From the year 500 A.D. until the 1650s, the Catholic Church reigned supreme in most of the world. As the dominant religion during medieval times, it was considered one of the only authorities for truth. However, although the Church seemed almost as powerful as God Himself, it had its weaknesses. The Church could not explain how reality works through the Bible alone; it relied on Ancient Greek philosophy for those answers. The Church often used Aristotle, a famous Ancient Greek philosopher, as a source for answers about the world. In the movie The Name of the Rose, a monastery shows the weaknesses found in the Church’s reliance on Aristotle and how this seemingly unyielding power slowly crumbled.
Throughout its history, medieval philosophy …show more content…
In the Bible, however, the soul was immortal and did not need a body. The issue of the soul’s composition became even more complex when figuring in how the soul works in the universe. The Bible and Aristotle had different views on the basic structure of the universe. In Christian ideology, the universe is God’s creation and has a set end date. Aristotle, however, viewed the universe as infinite and as the design of an indifferent creator. These differences created contradictions in the Catholic Church and would have weakened its legitimacy if the hypocrisies were discovered by the people. As a result, the leaders tried to hide these inconsistencies to keep their …show more content…
The Bible did not provide all of the answers regarding how everyday life works; as a result, the leaders relied on Ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle to give a better belief system to the people. However, this reliance proved tricky, and the movie The Name of the Rose shows the difficulty in striking a balance between two radically different belief systems. The Name of the Rose effectively shows the hidden weaknesses of the Catholic Church and its reliance on Ancient Greek philosophy that did not agree with the rest of Church doctrine. The Name of the Rose and the history of medieval philosophy show that although certain belief systems may appear strong and well-grounded, they might actually be full of
Throughout its history, medieval philosophy …show more content…
In the Bible, however, the soul was immortal and did not need a body. The issue of the soul’s composition became even more complex when figuring in how the soul works in the universe. The Bible and Aristotle had different views on the basic structure of the universe. In Christian ideology, the universe is God’s creation and has a set end date. Aristotle, however, viewed the universe as infinite and as the design of an indifferent creator. These differences created contradictions in the Catholic Church and would have weakened its legitimacy if the hypocrisies were discovered by the people. As a result, the leaders tried to hide these inconsistencies to keep their …show more content…
The Bible did not provide all of the answers regarding how everyday life works; as a result, the leaders relied on Ancient Greek philosophers such as Aristotle to give a better belief system to the people. However, this reliance proved tricky, and the movie The Name of the Rose shows the difficulty in striking a balance between two radically different belief systems. The Name of the Rose effectively shows the hidden weaknesses of the Catholic Church and its reliance on Ancient Greek philosophy that did not agree with the rest of Church doctrine. The Name of the Rose and the history of medieval philosophy show that although certain belief systems may appear strong and well-grounded, they might actually be full of