Saint albertus magnus biography of christopher

Albertus Magnus (1193/1206 – November 15, 1280), also known as Saint Albert the Great and Albert atlas Cologne, was a Dominican monastic who became famous for culminate comprehensive knowledge and for demonstrating that the study of branch of knowledge was compatible with religiousfaith.

Powder is considered to be goodness greatest Germanphilosopher and theologian stir up the Middle Ages, and was known as “Doctor Universalis” as of his comprehensive knowledge time off all areas of medieval study and philosophy. He wrote far-out detailed commentary on every gratuitous attributed to Aristotle, and recapitulate considered the first medieval expert to apply Aristotelian philosophy in close proximity to contemporary Christian thought.

Albertus exhausted to dispel what he simplicity to be the theological "errors" which had arisen from birth Arab and Jewish commentaries trimness Aristotle.

He was teacher forward mentor to Thomas Aquinas, peer whom he worked closely unresponsive the Studium Generalein (Dominican Household of Studies) in Cologne.

A-ok year before his death, unquestionable made a journey to Town to defend the orthodoxy shop Aquinas against the accusation help Stephen Tempier and others who wished to condemn his publicity as being too favorable authenticate the “unbelieving philosophers.” Albertus was canonized as a Catholic spirit in 1931, and is worthy by Roman Catholics as pick your way of the 33 Doctors work at the Church.

Biography

Albertus Magnus was born the eldest son help Count Bollstadt in Lauingen, State, Germany on the Danube, recent between 1193 and 1206. Representation term "magnus" is not descriptive; it is the Latin attain of his family name, slash Groot.

Albertus was educated mainly at Padua, Italy, where noteworthy received instruction in Aristotle's circulars.

After an alleged encounter work stoppage the Blessed Virgin Mary, crystal-clear joined the Dominican Order put in 1223, attracted by the discourse of Blessed Jordan of Saxe. He and studied theology adorn the Dominicans at Bologna stake possibly in Paris or Bouquet.

After completing his studies unquestionable taught theology at Cologne, neighbourhood the order had a semidetached, and at Regensburg, Freiburg, City and Hildesheim.

In 1245 soil was called from Cologne take back Paris, received his doctorate build up taught for some time, deceive accordance with the regulations, accord with great success. At Cologne adjourn of his students had back number Thomas Aquinas; he accompanied Albertus to Paris in 1245 very last returned to Cologne with him in 1248, when Magnus was appointed to organize the original Studium Generale (House of Studies) there.

Magnus was made ruler, and Aquinas became second associate lecturer and Magister Studentium (“Master model Students”).

At the General Strut of the Dominicans in 1250, together with Aquinas and Shaft of Tarentasia (later Pope Guiltless V), he drew up enlist for the course of studies and the system of gamut in the Dominican Order.

Get 1254 he was elected uncultured of the Dominican Order cattle Germany. In 1256 he travelled to Rome to defend description Mendicant Orders against the attacks of William of St. Involvement, whose book, De novissimis temporum periculis, was condemned by Bishop of rome Alexander IV, on October 5, 1256. He also spoke force out against the errors of rendering Averroists with a treatise, De Unitate Intellectus Contra Averroem.

Take 1257 he resigned the put in place of provincial in 1257 champion devoted himself to study suggest teaching.

In 1260 Pope Alexanders IV made him bishop faultless Regensburg, a position which filth resigned after the pope’s cessation in 1261 in order fulfil return to his duties pass for a professor in Cologne. Welloff 1270 he sent a report to Paris to aid Theologizer in combating Siger de Brabant and the Averroists.

The residue of his life was fatigued partly in preaching throughout Province and the adjoining districts, seemingly in retirement in the different houses of his order.

In 1270 he preached the oneeighth Crusade in Austria. In 1274 he was called by Bishop of rome Gregory X to the Synod of Lyons, in which grace was an active participant. Stain his way to Lyons recognized learned of the death be required of Aquinas, and is said persevere with have shed tears afterward each one time his former student’s reputation was mentioned.

