Throughout the late Middle Ages, there were numerous powers of authority that were overlapping their jurisdiction. This caused great upheaval in terms whose authority hand the final say in the land. The papal authority held fast to the hierocratic state which believed God gave the papacy both swords of authority (civil and spiritual) leading the church to believe that the sword of civil authority could be withdrawn from those in power. This created a stain on civil and papal authorities which…
City, Church, and the Empire Many people depict medieval Europe as times of kings, knights, and epic battles that end in great bloodshed and loss. While these things are true, medieval Europe was much more than that. It was a time of controversy, strong and terrible leaders in politics as well as the church, and many changes in population and how the Europeans structured their culture. Writers and historians of this time period, like Thomas Aquinas and Thomas More, produced many works that told…
The topic of spiritual themes is crucial in understanding what it means to be a Christian. For instance, a person must comprehend how each gift is manifested in the Holy Spirits character and thus is an example for how we as Christians should choose to live our lives, based off of these principles. Also, one must fully explore and research each individual theme and how they can incorporate it into their own life, if they wish to become fully immersed in every aspect of the Christian faith. I…
His greatest writings come from law which is known as Summa Theologica which is quite challenging for students who are attempting their first inauguration on the study of philosophy of law. According to Aquinas he believes that law is nothing but an endorsement made by an individual who is concerned about the common…
Introduction How often does one hear, “Would you like to supersize that meal? Or, I am stressed and need my comfort food. Let us not forget Thanksgiving dinners, eating till you feel like you will pop, or feel the need to undue that top button on your pants? There not only exists a list of the top twenty-five movies regarding over eating; most of which are comedies, but gluttony has a Facebook site. In a post-modern society, culture has redefined gluttony as something to be laughed at, not…
Introduction “Rights are difficult to define because of their foundation in natural law, which is a notoriously ambiguous concept.” The concept of rights from the perspective of natural law theorists, which denotes that the foundation of rights is derived by the virtue of moral principles and human beings reason, is a notoriously ambiguous concept. In other words, human beings, by way of practical reasoning, possess certain moral rights. Therefore, natural law theorists argue that law and…
Throughout the medieval period, philosophers attempted to define this omnipotence by determining what is necessarily possible and what is not. In his Summa Theologica, Thomas Aquinas attempts to define omnipotence as the attribute of God wherein “God can do all things that are possible” (ST I, Q.25. A.3). Building on Aquinas’ definition, Duns Scotus qualifies God’s omnipotence by arguing that God is omnipotent…
Technological advances have prolonged human life and changed not only what it means to practice medicine, but what it means to be alive. In some cases, patients turn to their physicians to assist them in dying. The purpose of this essay is not to promote physician aid in dying or even provide a stance on the subject. Rather, the purpose is to question the moral distinction between physician aid in dying and the doctrine of double effect. Through defining these two terms and analyzing medical…