MEDIEVAL PHASE OF PHILOSOPHY: A CRITICAL EXPOSE ON SOME THEMATIC MEDIEVAL THINKERS AND THEIR PHILOSOPHICAL STANDPOINTS

MEDIEVAL PHASE OF PHILOSOPHY: A CRITICAL EXPOSE ON SOME THEMATIC MEDIEVAL THINKERS AND THEIR PHILOSOPHICAL STANDPOINTS

BY: EKENEME VINCENT CHIBUKE

Introduction
In the heart of each epoch of philosophy is generally characterized by various thematic issues and philosophers. The prima epoch which is the ancient philosophy focuses on the inquiry to the fundamental stuff of the universe. Down to the medieval era, it engages in using faith and reason to justify the existence of God.
    The predominant philosophers in medieval era was however greatly influenced by platonic through his work "new platonic" which has a religious and mythical element. The "new platonic" seems to provide the most convenient intellectual support for religious doctrines.
    The goal of the medieval philosophy is to provide a respectable philosophical foundation for theological positions. Some medieval thinkers who dominated the epoch were; St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aqinus, Boteus, Anselm, Origin, Averroes, scotus and others.
    For the purpose of this work however, a close outlook shall be taken on the influence of of plotinus on four medieval thinkers using the following outlines:
1. The concept and nature of of plotinus
2. The influence of plotinus on the following;
    A. St. Augustine
    B. Justin
    C. Clement of Alexandra
    D. Origen
3. Evaluation
4. Conclusion

The concept and nature of of plotinus
 Neoplatonism is the modern term for a school of philosophy that took shape in the thirth century with the philosopher known as plotinus. Plotinus who was born around 103 AD had great influence of plato and also philosophers like protagoras, herclitus, aristotle and others in his work.
    The doctrine of plotinus begins with the doctrine of the "one". For him, the one is absolute trascedence. The one trascends the human existence, thought and other things. The one is absolutely incomprehensible, eternal,immutable, indivisible and has unique distinction from any other being.
    For Plotinus' ontology, he placed the ultimate centre and origin of the as the 'one'. This implies that the one is the origin of all the source of diversity in the world. Another divine being according to Plotinus is the 'Nous' which also means mind or spirit emanated from the one as a matter of necessity. Mind is the closest being to the one and it is eternal. Soul is another divine spirit which emanated from the mind and it is divided into higher and lower soul. Both of them however are interconnected to the Nous and the Nature.
     The human soul pre-existed in the spiritual world before it comes to the material world. So, when the soul mingle with the material world it get contaminated and it therefore needs purification before going back to the one.

Augustine
    St Augustine is search of truth had found what he believed to be a true presentation of reality in what he had read in plato and plotinus work. He had time to acquire effective knowledge of the philosophy which he now use to justify the claim of the revealed truth of christian theology.
    Augustine accepted and conceived the plotinian theory of the 'one' as the equivalent of creation, by his lack of full realization of the utter trascendence of the platonic one and his acceptance of the tree divine hypotheses as a pagan precision of the trinity. He was thus able to apply the second person of the christian trinity to the word, what platonic attributed to the divine mind
    Augustine was also influenced by platonic tradition that he held that the object of knowledge are not material, rather they are immutable and eternal. According to plate, these eternal and immutable ideas are in the world of form. However, according to Augustine, they are in the mind of God. Whew we therefore acquire this knowledge, it means our mind perceives this eternal and immutable ideas. This means that the eternal truth and ideas is superior to the human mind. The mind is able to grasp the divine truth through the Divine Illumination.
    According to Augustine, he said the human mind is restless unless it finds happiness it seeks. This means that the desire for happiness can be only achieve from the transcendence because happiness itself is eternal and immutable. In relation to the problem of evil, platonic deduct that darkness is privation of light as explained in his theory of the one. Consequently. Augustine refer evil as the privation of good. Evil is not o positive entity no being it is rather a detachment of good. God is awesomely good and as such he cannot create evil, evil evolve as a result of human being moving far away from the light and find himself in darkness.

