“You said the church closed Plato’s Academy in Athens. Does that mean that
all the Greek philosophers were forgotten?”
“Not entirely. Some of the writings of Aristotle and Plato were known. But the
old Roman Empire was gradually divided into three different cultures. In Western
Europe we had a Latinized Christian culture with Rome as its capital. In Eastern
Europe we had a Greek Christian culture with Constantinople as its capital. This city
began to be called by its Greek name, Byzantium. We therefore speak of the
Byzantine Middle Ages as opposed to the Roman Catholic Middle Ages. However,
North Africa and the Middle East had also been part of the Roman Empire. This area
developed during the Middle Ages into an Arabic-speaking Muslim culture. After the
death of Muhammad in 632, both the Middle East and North Africa were won over to
Islam. Shortly thereafter, Spain also became part of the world of Islamic culture.
Islam adopted Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, and Bagdad as holy cities. From the point
of view of cultural history, it is interesting to note that the Arabs also took over the
ancient Hellenistic city of Alexandria. Thus much of the old Greek science was
inherited by the Arabs. All through the Middle Ages, the Arabs were predominant hi
sciences such as mathematics, chemistry, astronomy, and medicine. Nowadays we
still use Arabic figures. In a number of areas Arabic culture was superior to Christian
culture.”
“I wanted to know what happened to Greek philosophy.”
“Can you imagine a broad river that divides for a while into three different
streams before it once again becomes one great wide river?”
“Yes.”
“Then you can also see how the Greco-Roman culture was divided, but survived
through the three cultures: the Roman Catholic in the west, the Byzantine in the east,
and the Arabic in the south. Although it’s greatly oversimplified, we could say that
Neoplatonism was handed down in the west, Plato in the east, and Aristotle to the
Arabs in the south. But there was also something of them all in all three streams. The
point is that at the end of the Middle Ages, all three streams came together in
Northern Italy. The Arabic influence came from the Arabs in Spain, the Greek
influence from Greece and the Byzantine Empire. And now we see the beginning of
the Renaissance, the ‘rebirth’ of antique culture. In one sense, antique culture had
survived the Dark Ages.”
“I see.”
“But let us not anticipate the course of events. We mast first talk a little about
medieval philosophy. I shall not speak from this pulpit any more. I’m coming down.”
Sophie’s eyes were heavy from too little sleep. When she saw the strange monk
descending from the pulpit of St. Mary’s Church, she felt as if she were dreaming.
Alberto walked toward the altar rail. He looked up at the altar with its ancient
crucifix, then he walked slowly toward Sophie. He sat down beside her on the bench
of the pew.
It was a strange feeling, being so close to him. Under his cowl Sophie saw a
pair of deep brown eyes. They belonged to a middle-aged man with dark hair and a
little pointed beard. Who are you, she wondered. Why have you turned my life upside
down?
“We shall become better acquainted by and by,” he said, as if he had read her
thoughts.
As they sat there together, with the light that filtered into the church through the
stained-glass windows becoming sharper and sharper, Alberto Knox began to talk
about medieval philosophy.