Book Description

Iconography: Yves Christe and Pascale Fesquet. Codicology: Paul Edward Dutton, Lesley Smith, Mark Zier, Rosamond McKitterick, and Michael Lapidge. Philosophy—Antiquity: Jean Pépin, John M. Rist, Henri Dominique Saffrey, OP. Philosophy—The Carolingian Age: John J. O'Meara, Guy-H. Allard, Gangolf Schrimpf. Philosophy—The Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries: Gilbert Dahan, Jean Jolivet, Charles Burnett, Robert D. Crouse, Wanda Cizewski, John Marenbon, Giles Constable, Willemien Otten, P.L. Reynolds, Peter Dronke, Paolo Lucentini, Tanja Kupke. Philosophy—The Later Middle Ages: Zenon Kaluza. Conceived as an hommage for Edouard Jeauneau —maître par excellence— the volume is introduced by a reconstruction of the Creation on the North portal of Chartres Cathedral, followed by a section on the transmission of significant texts, such as Plato's Timaeus, through the manuscript tradition. The chapter on later Greek philosophy contains studies on Plotinus and Augustine, Proclus, and Pseudo-Dionysius. A separate section interprets the thought of Johannes Scottus Eriugena, whose connections with earlier authors and influence on medieval neoplatonists constitutes a leitmotiv throughout the volume. The twelfth century is represented by articles on Gilbert of Poitiers on matter, Adelard of Bath, Honorius of Autun, Abelard's ethics and theology, monastic asceticism, Hildegard of Bingen's allegories, allegorical zoology, Alan of Lille's anthropology, the role of the Muses, and the Hermetic Asclepius. The particular usefulness of this study is its presentation of neoplatonic thought in its historical unfolding from Antiquity to the Later Middle Ages through a wide range of disciplines, focused on specific ideas and metaphors.