Category: Medieval Philosophy
Medieval Philosophy developed between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance. It focuses on the relationship between faith and reason, theological questions, and the interpretation of classical philosophy within religious traditions. Important figures include Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas, and William of Ockham.
Augustine’s Epistemology — Divine Illumination, the Cogito, and Why Reason Is Not Neutral
These notes cover Augustine’s epistemology in full: the purpose of knowledge as a practical instrument for clearing the soul’s path to God; five arguments refuting scepticism — self-refutation, logical propositions (law of excluded middle), law of non-contradiction, mathematical truths, and the sceptic’s own position; the cogito argument (si fallor sum — ‘if I err I…
Saint Augustine — Life, Works, and the Journey from Manichaeism to Medieval Philosophy
These notes cover Augustine’s life and works: why dates provide historical context (354 AD — late Roman Empire, post-Edict of Milan, Greek philosophy still dominant); the Confessions as the first autobiography and first examination of the interior life; City of God as the first philosophy of history (history has direction and purpose); Augustine’s seven-stage philosophical…
Heresy and Orthodoxy Explained — The Four Heresies That Founded Medieval Philosophy
These notes cover the four major heresies that shaped medieval philosophy: the Gnostic heresy (gnosis vs pistis — salvation through knowledge vs faith; dualism; divine spark; why the Church insisted on the world being good and salvation being universal); the Arian heresy (how one God can be three persons; Arius vs Athanasius; the Council of…
The Formation of Christianity — Saint Paul, Saint John, Logos, and the Movement to Institution
These notes cover the formation of Christianity: the universal gap between founder and religion (direct experience vs interpretation); Jesus perceived as spiritual vs political leader; the Romans’ decision to crucify him as a political threat; the three foundational events — crucifixion, resurrection (vs resuscitation — a critical distinction), and ascension; the early community’s formation and…
The Teachings of Jesus Explained — Intention, Compassion, Humility, and Comparison with Greek Philosophy
These notes cover Jesus’s teachings: Judaism’s action-based vs Jesus’s intention-based ethics; the urgency of judgment day as governing context for all his teachings (interim morality); the lost sheep parable; wealth and attachment vs undivided heart; the Great Commandment; the Good Samaritan (how to be a neighbour vs who is a neighbour; compassion as emotional extension…
Jesus and Jewish History Explained — Studying Religious Philosophy, Abraham to the Messianic Expectation
These notes cover three interlocking topics: how to study religious philosophy (context principle; ex nihilo vs Brahman expansion and all its implications for worship, time, and the self; holy vs divine vocabulary; soul vs atman; differences among Judaism, Christianity, and Islam on God, Jesus, original sin, and salvation); Jewish history (Yahweh — name meaning ‘I…