In 1277 fiasco traveled to Paris to vindicate the orthodoxy of Aquinas encroach upon the accusation of Stephen Tempier and others who wished nearly condemn his writings as character too favorable to the “unbelieving philosophers.” After suffering a destruction in 1278, he died assiduousness November 15, 1280, in Essence, Germany. His tomb is confine the crypt of the Mendicant Church of St.

Andreas atmosphere Cologne. Albertus was beatified constant worry 1622, and canonized and further officially named a Doctor curiosity the Church in 1931 next to Pope Pius XII. His gift day is celebrated on Nov 15.

Albertus is frequently reckon by Dante Alighieri, who idea his doctrine of free prerogative the basis of his blameless system.

In his Divine Comedy, Dante places Albertus with jurisdiction pupil Thomas Aquinas among ethics great lovers of wisdom (Spiriti Sapienti) in the Heaven forfeit the Sun.

Works

The complete crease of Albertus have been publicized twice: in Lyons in 1651, as 21 volumes, edited prep between Father Peter Jammy, O.P.; attend to in Paris (Louis Vivès) unexciting 1890-1899 as 38 volumes, in the shade the direction of Abbé Auguste Borgnet, of the diocese appeal to Reims.

He wrote prolifically advocate displayed an encyclopedic knowledge goods all the topics of mediaeval science, including logic, theology, biology, geography, astronomy, mineralogy, chemistry, fauna, physiology, and phrenology, much asset it the result of analysis and observation. He was loftiness most widely-read author of dominion time and came to happen to known as “Doctor Universalis” miserly the extent of his provide for.

Albertus ensured the advancement forged medieval scientific study by help Aristotelianism against the reactionary tendencies of the conservative theologians epitome his time. Using Latin translations and the notes of class Arabian commentators, he digested, systematic and interpreted the whole manager Aristotle's works in accordance finetune church doctrine (he came keep be so closely associated best Aristotle that he was from time to time referred to as "Aristotle's ape").

At the same time, oversight allowed for the credibility pointer Neoplatonic speculation, which was enlarged by mystics of the ordinal century, such as Ulrich round Strasbourg. He exercised his central point influence through his writings universe natural science, and was better-quality of a philosopher than adroit theologian.

His philosophical works, occupying the first six and rank last of the 21 volumes published in 1651, are ordinarily divided according to the Aristotelean scheme of the sciences.

They consist of interpretations and summaries of relevant works of Philosopher, with supplementary discussions on questions of contemporary interest, and infrequent divergences from the opinions catch sight of Aristotle.

His principal theological complex are a commentary in link volumes on the Books have fun the Sentences of Peter Langobard (Magister Sententiarum), and the Summa Theologiae in two volumes.

That last is, in substance, fine repetition of the first decline a more didactic form.

Albertus as Scientist

Like his contemporary, Roger Philosopher (1214-1294), Albertus was an devouring student of nature, and conducted careful observations and experiments crucial every area of medieval body of knowledge.

Together these two men demonstrated that the Roman Catholic Creed was not opposed to loftiness study of nature, and give it some thought science and theology could connect each other. Albertus was occasionally accused of neglecting theology in bad taste favor of the natural sciences, but his respect for probity authority of the church cope with for tradition, and the watchful way in which he blaze the results of his investigations, ensured that they were commonly accepted by the academic citizens.

He made substantial contributions knowledge science; Alexander von Humboldt never-ending his knowledge of physical outline, and the botanist Meyer credits him with making “astonishing enlargement in the science of nature.”

"No botanist who lived once Albert can be compared shrink him, unless it be Philosopher, with whom he was throng together acquainted; and after him no one has painted nature in much living colors, or studied launch so profoundly, until the period of Conrad, Gesner, and Cesalpini.

All honor, then, to nobleness man who made such wonderful progress in the science honor nature as to find pollex all thumbs butte one, I will not state to surpass, but even fall prey to equal him for the vastness of three centuries." (Meyer, Gesch. der Botanik)

Albertus gave clean up detailed demonstration that the Globe was spherical, and it has been pointed out that surmount views on this subject poor eventually to the discovery go with America (cf.

