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"Dales, Richard C"
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Robert Grosseteste's Place in Medieval Discussions of the Eternity of the World
Robert Grosseteste was one of the principal links between the thought of the twelfth century and the period of scholasticism. Born in or slightly before 1168 and educated at the cathedral school at Lincoln, whose bishop he later became, he was undoubtedly educated according to the curriculum which had been established during the earlier part of the twelfth century. His works show an intimate knowledge of the Timaeus and Calcidius's commentary, of Priscian, and of Martianus Capella's De nuptiis, writings which, although they were sometimes cited, declined drastically in popularity in the thirteenth century. He also shows a better knowledge of the classical authors than one usually encounters in a scholastic theologian, and he knows and uses Eriugena's Periphyseon, although he does not cite it by name.
Journal Article
Discussions of the Eternity of the World during the First Half of the Twelfth Century
The question of the eternity of the world was much debated in antiquity, for it seemed to be one of the key philosophical differences between the majority of pagan philosophers and the Christians. Indeed, the whole meaning of the Christian drama was grounded in a historical account of the cosmos, which had an absolute beginning at the Creation, a critical turning point at the Incarnation, and a triumphant conclusion at the Resurrection. But the pagan philosophers, with the possible exception of Plato, who was ambiguous on this point, taught by means of highly sophisticated arguments that the world was eternal. This occasioned a head-on clash between the Fathers and the philosophers, and it provoked a good deal of thought on the part of the Christian writers. This thought was crystalized in Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy and Augustine's Confessions and City of God. The problem seems to have been largely forgotten during the formative period of Latin Christianity from the seventh to the ninth centuries; the traditional Christian version of the beginning was frequently asserted, but the question was not argued, nor was there any attempt to reconcile Genesis with the teaching of the philosophers.
Journal Article
Early Latin Discussions of the Eternity of the World in the Thirteenth Century
Although the doctrine of the eternity of the world had evoked much concern and opposition among the Fathers of the Christian Church, it ceased to engage the attention of Latin Christian writers during most of the early Middle Ages. When interest in the question revived during the twelfth century, it was nearly always considered in the context of Plato's Timaeus or Boethius’ De consolatione philosophiae. By 1270, the issue seemed to be between the supporters and the opponents of Aristotle. Although the story of Latin discussions of the eternity of the world during the 1260s and 1270s has been quite thoroughly investigated, the preceding period from about 1230 to 1260 has been largely ignored. It is the purpose of the present study to elucidate this neglected stage in medieval discussions of the eternity of the world and to show its relationship to the earlier and later periods.
Journal Article