HSTS 423 lecture notes notes PDF

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HSTS 423 lecture notes notes
Science and Religion
Dr. Gary Ferngren...

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Jesus (c. 4 BC – c. 30 AD) in Palestine (Bethlehem) There is no 0 BC Greece, Palestine, Egypt: conquered by Rome Jews: able to keep faith, but lost religious freedom Gentiles God would someday send a Messiah who would be culmination of Christian faith Matthew, Mark, Luke, John: Gospels Jewish religious leaders saw Jesus as a threat to their political power Jesus rose from the dead, appearing to his disciples and some 500 others A belief in Jesus’ resurrection is foundation of Christian faith Book of Acts 12 disciples: student or learner (follower) Rabbi: teacher

Christianity spread along the Mediterranean coast first Apostle Paul (Saint Paul) Paul: early persecutor of Christians, converted to Christianity by divine intervention (road to Damascus) Tarsus: Paul born here; Jew by dispersion 3 missionary journeys: 33 AD to 67 AD Cities: urban centers Pax Romana: war of peace Travel was fairly easy, especially by sea, safe as well Autocratic system

Paul went to cities because that’s where Jews of the dispersion were Synagogue: religious center for Jews Paul: multilingual; delivered Christian message at synagogue Paul began to preach to Gentiles Ecclesia: gathered community; early church

Early estimate: 10000 Christians; possibility of rapid expansion Circumcision: controversial; Gentile converts are not required to participate Dietary laws not imposed on Gentiles Conversion to Christianity did not require that Gentiles to become Jews first Moral laws binding, not ceremonial laws

Christians: regarded as a Jewish sect Romans: polytheists; tolerant to new religions; if certain Roman rules not challenged, you would not be bothered Certain rules did apply: Jews were not required to sacrifice to Roman emperor; enjoyed religious immunity 64 AD: Nero, 9 days; Rome destroyed Nero orders new city built Rumor spread that Nero started fire to begin rebuilding plan: rumor not true Nero had to find scapegoat for fire: blamed Christians Rome had large Greek speaking population: language was Greek in east, Latin in west Christians were blamed for being cannibals: probably a misinterpretation of the Eucharist (Lord ’s Supper; body and blood) ‘Lucky’ Christians became food for lions in the amphitheater Others were made into human torches in Nero’s garden

Peter and Paul put to death sometime during 65-70 AD Between 64-67 AD, began persecution of Christians lasting until 313 AD Patriotic duty to worship emperor Christians begin to form separate identity from orthodox Jews; Regarded as traitors Emperors claimed to be gods

Atheism: belief that there is/are no god(s) Socrates: charged for corrupting the youth and atheism

Paganism declined Paganism was being maintained by public support People looked for new religion: one that was based in emotion, etc.

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church” 312 AD: persecution ended; Constantine Constantine: Battle of Milvian Bridge (312 AD); saw a vision of a cross in the sky Constantine: a pagan; monotheist (probably worshiped sun god) Hoc Signo, Vince: by the sign of the cross Had sign of Christ (monogram) put on his battle equipment Edict of Milan (313 AD): Constantine and co-emperor issued; granted Christians freedom of religion; would not be put to death Up to this point, allegiance to Christianity could result in death penalty

Jesus chose 12 disciples; several fisherman; one tax collector; one zealot Tax collector: extortionists; grouped with ‘sinners’ Apostles: messenger of Jesus’ faith; definers of what Christian faith is Prophets: old Testament counterparts to apostles; messengers of God 12: symbolic of 12 tribes

Paul founded churches made of Jews and Gentiles in many cities Epistles: messages; became authoritative; Pauline epistles; circulated among churches James, John, Jude, Peter, Timothy: also wrote epistles Revelation: written to 7 churches in Asia Minor After John, the last apostle, Letters were transcribed; became known at New Testament Canon: group of approved works; highly debated; constantly revised 27 books in canon: apostolicity (is it God’s revealed word?), orthodoxy (‘right belief’), Mark (not an apostle): called Peter’s gospel Gnostics: i.e. gospel of Thomas

Pseud epigraphic: write a book and credit it to a famous author Widespread circulation: must be widely circulated Canonical books: contain orthodox works

3 types of religions in classical world (500 BC – 500 AD): Paganism: official religion of state; had a protecting god or goddess Pax aeorum: peace of the gods Peace kept through prayer and sacrifices; city is in danger; puts city on ‘bad side of the gods’ Politicians serving as priests You could believe whatever you wanted Did not provide emotional satisfaction people desired

