The worlds of legal structures and romantic entanglements take a huge step forward during this time period. On today’s episode, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions:

1. How did Charlemagne’s patronage of the liberal arts lead to the establishment of the university?
2. Was the signing of the Magna Carta a legal development unique to England?
3. How do the letters of Peter Abelard and Heloise illustrate the development of love, both between man and woman as well as between man and God?

The next great philosopher in the tradition of western thought was Thomas Aquinas. As we survey his intellectual developments, we’ll address the following questions:

1. Within the broad tradition of Christian scholars, what makes Aquinas so unique?
2. What was Aquinas’ goal in examining and writing about even the most seemingly insignificant theological disputes?
3. How does Aquinas explain the nature of evil?

Recommended Reading: Snell, RJ. Lost in the Chaos: Immanence, Despair, Hope. New York: Angelico Press, 2023.

Maimonides arguably was the greatest philosopher of the twelfth century. Today, Rabbi Rocklin will help us unpack his legacy and address the following questions:

1. Why was Maimonides’ codification of Jewish law so monumental? How did his system of codification diverge from the Talmud?
2. How did Maimonides’ Guide to the Perplexed help push western philosophy forward?
3. Why was The Guide to the Perplexed banned by some Jewish rabbis? Why was the ban ultimately lifted?

The Medieval Islamic world was very advanced in its scholarship and studies, and in some instances surpassed the scholars of Europe. As we survey some of the greatest Islamic thinkers, we’ll address the following questions:

1. When and how did the Islamic philosophical tradition begin?
2. What made the world of Medieval Islam so conducive to the study of philosophy?
3. Why is Averroes seen negatively within the Christian philosophical tradition?

Life as a Jew in the Middle Ages was difficult across both Christendom and Islamic lands. To help us unpack the topic, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions:

1. How much truth is there to the notion that life for the Jews under Medieval Christendom was bleak?
2. Why did distinctions between Sephardic and Ashkenazic traditions begin developing in this time?
3. What fueled the many Jewish migrations across Europe? How does the Spanish Inquisition fit into the larger picture of persecution?

When it came to establishing the doctrine of the Catholic Church, there are few quite as important and influential as Augustine. To explore the topic, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions:

1. Why are Augustine’s reflections on his childhood considered monumental?
2. According to Augustine, what is the best way for a Christian to protect his soul? How can the Christian achieve immortality?
3. How does Augustine reimagine history distinct from Herodotus and Thucydides?

Recommended Reading: Augustine of Hippo. Confessions. Translated by F.J. Sheed. Indiana: Hacket Publishing Company, 2006.

The disasters of the fourteenth century triggered reactions that involved and impacted the highest levels of the Roman Catholic Church. As we work through the topic, we’ll explore the following questions:

1. How did the populace of Europe respond to the disasters of the fourteenth century?
2. Why did religious reformers begin springing up around this time? How did the Church react to them?
3. What were the goals of Gothic architecture?

The greatness of the thirteenth century will collapse into the disasters of the fourteenth. To explain the how and why of it, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions:

1. Why did the price and wage controls not help the economic chaos following the Black Death?
2. Why were the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries known as the Age of Parliament?
3. What sparked the Hundred Years’ War?