Medieval Magic

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Empedocles

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Four elements (earth wind fire and air), Immaterial principles (love and strife)

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Epicurus/Epicureanism

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Philosophy to achieve happiness by eliminating fear of the unknown. Built on ancient atomism. Atoms fall in a straight line, but shifts create chain of collisions.

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Zeno and Stoicism

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Zeno was the founder of Stoicism, associated with the idea of pneuma/life force

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The academy at athens

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One of the four schools, founded by plato in 388. emphasized math

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The lyceum

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Founded by Aristotle as a competing school, emphasizing research, natural history and biology.

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Euclid

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Math—founder of geometry, writing Elements and Optica.

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Ptolemy

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Egyptian/Greek representing Hellenistic intellectualism

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Erasistratus

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Greek nutritionist. Juice converted to blood and carried through the body via veins

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galen

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roman physician. influenced by plato, aristotle, the rest. Argued that the four humors made tissue, tissue made organs, and organs made body. humors were hot, wet, cold, dry.

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Augustine

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Bishop of Hippo, church father. Combined neoplatinism with Christian belief. Hybridization with classical philosophy. Handmaiden formula—pagan philosophy was an instrument to be used for the benefit of theology.

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Boethius

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Philosopher from Italy—wrote Consolidation of Philosophy translating Plato and Aristotle. Transmission of learning example.

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Isidore of Seville

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Bishop in Visigothic Spain. Etymologiae, an encyclopedia. Example of continuing transmission of knowledge.

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Agobard of Lyons

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Archbishop of Lyons, representing Carolingian Renaissance. Wrote "On Hail and Thunder"—example of learned skepticism.

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Abbasids and Umayyads

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Two ruling houses of Islamic civilization. Abbasids patronized translation of Greek texts to Arabic.

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Harun al-Rashid

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Abbasid caliph. Patron of the translation of Greek texts into Arabic, signifying transmission of knowledge to the Arabic world. Sent an elephant to Charlemagne to signify opening of cultural dialogue

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al-Ma'mun

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Second son of Harun. Established a research institute where massive translation was carried out.

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al-khwarizmi

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mathematician. wrote Concerning Hindu Numbers and Algerbra

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Al Razi

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Philosopher, social critic, religious controverialist

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al Majusi

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Persian physician known for Complete Book of Medical Art—organization of medical knowledge.

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Al-Zahrawi

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Arab physician who wrote thirty part medical encyclopedia. Example of the melting pot fo Moorish spain. remained influential until late 15th century.

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Jabbir ibn Hayyan (gerber)

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Persian polymath known for work on alchemy. wrote Book of the Secret of Secrets. Led to idea that all metals were compounds/mixtures of sulphur and mercury.

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Gratian's Decretum

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Collection of Canon Law compiled in the 12th century as a legal textbook. Example of the renewal of learning that took place in 12th century Europe.

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Peter Lombard's Four Books of Sentences

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Compilation of theology written in the 12th century that influenced Thomas Aquinas. Example of renewal of learning in 12th century Europe.

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Gerard of Cremonia

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Greatest of the Arabic to Latin translators, including Euclid ELements and Avicenna's Canon of Medicine

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Astrolabe's Principal Parts

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Master (fixed body). Limb: Ring around the master. Rule: moveable front guide. Alidade: moveable back guide with sights for determining angle of sun or stars. Plate: shows both the fixed circles of hte celestial sphere (equator, tropics) and latitude specific circle. Rete: moveable piece showing zodiac and selected star locations.

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Armillary sphere

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Three dimensional teaching aid used to enhance understanding of celestial motion.

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Caesarius of Heisterbach

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compiler of miracles "dialogus miraculorum." Example of learned interaction with popular beliefs.

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Michael Scotus

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Most important translator of Averroes into Latin. Example of transmission of learning from Arabia.

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Visions of Heaven and Hell

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Popular beliefs inform visions. Thurkill story of travelling to underworld (very like Dante)

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Hildegard of Bingen

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Nun who recorded visions. Christian mystic, composer, and abbess. Famous for visions detailing cosmology.

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Bernard Silvester

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12th century philosopher known for Cosmographia. Platonic in thought. 12th century renewal.

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Peter Abelard

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Founded his own school after arriving in Paris. Was a student of logic—met Heloise and became her tutor. She got pregnant, and they named her son Astrolabe.

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Heloise

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French religious figure whose romance with Abelard scandalized 12th century Paris. Multilingual, ultimately "divorced" after he encouraged her to take religious vows.

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Reception of Aristotle accross the ages

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In antiquity, there was a debate between Aristotelian and Platonic/neoplatonic philosophy, surviving into late antiquity with Boethius's Consolation of Philosophy which reconciled Aristotilian and Neoplatonic philosophy and translated it from Greek to Latin. In the early medieval middle east, Aristotle was widely studied, translated and commented upoon by Avicenna and Averroes and others—but he was viewed as heretical toward islam. In the middle ages, translations of Aristotle were important to the 13th century university life and were widely incorporated into liberal arts curricula (despite being occasionally condemned by religious authorities.