The Medieval Worldview

Saint Thomas Aquinas by Sandro Botticelli

Contrary to popular imagination, the Medieval Period was a time of great intellectual development in Europe.

The early Medieval Period was largely dominated by the philosophy of Saint Augustine of Hippo, an African bishop who lived and wrote in Carthage during the fifth century. His writings covered a wide range of theological and philosophical issues, including human nature, justice, time, memory, epistemology, and the nature of God. Philosophically, Augustine was a Neoplatonist, highly influenced by the writings of Plato.

In the eleventh century, the writings of Aristotle made their way into wide circulation throughout Europe, ushering in a wave of Aristotelianism among philosophers. Due to Augustine, Platonism had become so thoroughly associated with Christian theology that many scholars were threatened by Aristotle's opposition to Plato. However, many thinkers such as Saint Thomas Aquinas made attempts to reconcile the two schools of thought. This intellectual system, known as Scholasticism, became dominant in European thought for many years until its emphasis on reason was challenged during the Reformation.