School of Chartres

School of Chartres is a term that is used in two senses. Firstly, the cathedral school at Chartres is meant that existed as a training center for clergy already in the early Middle Ages and thanks to outstanding teachers flourished in the 11th and 12th centuries. On the other hand, it refers to a group of nationally influential scholars of the early scholastics who shared certain interests and philosophical- theological beliefs, they were a history of ideas flow. Most here to use the term in this second sense, however, which is problematic and controversial. Differences of opinion exist as to the extent to which the assumed flow through concrete features from other directions can define how original were their teachings and to what extent the traditionally subordinate local reference to Chartres actually existed.

Requirements

In the Byzantine Empire Plato's writings and of Aristotle in the Middle Ages, in principle, in the original were available, but only met with limited interest. In the Latin -speaking scholarly world of Western and Central Europe Greek knowledge was extremely rare. You had to rely on Latin translations, of which only a few were but available. From Plato's works was initially except incomplete translations of the Timaeus nothing is known; from the mid-12th century were added translations of the Meno and the Phaedo. In addition, through the works of Boethius flowed Neoplatonic thought. The discussion of the Timaeus and specifically the extent to which the world can be with the cosmology of the biblical account of creation brought into conformity or how the Catholic doctrine of creation can be interpreted philosophically, was a focus of interest of scholars, which is usually belong to the School of Chartres.

Development

Names of teachers and students of the cathedral school can already be detected in the mid- 6th century; first evidence of teaching even dive forward to at the end of the 5th century. Fulbert of Chartres († 1028 ), who probably came from Italy and had been a disciple of the abbot Gerbert in Reims, built as chancellor of the bishop and the cathedral chapter - in this capacity he was also head of the cathedral school - the library considerably and caused for the appointment of capable teachers; Therefore, it is sometimes referred to as " founder " of the School of Chartres. He became in 1006 Bishop of Chartres. Fulbert was a respected theologian, but is not regarded as an original thinker. He advised his students to adhere to the writings of the Fathers. The most famous student Fulbert was Berengar of Tours. Under the Bishop Ivo of Chartres ( 1090-1115/16 ), who was known for his canonical collections Decretum and Panormia, the Cathedral School took another upswing. From about 1110/1115 Bernhard of Chartres magister (teacher) was at the cathedral school, no later than 1124, he was appointed Chancellor and thus head of the school. He was by his erudition, his teaching skills and his understanding of Platonism for his students groundbreaking model.

With Chartres be since the end of the 19th century along with other Thierry of Chartres ( Theodoric ), William of Conches, Gilbert de la Porrée ( Gilbert of Poitiers, Gilbertus Porreta ) Clarembaldus of Arras, Bernardus Silvestris, and John of Salisbury ( died as Bishop of Chartres ) associated. Today, it is widely believed that Thierry and Gilbert predominantly taught in Paris and only temporarily in Chartres worked. Gilbert's students formed a special group " Porretaner " under which Alanus stood out from Insulis. Whether Wilhelm actually taught in Chartres and John of Salisbury if there ever studied, is uncertain. If, however, the term " School of Chartres " for a flow of intellectual history, this, those writers can be assigned.

Teaching content

In Chartres was associated with philosophical literary interests. Influential was the common Platonism, which - since you only knew the Timaeus of Plato's works - especially came in the field of mathematics and natural philosophy to bear. Particularly well received was Plato's concept of a world-soul as a cosmological principle. In addition to the quality teaching of the unique richness of the library offered excellent conditions for the formation efforts of the students. Subjects were, as elsewhere, the Seven Liberal Arts ( liberal arts ): The Trivium formed grammar, rhetoric and dialectic, the quadrivium were arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy; a peculiarity of Chartres was the relatively large weight that was put on the Arts, and the thoroughness with which they are studied. An important role was played by the commentary on the Timaeus; in logic and philosophy of language, the influence of Aristotle argued. A feature of the " Chartres " attributed scholars was for its time a relatively high appreciation of philosophy in relation to theology and reason over authority.

Towards the end of the 12th century, the importance of Chartres as a training center largely on what was related to a decreased interest in the well-kept there especially teaching content. Paris as a university town came increasingly to the fore. However, it was the works of the scholars who had been active in Chartres or influenced by the local tradition, and partly granted a significant aftereffect to the late Middle Ages.

Research controversies

From a " School of Chartres " is mentioned only at the end of the 19th century. Reginald L. Poole and Jules Alexandre Clerval had endeavor to various thinkers, which can be put in touch with Chartres to locate there and show relationships between them. The adoption of a "school" of Chartres in this site-specific meaning that would have been study or Lehrort all these persons, since the studies of Richard W. Southern and Peter Dronke is considered outdated. But Undeniably, the then heyday of the cathedral school of Chartres, on which at least a part of their traditionally assigned scholar has actually worked or studied. Whether you have the phrase " School of Chartres " to the cathedral school limit as a training center or can speak of a general school of thought with specific material characteristics, even if it only has a limited relationship to the space Chartres, about opinions differ. Among the representatives of a skeptical attitude that hardly grant the School of Chartres specific contours of the 2001 deceased Richard Southern was a leader. For a certain profile of a spiritual nature of a scholarly group that you want to call with the conventional name " Chartres ", Heinrich Schipperges, John Marenbon, Nikolaus Häring, Peter Dronke and Kurt Flasch include, albeit sometimes reluctant occurred.