscript tradition. The chapter on later Greek philosophy contains studies on Plotinus and Augustine, Proclus, and Pseudo-Dionysius. A separate section interprets the thought of Johannes Scottus Eriugena, whose connections with earlier authors and influence on medieval neoplatonists constitutes a leitmotiv throughout the volume. The twelfth century is represented by articles on Gilbert of Poitiers on matter, Adelard of Bath, Honorius of Autun, Abelard's ethics and theology, monastic asceticism, Hildegard of Bingen's allegories, allegorical zoology, Alan of Lille's anthropology, the role of the Muses, and the Hermetic Asclepius. The particular usefulness of this study is its presentation of neoplatonic thought in its historical unfolding from Antiquity to the Later Middle Ages through a wide range of disciplines, focused on specific ideas and metaphors.