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Before the lesson

Try to refresh your knowledge about the ancient philosophy.

The main principles of Augustinism and Thomism

Dark Ages – is an unfair term concerning different aspects of life in this epoch. It suggests that people then had no sensible approach towards the world. Weren’t there any rationally thinking people at that time? Of course there were, but they considered the justification of the catechism their calling.

St. Augustine (354–430 r. n.e.)

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Obraz przedstawia jednego z Doktorów Kościoła, świętego Augustyna. Ubrany jest w pokrytą złotem szatę, w prawej dłoni trzyma pióro, w lewej – płonące serce. Nad jego głową można zobaczyć jaśniejącą aurę. W prawym górnym rogu obrazu znajduje się światło, w centrum którego jest słowo veritas.

One of the greatest medieval theologians, philosophers and doctors of the Catholic church was bishop of Hippo. The philosophical belief, Augustinism, was named after him; its main principle was dualismdualismdualism. Saint Augustine believed that the reality consisted of two elements: good and evil, God and Satan, virtuevirtuevirtue and sinsinsin, darkness and brightness. The human is also composed of two elements: mattermattermatter and spiritspiritspirit. In the age‑old struggle of good and evil, the nation of God and Satan, people should actively fight on the side of the former. The Christian knight who fought with infidels was on duty. Moreover, even a peasant could be such a knight, struggling with his temptations, praying and mortifying their flesh.

Saint Thomas Aquinas (ca. 1225–1274)

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Fragment obrazu przedstawiającego świętego Tomasza z Akwinu. Nosi on jasną szatę, wokół głowy ma aureolę. Ma wygolony czubek głowy – zgodnie z mnisim zwyczajem.

Saint Thomas was a Black Monk, theologian and doctor of the Catholic Church considered to be the greatest medieval philosopher. His beliefs are often called the Aristotelian theology. He proclaimed that to discover the truth about the world and fully understand it, one should not only by experiencing the God’s illumination, but also use their own mind. In this way, Saint Thomas contributed to the development of ScholasticismscholasticsScholasticism. He saw the world as very hierarchical. He believed that on the top of the “Ladder of BeingLadder of BeingsLadder of Being” there is God and then angels, below them there were people, animals, plants and at the end - minerals. The special significance of human guaranteed the combination of the “Divine Spark” with the body matter. The human mind helped the philosopher to lead the evidence concerning the catechism; hence, Saint Thomas presented five evidences for the existence of God. The most important work of Aquinas is Summa theologica. The philosophical system, which bases on the Saint Thomas’ view was called Thomism

The philosophy was part of so‑called seven liberal arts (Latin: septem artes liberales). That were the branches of science based on the power of mind. Moreover, they were the basis of the education in the Middle Ages. Children started the course of artes liberales in the age of seven and it lasted for about seven years. Its completion was a prerequisite to study law, medicine or theology.
The liberal arts were also called as seven ways to wisdom. They were divided into two groups: trivium (three ways) and quadrivium (four ways).

Trivium included grammar, dialecticsdialecticsdialectics, rhetoricrhetoricrhetoric and quadrivium consisted of geometrygeometrygeometry, arithmeticarithmeticarithmetic, astronomyastronomyastronomy and music.

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Exercise 5

Wymień i scharakteryzuj siedem sztuk wyzwolonych.

Wymień i scharakteryzuj siedem sztuk wyzwolonych.

Solve the puzzle.

Keywords

Augustinism, Thomism, liberal arts

Glossary