The Renaissance marked a rekindled interest in Roman and Greek literature in the West. For hundreds of years, the writings of Plato and Cicero were merely footnotes in history. The West had no access to those writings, even though medieval writers frequently referenced them. Towards the end of the High Middle Ages, various scholars including … More Key Ideas of the Renaissance
Divine providence exists in history. An invisible hand guides the events of today, yesterday, and tomorrow. Anyone who looks through the pages of history can see the clear presence of this supernatural force. It is almost as if all lives are single chapters in a grander story that are all guided by this divine providence. When evaluated from a broader historical context, it becomes apparent that coincidences do not exist, and historical chaos is not accidental. … More Providence in Historical Chaos: God’s Order in the 14th-Century Crises
The Black Death (1347-1350) was a catastrophic plague that slaughtered between ¼ and ½ of the European population in the space of three years. Such lethal numbers absolutely dwarf anything any living American has witnessed, including COVID-19. To translate the Black Death’s lethality into numbers that might resonate more with the modern American, if a … More The Black Death (1347-1350)
The High Middle Ages were littered with imperial and papal conflicts. The Hohenstaufen family was notorious for garnering the hatred of various popes. From a glance, a student of history may get the impression that popes were continually engaged in proxy wars with the Holy Roman emperors. Such an impression would be accurate. Though the … More Imperial and Papal Conflicts During the High Middle Ages
The West gained an economic advantage over the rest of the world during the High Middle Ages. Somehow, the political and business environment helped to propagate a successful economy. It resulted in prolonged economic growth in the West, an advantage they held for centuries. But how? The answer is competition. Competition between towns resulted in … More Why the West Experienced Prolonged Economic Growth
The rise of medieval towns started during the 13th century. The specific origins of the town concept are an obscure mystery lost in history. Some speculate that they evolved from fortifications built during the Viking invasions. However, it is uncertain whether that is true. What is certain is that they became a central staple of … More The Rise of Medieval Towns
John Duns Scotus (1265-1308) and William of Ockham (1288-1347) were scholastics whose opinions shattered the framework set by earlier scholastics. They were both nominalist Franciscan Englishmen who taught theology at Oxford and attacked various principles that Thomas Aquinas taught. Their attacks caused people to question Aquinas’ teachings for a time. The dissension they had with … More Aquinas’ Impossible Proof—Duns Scotus (1265-1308) and William of Ockham (1288-1347)
The just war tradition was largely a creation of the medieval Christian Church. Various other cultures like the Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans made contributions. However, the concept was not elaborated on in detail before the great theologians like St. Augustine of Hippo and St. Thomas Aquinas. Their respective works made tremendous progress in giving future … More Just War Tradition Principles
Saint Thomas Aquinas developed numerous theological works during his life and advanced scholasticism, an academic movement to synthesize worldly reasoning and biblical faith. Today, he is most remembered for his Quinque Viae (the five ways). In his book Summa Cuma Gentiles, Aquinas made five logical proofs for the existence of God. The unmoved mover argument … More Thomas Aquinas on the Unmoved Mover
Saint Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274) was a Dominican scholastic who lived during the Middle Ages. He is most remembered for his philosophical works, and some consider him the greatest and most influential medieval philosopher. Two of his most remembered works are Summa Theologica and Summa Cuma Gentiles. In Summa Cuma Gentiles, Aquinas lays down five … More Life of Thomas Aquinas (c. 1225-1274)
Asher Sisneros 