"Philosophy had no
business trying to lift the veil from mysteries beyond human understanding."
Don Enss
When
Saint Bernard made this statement it was an argument that he used against,
Abelard. He said that Abelard, ‘“tried to explore with his reason what the
devout mind grasps at once with a vigorous faith.’ The prophet Jeremiah had
said, unless you believe, you shall not understand. But Abelard, ‘apparently
holding God suspect, will not believe anything until he has first examined it
with his reason.”’(207). If Abelard moral character had been above reproach, he
could have countered Saint Bernard’s argument, by using an approach used by Averroes
to distinguished the three levels of reasons:
1. “That
of the uncultured ordinary person, whose mind is largely closed to reason and
who can be moved either by emotional appeals like those outlined in Aristotle’s
Rhetoric or by arguments from
authority.”
2. “The
educated man, who wants something more than the literal Word of God. He turns
to theology and dialectic; he seeks to reconcile his reason with his faith but
ultimately is content if faith wins out.”
3. “Belongs
to the true man of reason. Nothing short of Aristotle’s logic with its systems
of necessary rational demonstration, and nothing short of Aristotle’s science
of substance and potentiality, will satisfy his quest for knowledge.” (228).
Then, diplomatically he
could suggest that Saint Bernard would be classified as belonging to the first
level and he, Abelard believed like Ockham later expressed that, “We need only
one truth, the one reason derives from our senses and that religious faith,
including faith in God, is an entirely separate matter. Religion is a matter of
belief and will, not of reason or logical truth. That absolutely nothing could
be proved about God in the light of
reason, not even His existence. At best, we get probable hints of His existence
when we examine nature. Otherwise, nature is a closed book as far as theology
and dogma are concerned.” (247).
If Abelard had made those
arguments he quite possibly could have disposed of Saint Bernard, but later he would
probably have been excommunicated by the Church. At least his reputation would
have been intact.
Poor Abelard, shorn of his manhood and deprived of sage marketing counsel! But I doubt his reputation would have survived in any case.
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