Mystery religion: provided emotional satisfaction Isis

Philosophical schools: could be found in all major cities 1. Stoics 2. Epicureans 3. Cynics Intellectual equivalent of religions

Christianity: monotheistic Known for high moral teachings

Galen: physician; critical of Christianity; saw that Christians had moral beliefs and that governed their lives

Fathers: group of intellectuals who were Christians; most famous leaders of Christian thought; converted from paganism (polytheistic system of Classical Greek and Roman World)

Early intellectual elite; assimilators of pagan ideas; regarded as the authoritative leaders of Christian doctrine Patristics: study of the fathers specifically In the west, the language was Latin (AD 604); Western Fathers In the east, the language was Greek (AD 749); Eastern Fathers Apologetics (Apologia): defense of a belief Defense against intellectual thought

Philosophy and rhetoric (art of speaking): 2 things that were taught in schools Gnostics: tried to transform Christianity and other religion into pagan ideology (polytheism, syncretism (all religions are correct) If you can acknowledge many gods, you can acknowledge them all Man-centered: classical humanism Greek and Roman literature… Dualism: 2 different aspects to your thought (god of good and god of evil) Classical dualism: matter is evil; spirit is good

Incarnation: Jesus being fully God and fully man Resurrection: also denied by dualism

Soma Seme: the body is a tomb; escape the tomb of the body to become spiritual The Greeks sought to selectively support Christianity by selecting supporting arguments from Greek philosophy Selective appropriation of Greek philosophy

Justin Martyr (c. 100-165): Platonist; Platonist ideas destroyed by old man on the beach, but did not convert yet; persuaded by seeing guards saying that Christians were to be fed to lions; if something is worth dying for, it must be worth living for

Philosophers wear professional garb and beard

First Dialogue: Cynic: Justin Martyr: Charged with Christianity; one way to save yourself: sacrifice to emperor; he refused and was put to death Justin was the first Christian thinker to try to put together faith and reason Faith: theology Reason: philosophy; analytical ability; drawing inferences; use of intellect Faith and reason are opposed Revelation: derived from God and the Bible He brought Greek philosophy into the defense of Christianity There are traces of Christian truth to be found in Plato and other philosophers Preparatio Evangelica: pagan writers were forerunners for Christianity

Common charges: Christianity is superstitious; Christianity is not rational Superstition (superstitio): classification for a belief not regarded as an official religion

1. Defending 2. Defining Orthodox: true belief Ortho (straight); dox (belief) Heresy: false doctrine rejected by the fathers Creeds of the church (Credo (I believe)): best example of orthodox “I renounce the devil and all his angels”: Catechumens; used before baptism (on Easter)

Science (scientia) (knowledge): basic understanding of nature Natural philosophy: study of nature Take a rational approach to understand nature In the ancient world (classical period), they had nothing like modern science Natural philosophy is part of a bigger thing called philosophy

Philosophy: 1. How do we know? (epistemology) 2. Natural philosophy 3. Ethics (how ought I behave in the world?) PH.D: doctor of philosophy Natural philosophy in the ancient world was more broad than modern science Example: algemy; astrology; magical arts (esoterical) There were no jobs for scientists in the ancient world

Hellenistic: 323-30 BC Library Pergamum and Athens Early Greeks and Romans studied Mathematics, biology, medicine and astronomy: common areas of study

Matter is evil The universe is eternal (in the beginning God…) does not support an eternal universe Since matter is evil, God could not create it; a demiurge created it The universe is an organism, not alive, but not inert either; animism or pantheism Sun, moon and stars are gods Soul is not spiritual; it is material

Apologists: second century fathers Defending one’s faith was paramount to the faith being considered legitimate To discuss nature, one would have to go to Greek philosophy Reason: acquisition of knowledge Stoicism Plato

Were Christians interested in nature? If God created the world, a Christian would be interested in nature (God’s creation) Psalm 19: The heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament his handiwork Revelation: Philo Two books of God General revelation: revelation through nature Special revelation: revelation through the Bible People would see the hand of God in beauty; constancy of nature Kepler: 16th century astronomer; discovered 3 laws of planetary motion

Platos Timaeus: famous book; described cosmology; standard textbook Cosmology: study of the universe Tertullian: from Carthage; public speaker; rhetorician; could present compelling arguments; always criticizing pagan philosophers Academy (Greek school of philosophy) and Jerusalem: no connection Precise regularity of planets in orbit shows they are mechanical and therefore cannot be gods Universe can’t be eternal; therefore must be created by God Faith Materiality of the soul

