Monday, October 09, 2006
(9:26 PM) | Adam Kotsko:
The Dam is Breached
Some of those who gave recommendations for my medieval theology directed reading may be wondering if I've come to any conclusions. Due to a dissertation topic I have in mind, which shall remain top-secret for now, it now appears that scholasticism is going to be unavoidable -- though thankfully, I may still be able to join in the grand tradition of bypassing Protestant scholasticism. Also, I'm going to go back and pick up Tertullian, since I missed him in the patristics study -- the rationale being that he's Latin, and I guess Latin is relevant to medieval stuff. This leaves me less room for oddball characters, at least if this isn't to become an absolutely infinite directed study like some I have done in the past.So here is my tentative list. First, the Eastern people, whom I have to get under my belt relatively quickly in order to teach it (quick note -- thank God for Jaroslav Pelikan!):
- Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite
- John of Damascus
- Symeon the New Theologian
- Tertullian
- Paschasius Radbertus and Ratramnus, monks of Corbie
- John Scotus Erigena
- Joachim of Fiore
- Anselm of Canterbury
- Thomas Aquinas
- William of Ockham
- Duns Scotus
I mean, eventually one must "get to" everyone -- but one must also eventually "get done" with coursework.
While I work this out, everyone needs to go read Ratramnus's Epistola de cynocephalis, in J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae latinae cursus completus 120, 1153-56. I haven't technically read it yet, but I do have a photocopy sitting on my desk as we speak.
