Review of B.B. Price’s
Medieval Thought
An Introduction
Dwayne Henley
100035476
History 2116
Dr. Gerrits
October 30,1999
To help understand a little more about Medieval Thought An Introduction, the following outline will be used in this review: first a look at the author, his professional background and his objectives with respect to this book are discussed. From there the layout of the text will be thoroughly looked at, with detailed descriptions of major points in the chapters, which are relevant to this review. Finally conclusions will be drawn from the information stated above as to whether or not this text is to be considered a valid depiction of the facts.
The author of Medieval Thought An Introduction is B.B. Price. Price’s interest in the topic of medieval thought stems from his own experiences teaching university undergraduates in North America. He states that, “Their (the students) interests and needs have guided its (the texts’) organization and content…” To aid him in the writing of this text, Price has invested in the help of historian of medieval philosophy J.M. Hackett, as well as the editing help of many colleagues. Another useful point to mention is that Price used well over 300 historical references including manuscripts, dictionaries, and journals in a variety of different languages, and from a variety of different time periods. These were conveniently placed at the end of each chapter in which the reference was used so that the reader could then pursue an interest through that literature if they so pleased.
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Through the preface and introduction, Price invites the reader to allow him to describe and trace the evolution of intellectual pursuit in the Middle Ages. An unbiased point of view is what he would like to portray but he admits that many influential thinkers have gone without mention. Influences which were neglected were the Jewish and Arabic religious/cultural ideals and the Christian Greek culture which is described as “vital and interesting.” Price also encourages the readers to be intrigued and to go outside the “confines” of the book to find more answers to questions they may have.
Two objectives are clearly stated by Price as he gives his take on the text that he has in mind for the reader:
“The objective of this volume is, however, not really to build a bridge
between the recent contributions in social and intellectual history. Its
aim is instead to offer a reassessment of medieval thought which can be
used to complement the new contributions of social history. Within its
focus on intellectual history, the purpose of the present book is to identify
and trace the activities and ideas which had an impact on thinking in the
Middle Ages.”
He again reiterates this as he describes in more detail just how he’ll go about completing his objective:
“The objective of Medieval Thought is to introduce the Middle Ages, which, designated here as from the late fourth through the late fifteenth century, was an intellectually vital era. The book will function as a guide in which the main characteristics of the intellectual vista will be pointed out.”
To help explain the layout of the chapters from this point on, some more relevant points will be brought into the discussion to give some background as to where Price wants the reader to go.
Christianity is where he chooses to start the idea of medieval thought, as a basis for all that is to come in the rest of the text. The idea of Jesus as the model individual, imitation of Christ through ritual, and discussion on the creation of God are all discussed in the first chapter. The church is referred to as a unifying power, bringing communities together, and believing in the importance of belonging. Here, Price uses many references to scripture and breaks down particular features of Christianity such as the church versus the monastic movement. A particular point of interest comes with the statement that “…bishops were designated to preside over the whole of the community and to administer the sacraments…The position of the bishop quickly became politically important to the Church’s survival.” The reason for this is that in this chapter the role of Christianity as a political catalyst, although a weak one, is starting to appear. References made to condemned teachings (ex. Monophysite) and contrasting views on religion with respect to doctrines give the reader a well balanced background as to the religious friction at that time. At the end of the first chapter alone, there is a list of sixteen references all categorized to assist the reader with that topic. This format is used throughout each chapter and is a very useful tool. By thoroughly presenting Christianity in this way, Price has set the stage for the emergence of liberal arts, vernacular breakthroughs and scholasticism, which are all to be discussed in the next section of this review.
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With a clear understanding of the role of Christianity in the Middle Ages, Price then takes the reader into topics as stated above: the liberal arts, vernacular breakthroughs, and scholasticism. With many references from such scholars as Bede, Boethius, Augustine of Hippo, Plato and Aristotle, the reasoning behind certain decisions, both religiously and education-wise can be seen quite well in the second half of the book. Price adds with, respect to scholasticism, the thoughts of Panofsky and his take on Gothic architecture as a matter of universals versus particulars. This could be of particular interest to the reader, as it gave a new meaning to scholasticism and presented an alternate point of view to the one which had been discussed thoroughly in prior pages.
As the reader nears the end of the book, Price takes them into the domains of abstract thought, conclusions on thought in the Middle Ages all fully supported, in a well structured easy-to-understand way. A short conclusion chapter brings everything else in the text together and thus ends Prices’ take on medieval thought.
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With respect to other texts of the medieval period, Medieval Europe A Short History by C. Warren Hollister and Medieval Culture and Society edited by David Herlihy, such topics as Christianity, scholasticism, and vernacular languages/literature were addressed. Medieval Thought An Introduction does well to go into more detail concerning these topics and also helps the reader by providing alternate sources to assist them in their study of the period. Although the others have mentioned the above topics as well, they are not as well explained and in depth as Price has made his text to be. With that in mind this review then comes to its conclusion.
In conclusion, Medieval Thought An Introduction, is exactly what it claims to be, an introduction for a reader who may or may not have any prior knowledge of the Middle Ages. The other books that it was related to did mention some of the same ideas but, as stated earlier, Price has gone far more in depth. It is an accurate description of the evolution of medieval thought, presented in a very clear manner which was easy to read. The only downside found, however, is that some major aspects were neglected, mainly Jewish, Arabic, and Christian Greek influences. These undoubtedly had an impact on thought in the Middle Ages, but Price does well to bring that to light by encouraging further analysis through more readings. In short, B.B. Price successfully achieves his objectives in creating an interesting and informative piece of historical literature.
Bibliography
Herlihy, David, ed., Medieval Culture and Society (New York, 1968).
Hollister, C. Warren, Medieval Europe A Short History (Boston, 1964).
Price, B.B., Medieval Thought An Introduction (Oxford, 1992)
