The image of the world in Medieval theology Cover Image

Obraz świata w średniowiecznej teologii
The image of the world in Medieval theology

Author(s): Jerzy Buczek
Subject(s): Theology and Religion, Systematic Theology
Published by: Instytut Teologiczno-Pastoralny im. św. Józefa Sebastiana Pelczara w Rzeszowie

Summary/Abstract: Medieval authors, both theologians and philosophers, and writers and poets as well, aimed at creating one model that would depict the whole reality: God, world and man. They used creatively the image of the world from the Greek philosophy to illustrate the whole reality of the world created by God as a one system perfectly corresponding to the theology. According to St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas, and other medieval theologians the world is harmonically structured into to the levels of perfection. All realities interact. In the centre of the world there is man. God as a creator with his power, employing angels and using planets rules the whole reality. Planet interaction is related to the whole reality with the exception of thinking and free acts of the man. The world rotates, all leads to the man salvation and at the end when the rotation stops there will be no time, no birth and no death. In the depiction given by medieval theologians, nature, philosophy and theology constitute the great whole which can be defined as a Christian world view.

  • Issue Year: 2009
  • Issue No: 16
  • Page Range: 45-70
  • Page Count: 25
  • Language: Polish