Western Culture During the Middle Ages
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Transcript of 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)
Church preserved old learningNot much new learning
Emphasis on study of logic
Later Middle Ages (1000s - 1450)
Clergymen focused on philosophyMany tried to rationally prove the
existence of God
To Prove God or Not?
Wanted to use philosophy and reason to prove existence of God
Wrote Yes and No pointing out hypocrisies in the church
Felt belief in God needed to be based on faith alone
Opposed Abelard and even got him kicked out of the universities
Yes = Peter Abelard No = Bernard of Clairvaux
Note: A similar debate was going on in Islam at the
time also
Scholasticism
Medieval philosophy to use logic to solve theological questions
Thomas AquinasItalian 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
Students could earn law degrees and get jobs in government
bureaucracies
China had similar universities, but their universities to educate men
to be in bureaucracy
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 peopleFun 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
Gothic
No, not this
gothic
Gothic Architecture
Arose in France IN 1200s
Featured tall arching windows
Most gothic art seen in churches, but used in some
palaces
Medieval LiteratureLatin
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