John of Salisbury

The beginning of the preface by Denis Foulechat to his French translation of the Policraticus of John of Salisbury in the manuscript Paris, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Fr. 24287, fol. 2r (14th century). The famous book illumination shows King Charles V of France.

John of Salisbury (English John of Salisbury , Latin Joannes Salisberiensis ; * around 1115 near Salisbury , † October 25, 1180 in Chartres ) was one of the most important English theologians of his time. He studied with Peter Abelard in Paris, worked as secretary for Thomas Becket in England and was appointed Bishop of Chartres in 1176.

Life

John of Salisbury was born near Salisbury, England between 1115 and 1120. Apart from a brief biographical note, nothing is known about his childhood. In Policraticus , his work on statecraft, he briefly describes how he grew up in the house of a priest to whom he must have been entrusted and who taught him the first psalm .

Around 1136 Johannes began his studies with Wilhelm von Conches , Gilbert von Poitiers , Thierry von Chartres and even Peter Abelard . In 1147 he completed his studies in theology and, after ordination and brief work for his friend Abbot Peter von Celle, joined the administration of Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury . There he worked as a legal advisor, envoy and secretary.

When Theobald died in 1162, Johannes continued his activities under Thomas Becket , but soon fell out of favor in the context of the dispute with Henry II and had to hurry into exile in France ahead of his employer in 1163. He did not return to Canterbury until 1170, just before the assassination of Thomas Becket on December 29, 1170, of which he was an eyewitness. From 1174 he was active as treasurer in Exeter before he was elected to the bishopric of Chartres in 1176 . He died on October 25, 1180 and is buried in the monastery church of Notre-Dame-de-Josaphat.

plant

As an author, Johannes first appeared in 1157 with his didactic poem Entheticus de dogmate philosophorum , which he had probably written in the two preceding years. It is a defense of trivial education in the form of a plea for ancient literature and philosophy. Two years later he took up this topic again in his Metalogicon , but also extended his remarks to include insights into the teaching and study activities of his time.

In Policraticus (1156–59), which was written at the same time, he drafted an organological theory of the state and society based on analogies between human anatomy and the ideal structure of a state. Originally intended as a prince mirror , the work is often referred to as the “first great state theory of the Middle Ages”. In terms of content, Thomas Becket should be made aware of his spiritual duties as Reich Chancellor. The Policraticus retained its importance as a prince mirror into the 17th century: In the first part, John criticized the bad manners that spread at court and shows the actual duties of the representatives of the state. Before this context, Johannes took the view that it was the personal decision of an individual whether he wanted to get involved in the community. Furthermore, it is permissible to kill a ruler who destroys the basic order of a community by abolishing justice and equity. With the second part he wanted to offer a guide to virtue and true happiness. He deals with various ancient philosophical approaches, but always wants to combine the philosophical teachings with the insights of Christianity.

With the Historia Pontificalis from 1163 there is also a historiographical work of his, in which he deals with his time as envoy of the Pope and the Reims Council from 1148 to 1152. The Vita Anselmi , which he wrote for the canonization of the scholastic Anselm of Canterbury , also dates from the same year . The last work he wrote himself is a written report on the circumstances of the death of Thomas Becket, the Vita Sancti Thomae . There is also a two-volume edition of his extensive correspondence from the years 1153–1161 and 1163–1180. No other writings are known from his time as Bishop of Chartres 1176–1180.

Philosophical and theological positions

In the universality controversy, John of Salisbury approached the views of Aristotle . According to him, universals do not have an independent existence, but are mental representations of real species. This position is also known as conceptualism . Salisbury is also known for its vehement attacks against the educational pragmatists he calls Cornificians , who wanted to influence educational canon and policy since the end of the 11th century. Especially in the Entheticus de dogmate philosophorum and in the Metalogicon there are explicit statements against the Cornificians and in defense of the trivium.

Works

• Policraticus de nugis curialium . Fratres vitae communis, Brussels, around 1479/81. Digitized edition of the University and State Library Düsseldorf
• Johannes von Salisbury, Policraticus I – IV (CCCM, 118), ed. KSB Keats-Rohan, Turnhout 1993. (authoritative edition)
• Ioannis Sareberiensis Policratici sive de nugis curialium et vestigiis philosophorum libri VIII , ed. Clemens Webb, London 1909. (older edition)
• John of Salisbury, Policraticus. Of the Frivolities of Courtiers and the footprints of Philosophers , transl. by Cary J. Nederman, Cambridge UP 1990. (English partial translation)
• John of Salisbury: Policraticus. A text selection. Latin-German , selected, translated and introduced by Stefan Seit, Freiburg / Breisgau: Herder 2008 (Herder's Library of the Philosophy of the Middle Ages 14), ISBN 978-3-451-28705-3 .

literature

• Anthony Brown: John of Salisbury . In: Franciscan Studies 19, 1959, pp. 241-297.
• Anne J. Duggan:  John of Salisbury . In: Theologische Realenzyklopädie (TRE). Volume 17, de Gruyter, Berlin / New York 1988, ISBN 3-11-011506-9 , pp. 153-155.
• Hans-Werner Goetz: Johannes von Salisbury . In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages (LexMA). Volume 5, Artemis & Winkler, Munich / Zurich 1991, ISBN 3-7608-8905-0 , Sp. 599-601.
• Udo Krolzik:  John of Salisbury. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 3, Bautz, Herzberg 1992, ISBN 3-88309-035-2 , Sp. 549-552.
• Hans Liebeschütz: Humanism in the life and writings of John of Salisbury . In: Studies of the Warburg Institute 17, Nendeln 1968.
• David Luscombe: John of Salisbury in recent scholarship . In: Michael Wilks (Ed.): The World of John of Salisbury . Oxford 1984, pp. 445-457.
• Janet Martin: John of Salisbury and the Classics . Univ. Diss., Cambridge 1968.
• Peter von Moos: History as a Topic. The rhetorical copy from antiquity to modern times and the historiae in the "Policraticus" Johanns von Salisbury (ORDO. Studies on literature and society of the MA and early modern times 2), Hildesheim: Olms 1988.
• Ursula Odoj: Science and politics with Johannes von Salisbury . Univ. Diss., Munich 1974.
• Rudolf Van Dijk: Johannes v. Salisbury In: Lexicon for Theology and Church (LThK). Volume 5, Freiburg 1996, Col. 964-965.

Web links

• Entry in Edward N. Zalta (Ed.): Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy .
• Entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia , Robert Appleton Company, New York 1913.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bernd Roeck: The morning of the world . 1st edition. CH Beck, 2017, p. 319 .

predecessor	Office	successor
William of Blois	Bishop of Chartres 1176–1180	Petrus Cellensis