Medieval University Research Paper

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Buddy Seto-Myers Mr. Thompson Honors Western Civilization 7 December, 2015 The Effects of Medieval Universities on Religion The medieval universities introduced logic into the Christian religion. The scholastic method of learning was developed to compliment faith with reason. The mixture of the two helped change religion from being faith based, rather an intellectual religion. The new concepts and ideas formulated through minds like Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas helped shape the faith of Europeans into one beyond the simple worshipping of a deity. The medieval universities revolutionized how one should interpret religion and what one should believe. Before universities, the only scholars and intellectuals were those in religious body of…show more content…
He had a major influence on the Catholic church. Abelard was captivated by logic, which he used to challenge ecclesiastical authorities. The idea that the church could be wrong was blasphemous to many, yet it damaged the Church's sovereignty. He sought to question accepted doctrine of the Church in his efforts to seek truth in religion. In his book, Sic et Non, Abelard pointed out weak points in the Church's theology. The book revealed contradictions in the scriptures and commentaries of Church authorities, which were formally considered infallible. Abelard stated, "There are many seeming contradictions and even obscurities in the innumerable writings of the church fathers. Our respect for their authority should not stand in the way of an effort on our part to come at the truth," (Peter Abelard, Sic et Non). No longer did the people have to believe what the Church said, but they themselves could come to their own conclusions about…show more content…
Using the Scholastic method of learning he came to conclusions that would greatly contribute to the Christianity. Aquinad was influenced by Aristotelian philosophy, which he referenced often in his Summa Theologica. This summation of theological questions exemplifies the curiosity of the new era of religious thinking. In it, Aquinas sought to prove many notions such as the existence of God. A firm supporter of theology, he wondered how a person knows something (a philosophy called epistemology). Aquinas used reason to prove that there was a reason for existing, that there had to be a God, and other fundamental ideas to the Roman Catholic religion. He claimed that reason could not contradict faith and visa versa; thus the two were separate yet they were interconnected. In addition, he claimed that there were certain aspects of the Catholicism that could not be proven by logic and thus are based on faith and faith alone. Thomas Aquinas found favor with the church, eventually being venerated as a saint for his impact on the Catholic

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