Philosophy and theology in the Middle Ages (review)

168 Reviews reveals the complexities of its production and also captures much of its beauty. Toby Burrows University Library Univeristy of Western Australia Evans, G. R., Philosophy and theology in the Middle Ages, London and N.Y., RouUedge, 1993; paper; pp. x, 139; R.R.P. AUSS24.95. The author advises in the acknowledgments that this short book, while drafted in English, was published originahy in a German series. Its current publication was undertaken on the understanding that it might alsofilla gap in the available literature in English, but it is hard to know whether the gap it is supposed tofillis very large in the literature of either language. The writer clearly has an excellent command of thefieldunder survey and the book is well written and weU tempered in its opinions and judgments. It is not easy, however, to identify its intended audience. O n the one hand, the discussion assumes too much to be really useful as an introduction to philosophy and theology in the Middle Ages. O n the other hand, the treatment is too general to be of great value to anyone with a reasonable knowledge of thetopicsin question. Within the limited span of 150 pages, the book is encyclopedic in character. In Part I, there is discussion of the broad idea of philosophy and theology and the relations of harmony and tension between them in this period. This is followed by consideration of the development of schools and scholars especially in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, an account of the classical sources of medieval philosophy, and a summary of the main theories then current about knowledge, truth, language, and the nature of things. After this general introduction, Part II takes up in turn the large questions around which the medieval summae theologiae or systematic encyclopedias of theology were constructed. In the beginning there are questions about God, whether God's existence can be proved and how we might talk about divine being in the limits of human language. Next is the cosmos, the ordered universe, created and sustained by God. Finally there is the human being, the union of soul and body in the natural order, the concern of ethics and politics in the social order, and the subject of grace and final redemption in the sacramental order. Reviews 169 In the treatment of these issues, Evans provides summaries of numerous sub-topics; for example, the theory of universals and the problem of evil. He also introduces a large cast of thinkers: the majorfiguresof the ancient and medieval world and many lesser known writers. Among the sources, attention is given to the influence of Plato and AristoUe, the Stoics, the Neoplatonists, and the later Arabic philosophers who provided an important link between Greek and medieval thought. Quite properly, major attention is given in this context to the significance of Augustine. Emphasis is also placed on the writings of Boethius (except that his reflections on the consolation of philosophy give way to a rather different aspect of his achievements when his famous work is referred to on p. 79 as his Consolidation [sic\] ofphilosophy). Among medieval thinkers, no one philosopher or theologian is discussed at length, but the ideas of Anselm of Canterbury and Thomas Aquinas are given most attention. Abelard, Roger Bacon, and William of Ockham are also accorded a fan presence. Duns Scotus is invoked only briefly, inrelationto the debate about universals. The two references to him in the Index are incorrect The author covers a great deal in this litde book in a clear and welljudged way. In the end, however, one is drawn back to lacunae. The main weakness is that the central topic, announced in thetide,is not explored in sufficient detail and depth. W h y did a certain understanding of philosophy become so significant in the Middle Ages in conjunction with the rise of universities? What did it achieve and why did the experiment fail? In the midst of much that isrelevantto these questions, the issues slip away and one looks in vain for a weU formed answer. Paul Crittenden School of Philosophy University of Sydney Fincham, Kenneth, ed., The early Stuart Church, 1603-42 (Problems in focus series), Basingstoke...