Transcript Western Culture During the Middle Ages

Western Culture During the Middle Ages
Chapter 10 (2 of 4)
Role of the Church
Early Middle Ages (Up to 900s)
Later Middle Ages (1000s - 1450)
Church preserved old learning
Not much new learning
Emphasis on study of logic
Clergymen focused on philosophy
Many tried to rationally prove the
existence of God
To Prove God or Not?
Yes = Peter Abelard
No = Bernard of Clairvaux
Note: A similar
debate was
going on in
Islam at the
time also
Wanted to use philosophy and
reason to prove existence of God
Felt belief in God needed to be
based on faith alone
Wrote Yes and No pointing out
hypocrisies in the church
Opposed Abelard and even got
him kicked out of the universities
Scholasticism
Thomas Aquinas
Medieval philosophy to use logic to
solve theological questions
Italian monk who
respected thinker, able to
combine reason and faith
– must have faith, but
logic can tell us about
natural order of the world
The Thirst For Knowledge
Big desire for knowledge midway
through the Middle Ages, which
led to the growth of universities
China had similar universities, but
their universities to educate men
to be in bureaucracy
Students could earn law degrees
and get jobs in government
bureaucracies
In western Europe, it was a desire
for knowledge that led many to
universities, not getting a job in
bureaucracy
The Rise of Popular Religion
As the Middle Ages went
on, religious devotion
spread to ordinary people
Fun rituals began
(ceremonies with
dancing), people began
worshipping saints, and
there was increased
respect for Mary (mother
of Jesus)
Religion Impacts Art
Western Europe excelled at
religious art during Middle
Ages (as did Islam in Middle
East and Hindus in India)
Later in Middle Ages,
Europeans began including
scenes of medieval life in
backdrop of their artwork
A New Style of Architecture
No, not
this
gothic
Gothic
Gothic Architecture
Arose in France IN 1200s
Featured tall arching
windows
Most gothic art seen in
churches, but used in some
palaces
Medieval Literature
Latin
Scholarly language,
used in law and
church
Vernacular (Spoken Languages)
More and more literature used
these spoken languages (such
as English and French) as
Middle Ages went on
Similar to what happened in
India after the fall of the
Guptas when Sanskrit was the
scholarly language, but spoken
languages like Hindi grew
Popular Medieval Literature
To Sum Up Medieval Art and Intellect
• Religion was at the centerpiece
• As Middle Ages went on, other interests
emerged (from scientific discoveries to
romance novels)
• Medieval art and science served as building
blocks for later Western thought and art