Justin
    Justin tries to ascertain the nature of God using reason and was influenced be the truth of plate philosophy. In justin's opinion, every man, insofar he has reason, participate in some ways in the Divine reason (the eternal logos) which is a universal principle of rationality. This now makes man to have ability and capacity to gather some fragment of truth; a truth which christ has allowed us to know in its entirety.
    Justin believes that religion is more sublime than any other human doctrine because christ who has appeared to us men, represent the principle of logos in its totality; in a totality of body logos and soul. Logos is at the centre of justice interest. This logos is not of philosophy, rather they are of christ announced in the scripture. This is the son of God generated by the father, personally distinct from the father without being separated from God,s unity.
    Justin profess that he is a Christian and glory not only that plato,s doctrine are dissimilar from those of christ but because of platonic theory of one are not only identical to those of christ. Justin tend to compare philosophy and christenity in relation to the perfect and imperfect, partial and total. Justine reaches this terminus primarily through a reflection of the history of salvation.
    Lastly, justine tries to establish the fact that no opposition between philosophy and christening; a natural convergence exist and both progress towards the same truth which is revealed fully in christening, while philosophy reveals itself in a fragmentary and obscure way.

Clement of alexandria
     Clement of alexandra who was also refer to as father of christian philosophy did not contend a defense of cause of philosophy. Although he did this fervently, demonstrating how philosophy was chosen by gentiles to prepare christ's coming. He did not only use plate or stoic or platonic to explain christian truth but also accept philosophy as a logical procedure to give a rational character to some fundamental truth.
    Clement notion of soul is purely immortal due to the mystery of incarnation. He also ephasizes detachment from passion and pleasure, therefore dedicating our care to the soul. Only soul according to him is closer to God. The mind (Nous) is pure and in a certain way ready to receive God,s potency because his image has been established. Therefore . It is impossible for one to reach the knowledge of God. God according to him is incomprehensible and we cannot know anything in his nature.
     Clement slated two motive to justify the doctrine of immortality are more philosophical. Having recognize the truth of christenity and the beatitude it announces one sees that this implies that the soul is immortality.
     Clement tries to clarify the properties and attributes distinguishing the 'logos form all divinity worshiped buy the Greek and Romans. The Greek philosophy describe logos as the christ who is the son of God. Clement however describe logos in what he does to communicate his wisdom grace and happiness to man. The nature of the son of God who is the closest to the omnipotent God, who is the most perfect and sacred, exceedingly dominating, regal and beneficent. He is noble and detaches himself from his summit because he is undivided and intact. He is also spirit and paternal light, all eye, speculator and know er of all things.

Origin
    Origin supports clement's solution. For clement, there is no state of enmity between philosophy and theology, but that there exist a solidarity and alliance between the two. In his opinion, philosophy plays a favorable role to christian doctrine, both by and after christ coming. Before christ, philosophy prepared the Greek to understand and accept the word 'logos' of revelation. Philosophy for him give an adequate ground for the truth revealed by the word of God.
     Origin regarded God as the spiritual (incorrect) and trashcans nature. He also argues for the fact that God is the principle of all things based on simplicity. God for him is the principle of all things and cannot be believed to be composed. Otherwise, the object which make up anything we call composed would be anterior to the principle itself.
      God is a simple intellectual nature and he is absolute gonad and from his absolute intelligence come all intelligence substances. God according to him is also absolutely trescedent to the world of matter and his reality is highly incomprehensible and inscrutable. Whatever we think and comprehend of God,We must believe that he is greatly superior to what we think of him. The nature of God is incomprehensible, nevertheless our intelligence can still know little about him through his created realities and to know him as father of all.
     According to origin, God created a complex of natural nature in which all are equally good and perfect as it depicts his nature. However, as a result of their good and bad use of freedom of choice, they formed themselves into angel, men and demon. The creator allowed the intelligences to do their own good and preserve their need as well. Due to the negligence of preserving goodness originated for good. To detach oneself from good lead to evil because lack off good. Hence from this free will, there is passage off being from one category to the other; man can become an angel (extremely goodness)or even a demon (evil), so also a demon can become a man ant then a angel.

Evaluative Conclusion
The fact remains the most of the medieval thinkers were greatly influenced by platonic. However some were also influenced by other philosophers who they get acquaintance with. For the fundamental problem of evil however still create a. Vacuum in my heart as I continue to ask that if evil is not created why then does the ultimate God allow it to crept into his good handwork to create chaos? For God, he is an eternal incomprehensible one and it take his grace for man to even comprehend an iota of his created realities.