Augustine (354-430 AD): wrote by dictation; “Confessions” – first account of his conversion; “Retractions” Curiositas: desire to know for the sake of knowing is not a good idea Handmaiden: Utilitarianism: choose the path that’s best for the most people (it has utility) Science is justified because its goal is to “create a better future” Study the sciences for the glory of God Literal interpretation of scripture: specifically Genesis 1 and 2 (Creation)

Avoided dogmatism: Natural philosophy and Genesis were in harmony If the narrative of Genesis and natural philosophy are pitted against each other, and natural philosophers all agree with each other, one would take the Genesis account metaphorically rather than literally. Conversely, one would take the Genesis account over natural philosophy if the natural philosophers were in disagreement. Hermaneutics: interpretation of the Bible

Hellenized: taking Greek views Faith: knowledge based on revelation Deduction (logic and reason) and investigation (induction) Greeks philosophers valued deduction over induction

Lecture 2: Civilization reached its peak in the 2nd century and wasn’t matched until the 19th century Edward Gibbon: “happiest century in history of mankind” Romans had ingenious way of dealing with law, civilization, etc. 50-60 million people in Roman Empire Travel was easier in 2nd century Rome than in 18th century Brilliant engineering All highways lead to Rome Rome served as a model Pax Romana: Roman peace Augustus 31 BC  476 AD Greek and Roman world experienced constant war Appeal to Caesar Civis Romanus Sum: I am a Roman citizen Encyclopedia: “a circle of knowledge” ; invented by Greeks

Synthesis of knowledge Romans spread Greek literature throughout empire Galen (129-c.215): Physician to the emperor; wrote books (400-500 treatises); magic name in medicine; unchallenged medical system Galenism: put medicine and philosophy together; heavily followed for 1500 years and few ideas are still followed today Ptolemy of Alexandria: astronomer and mathematician Almagest: handbook; translated into Arabic; standard textbook of astronomy until about 1600 (Copernicus) Tetrabiblius: synthesis of four books

Now where is Ferngren I am sitting here waiting He better get here Rome/ Roman Empire: established 31 BC – 476 AD by Augustus Barbarians: peoples on the boundaries of the Roman Empire; Rome fought to keep these people out Rhine Rive Emperor Constantine: moved capital of Roman Empire to Byzantium (Constantinople) 330 AD In 395, Theodosius: divided Empire between 2 sons; they disliked each other East more defensible than West Germans found it easier to fight in war than to engage in agriculture East emperor told Germans that they could have all the land they could conquer in the west Rome was called the “Eternal City” Augustine wrote a book called “The City of God” Franks settled in Gaul Anglo-Saxon England: __Huns (from Mongolia) settled Hungary Barbarian invasion Manors Paved roads began to deteriorate

Baths and aqueducts deteriorated Schools declined; people became illiterate 1100 AD: Eastern world fell into dark age; lack of information from this period indicates illiteracy Economy and industry halted; including agriculture 9th and 10th centuries: population reaches lowest depth Invasions by Vikings (Scandinavia), Muslims and Magyars Vikings most destructive; known as the Danes, Norse, People from the North Nobility and serfs: distinct classes Magyars settled in Hungary Byzantine Empire: eastern empire; lasted over 1000 years Western Europe overwhelmingly agricultural Monks preserved the art of learning Monasticism: wanted to escape the temptations of highly pagan society Saint Anthony: 251-356 AD; monk; lived by himself as an Anchorite (Hermit); lived life in prayer and personal piety in the desert Cenobitic Monasticism: monks would live together in a community Syria, Greece and Eastern Mediterranean: spread of monasticism Benedict of Nursia: gave away all his wealth; founded several monastery; most famously Monte Casino Work and Prayer: life should consist of only these things; Ora et labora (Pray and Work) Work is given by God as essential part of life Idleness is the devil’s workshop Monks took 3 vows: chastity, poverty and obedience to head of the monestary Asceticism: deprived of worldly pleasures Monasteries became known in the Middle Ages as a model of heaven Everything was done to glorify God Self-supporting Developed sustainable agriculture Cassiodorus: high Roman official; used fortune to found monastery Scriptorium: a place for writing

Monks became the literate people After the fall of Rome, learning took place only in monasteries Latin became the language Latin broke down into the Romance languages: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese English is more related to the German language [Liber]al arts (that which is necessary for a free man): Trivium (Grammar, Dialectic (Logic), Rhetoric) [GDR] and Quadrivium (Geometry, Arithmetic, Music, Astronomy) [GAMA] Saint Catherine of Sienna Convent: for Nuns

