John+of+Salisbury+-+A+Medieval+Renaissance+Man

 John of Salisbury - A Medieval Renaissance Man John of Salisbury **Life and Learning﻿** The Twelfth-century was a period of great change in Western Europe. After centuries of unstable living conditions, the growth of Christian humanism, the Twelfth-century Renaissance and the beginnings of widespread church and social reform. John of Salisbury was a man from a humble background, but then became one of the Twelfth-century's greatest scholars. His name refers to his birthplace in England, but he spent many years of his life on the continent, and his final years were spent running the bishopric at Chartres in France. His studies at both Paris University and Chartres consisted of Latin, the Classics and Philosophy. He was a prolific writer and chronicler, and the volume called //Policraticus// was one of several important works that he wrote. Other works included //Metalogicon// and //Historia Pontificalis//, the latter written as a chronicle of the Papacy during the crusading years. John was also friend, and highly respected associate and colleague to a number of eminent figures of this era: [|Peter Abelard], Thomas Becket (Archbishop of Canterbury), Bernard of Clairvaux, Nicholas Breakspear (better known as his title of Pope Adrian IV, the only Englishman to ever hold the office), and many others that knew him through his scholastic and administrative work with the Church.



Medieval view of Chartres

Policraticus
In [|Policraticus] John covers many topics that include people from all aspects of daily life, from actors to princes. He was heavily influenced by the scholars from the Classical era such as Plato, Augustus, and particularly Aristotle. He always took care when referring to Classical ideas, as he was a religious man living at a time when all life revolved around the church. All of his theories were developed with the church's ideals of the day firmly in mind. It is a work of political theory but is also a guideline on how to live a pious life. He promotes moderation in all things and is resolute on what is right and wrong behaviour. For example, after making a particular point, he quotes the verse from the Bible that he has related the point to. By keeping them 'reasonable' he is able to introduce ideas that may have otherwise attracted criticism. By this he means not stepping outside of what is socially and religiously accepted. His chapter on the correct behaviour of monarchs is particularly detailed, dealing with the ideals of how a man in this position should behave, including his responsibilities to his office, people, and God. He also talks about how a monarch is the non-spiritual representation of God and Church, which enables the king to commit a violent act in the protection of his people, and not commit sin in doing so. For example, he could go to war against another country or dispense punishment for crimes committed by his subjects. All throughout the book, all topics discussed are always brought back to the Church and what is acceptable.



Policraticus

Twelfth-Century Humanism
 John is known for his humanistic thought right from when these ideas were first being debated and discussed in northern France. His associations with Peter Abelard, Gilbert de la Porrée, and Robert Pullen during his first years in Paris had such an impact on him that he kept these ideas at the forefront of his writings and they were evident in how he treated others. [|Humanism] at that time was not the same as it is now in the twenty-first century as it was still bound by the restraints of the Christian ideals of Latin Christendom, but the idea was gaining a significant hold for the first time as a key point in social reform. On John's return to Paris from Chartres some years later, he was disappointed to see that his friends had not progressed the discussion due to their dislike of one another. In the end it was only a small portion of the discussions happening throughout the scholarly world for humanistic aspects of the reforms, and John's part in this was not an insignificant one.

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Pope Benedict XIV at presentation dedicated to John of Salisbury (left) Biography of Aristotle (right)

Conclusion
Biographer Peter von Moos wrote of John's "extraordinary sense for historical phenomena and his achievements in 'practical philosophy'." This is the conundrum that was twelfth-century philosophic and literary thought, and the doctrine of Latin Christendom. John of Salisbury gave another perspective and in doing so opened so many minds to the growing ideal of questioning moderately within the realms of the 'reasonable'.

Europe in the Twelfth-century