Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
This book is a detailed but accessible treatment of the political thought of John of Salisbury, a twelfth-century author and educationalist who rose from a modest background to become Bishop of Chartres. It shows how aspects of John's thought - such as his views on political cooperation and virtuous rulership were inspired by the writings of Roman philosophers, notably Cicero and Seneca. Investigating how John accessed and adapted the classics, the book argues that he developed a hybrid political philosophy by taking elements from Roman Stoic sources and combining them with insights from patristic writings. By situating his ideas in their political and intellectual context, it offers a reassessment of John's political thought, as well as a case study in classical reception of relevance to students and scholars of political philosophy and the history of ideas.
Synopsis
John of Salisbury (c. 1120-80) is a key figure of the twelfth-century renaissance. As a student at the cosmopolitan schools of medieval Paris, an associate of Thomas Becket, and an acute commentator on society and rulership, he provides unique insights into the political culture of the period. This volume reassesses the influence of classical sources on John's political writings, investigating how he accessed and used the ideas of his ancient predecessors.
By looking at John's quotations of and allusions to classical works, Irene O'Daly shows that he not only borrowed the vocabulary of his classical forbears, but explicitly aligned himself with their philosophical positions. She illustrates John's profound debt to Roman Stoicism, derived from the writings of Seneca and Cicero, and shows how he made Stoic theories on duties, virtuous rulership and moderation relevant to the medieval context. She also examines how John's classical learning was filtered through patristic sources, arguing that this led to a unique synthesis between his political and theological views.
The book places famous elements of John's political theory - such as his model of the body-politic and his views on tyranny - in the context of the intellectual foment of the classical revival and the dramatic social changes afoot in Europe in the twelfth century. It offers students and researchers of this period a novel investigation of how Stoicism comprises a 'third way' for medieval political philosophy, interacting with - and at times dominating - neo-Platonism and proto-Aristotelianism.
Synopsis
A reappraisal of the role that Roman classical sources, notably the works of Cicero and Seneca, played in the political thought of John of Salisbury, a leading humanist of the twelfth century.