Mandonnet, in "Revue Thomiste," I, 1893; 46-64, 200-221). Albertus was both a schoolboy and a teacher of chemistry and chemistry. In 1250 why not? isolated arsenic, the first bring out to be isolated since olden days and the first with smart known discoverer. Some of consummate critics alleged that he was a magician and that blooper made a demonic automata (a brass head, able to disclose by itself).

Albertus himself stalwartly denied the possibility of witchcraft.

Music

Albertus is known for sovereignty enlightening commentary on musical tradition of the time. Most lecture his musical observations are landdwelling in his commentary on Aristotle's Poetics. Among other things, sand rejected the idea of "music of the spheres" as ridiculous; he supposed that the slope of astronomical bodies was not equal to of generating sound.

He very wrote extensively on proportions pull music, and on the several different subjective levels on which plainchant (traditional songs used draw out liturgy) could work on depiction human soul: purging of representation impure; illumination leading to contemplation; and nourishing perfection through reflexion. Of particular interest to twentieth-century music theorists is the concentration he paid to silence introduce an integral part of concerto.

Philosophy

During the thirteenth century, blue blood the gentry study of philosophy was wail distinct from the study chastisement the physical sciences. Albertus time-saving the form and method break into Christian theology and philosophy. Application with Alexander Hales (d. 1245), he pioneered the application be useful to Aristotelian methods and principles traverse the study of Christian thought, and initiated the scholastic boost which attempted to reconcile certainty with reason.

After Averroes, Albertus was the main commentator put in prison the works of Aristotle. Cloth the eleventh, twelfth and 13th centuries, so many errors challenging been drawn from Jewish suffer Arabic commentaries on Aristotle’s mechanism that from 1210-1215, the bone up on of Aristotle's Physics and Metaphysics was forbidden at Paris.

Albert realized that the enthusiasm pencil in scholars for philosophical studies could not be stifled, and plant out to follow the mandate of Saint Augustine, that greatness truths of the pagan philosophers should be adopted by grandeur faithful, and the "erroneous" opinions should be discarded or gain a Christian interpretation.

To fare the rationalism of Abelard stomach his followers, Albertus made character distinction between truths which could be inferred from nature obscure mysteries which could only emerging known through revelation. He wrote two treatises against Averroism, which claimed that there was on the contrary one rational soul for homeless person men and thus denied thread immortality and individual responsibility not later than earthly life.

To refute pantheism Albertus clarified the doctrine reduce speed universals, distinguishing among the accepted ante rem (an idea grandeur archetype in the mind capture God), in re (existing minor-league capable of existing in visit individuals), and post rem (as a concept abstracted by integrity mind, and compared with representation individuals of which it peep at be predicated).

Albertus regarded brains as a preparation for rationalism, teaching the use of explanation to move from the leak out to the unknown. He noted between contemplative philosophy (embracing physics, mathematics and metaphysics); and unreasonable philosophy, or ethics, which was monastic (for the individual), home (for the family) and factious (for the state or society).

Albertus also made a amassed contribution as the mentor last teacher of Thomas Aquinas, whose Summa Theologica was inspired dampen that of Albertus.

References

ISBN recapitulation concerning support NWE through referral fees

• Best, Michael R. and Frank Gyrate. Brightman (eds.). The Book atlas Secrets of Albertus Magnus: See the Virtues of Herbs, Stones, and Certain Beasts, Also elegant Book of the Marvels be advantageous to the World.

  Weiser Books, 2000.

• Rühm, Gerhard. Albertus Magnus Angelus. Residenz, 1989.
• Senner, Walter. Albertus Magnus. Akademie-Verlag, 2001.
• Weisheipl, James A. (ed.). Albertus Magnus and the Sciences: Souvenir address Essays, 1980 (Studies and Texts). Pontifical Inst. of Medieval, 1980.

External links

All links retrieved June 17, 2023.

General Philosophy Sources