Prompt 3

Corey Hostetler

AP English Language

Mrs. Wagener

September 15, 2013

Philosophy and the Medieval Ages

            Rome and Greece's golden age was characterized by not only peace and growth, but also by the philosophies of people like Aristotle and Plato.  Advancing into the Middle Ages saw an end to this glorious golden age and with it went the practice of logical thinking known as philosophy, due to the prevailing religion known as Christianity.  These Middle, or Dark, Ages were not so bad though.  For example, convent and cathedral schools were created and a cultural revolution took place which helped identify the Middle ages as a time of growth instead of just a time of downfall from the high of the golden age.  Eventually two fellows named Aquinas and St. Augustine, who were followers of Aristotle and Plato's ideas, related Christianity and philosophy.  The relation of these two things helped spread Christianity around Europe during the Medieval Ages.

            The single most prevalent result of these medieval thinkers applying the teachings of Christ to ancient philosophy was the spreading of Christianity.  This was accomplished by making the teachings of Christianity more accessible to all instead of just a select group of dedicated believers.  The teachings were made more accessible to the general public by the philosophers explaining to their students their version of the meaning of the Bible.  St. Augustine for example, even said that there were "ideas" within the Divine before the world was created which would appeal to the preferred Greek idea that the world had always existed.

            In conclusion, St. Augustine and Aquinas played a large role in the outcome of the Medieval Ages due to their combining and spreading of religion and philosophy.  By making the religious material easier to understand with the use of philosophy, the people of the Medieval Ages were able to understand Christianity better which led to a spread of this religion throughout Europe.  Overall, without these two great men, the development and spread of both Christianity and philosophy would have been hindered if not completely brought to a halt.