Many philosophers in the Medieval period aimed to reconcile theistic belief with pagan philosophy Describe and
Many philosophers in the Medieval period aimed to reconcile theistic belief with pagan philosophy. Describe and then critically assess how successful you consider such attempts to be. Introduction Medieval philosophers were influenced by the thinking of their pagan predecessors such as Plato and Aristotle. ... The reinterpretation of the works of Plato and Aristotle was to fit their ideas into a monotheistic belief system, centred around the idea of a God who is omniscient, omnipotent and, above all, good. ... Augustine uses the ideas found in earlier pagan philosophy, and constructs an original concept of time, i. ... He then proceeds to describe the possibility of the cause also being changed; this leads to a series of changes. ... Thomas Aquinas borrowed extensively from the pagan philosophers, most notably Aristotle. ... Conclusion Theistic philosophers like St. ... Thomas Aquinas have incorporated the ideas of the Greek philosophers into their own philosophical writings, where they see that they fit in with their own religious beliefs. ... However, there approach differs from that of the Greek philosophers in that they argue from the point of knowing the conclusion, namely God, and manipulating the arguments and proofs to suit that end. The Greek philosophers tended to see where a line of thought would lead them, probably without a firm end in mind. This is not to say that they didn’t have any idea of the conclusion, but it was not set in stone, as is the case with theistic thinkers like St. ... Moreover, the beliefs which either could not or would not be proved by reason, whether through new thought or interpretation of pagan thought, could always be explained away as being a matter of faith.