Ireland: land not conquered by Romans; isolated; escaped many problems of the dark ages; avoided Germanic invasions; evangelized by Saint Patrick; 387-960 AD; Celtic Patrick: kidnapped as a boy; converted to Christianity; escaped to Britain; felt led by God to evangelize to the Irish; introduced Latin; created an alphabet for Gaelic Center for Christianity was not in churches; it was in monasteries

Monasticism: for 700 years, monks preserved civilization swept away by barbarians Ireland: regarded as a barbarian island 387-460: Saint Patrick Introduced Roman alphabet and Gaelic (also as a written language) 300 years called the Golden Age of Ireland: literature and poetry flourished; Irish became most culturally advanced; mostly free from barbarian attacks 1066: Norman Conquest; most significant date in English history Priests studied secular literature Greek was the language of most of the classical secular works Insula Sanctorum Et Doctorum: island of Saints and Scholars Peregrini: wanderers Saint Columba(n): traveler; took 12 followers and founded monasteries; driven into exile; went to Italy and founded his last monastery before he died Disciples founded monasteries in Germany, Spain

One would found a monastery to convert people Literary culture Literary age came to end in 9th century due to Viking raids Norman, Norsemen, Men from the North Built best ships Monasteries were sacked Vikings terrorized the land Age of warfare between Vikings and Irish and even between Irish colonies

Frankish Kingdom: German barbaric group (481), conquered France Clovis (481) Charlemagne (768-814): Charles the Great (Carolus); 54 wars; won most of them; Was illiterate Issued a decree that monasteries must train boys to study the quadrivium Rats and mice: destroyed many books Charlemagne required manuscripts to be copied; Carolingian renaissance Tacitus:

1. Boethius 2. Cassiodorus 3. Isidore; Etymologies: origins of words 4. Venerable Bede; most famous book (Ecclesiasicals)

De Rerum Natura: “On the Nature of Things” Calendar

Plato Quid Distat Inter Sottum Palatine school

Vivarium Scriptorum Jarrow

Gerbert of Aurilla: 10th to 11th century Wanted to study mathematics; went to Italy; first person in European history to bring Aristotle’s works into study; “Old Logic”; wrote extensively on mathematics; elected Pope Sylvester II Logic and reason became very important Secular education became the basis for knowledge Studying secular subjects allowed for stronger knowledge of the Bible No specialized fields in medieval times Monks studied in monasteries; theology

Monks took with tem the manuscript (books and scrolls) Ireland: island of scholars

By the year 1000, Europe had reached its lowest point of civilization But, trade reopened between Western Europe and Eastern Mediterranean Constantinople: wealthy city; industrial and shipping city Arabs cut off trade Venice Pushing the Arabs out Europeans moved east Western Europeans traded basic goods like trees and furs for more luxury goods from the east

Oxford: Oxen crossing the river; became a city; universities founded in cities Cambridge: Over the river Cam Burg Civilization!

3 of the wealthiest cities in Europe: Flanders Brugge, Belgium Northern Italy Southern France: port cities

1000-1300: high middle ages

c. 500-1000 (breakup of Roman empire, c. 1000-1300 (high middle ages, rise of trade and cities Many cities came inexistence 1100-1400 AD Flanders, Northern Italy, Southern France (Burgundy): 3 major trade cities in Europe Monasteries and Cathedrals: 1200-1500 AD: Earliest universities came into existence (60 universities) Cathedral and Monastery schools Universities: shaped the way our system is now First degree: Bachelor of Arts B.A. Italy had the most famous universities in Europe Second degree: Master of Arts M.A. Curriculum: philosophy (natural philosophy) Graduate degrees (Dr.): medicine, theology, law Doctor: learned person 3 doctors: Medicine: Galen Mathematics: Ptolemy Philosophy: Aristotle

Aristotle (384-322 BC): father was physician to the king of Macedonia, enrolled in the academy (center of higher education), invited to become tutor to Alexander the Great, returned to Athens to found own academy (Lyceum) Peripatetic (one who walks a lot): follower of Aristotle Alexander: huge interest in the natural sciences Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

Plato: wrote dialogues, beautiful Greek Aristotle: wrote in a more “lecture notes” style Aristotle first classified the sciences into different fields (defined different fields) Politics (plural): there were 2 volumes of politics Ethics: 2 volumes of ethics Metaphysics: after-physics book

Aristotle: tried to expla...