Radulfus Ardens

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Radulfus Ardens ( French Raoul Ardent ; † around 1200) was a scholastic theologian , who is mainly influenced by Gilbert von Poitiers in the 2nd generation . His main work, the Speculum universale , is the most extensive and independent virtue ethic of the 12th century.

Life

The oldest manuscript named “Magister Radulfus” as the author of the Speculum universale. The nickname “Ardens” only appears in manuscripts from the late 14th and 15th centuries and is usually attributed to the passionate nature of his sermon. As with many authors of the Middle Ages, little is known for certain about his person and his life. In any case, the information that keeps appearing in the literature and in encyclopedias that he was born in Beaulieu-sous-Bressuire near Poitiers cannot be proven as safe, as can the information that he was chaplain to King Richard I, the Lionheart , archdeacon in Poitiers and finally also a Masters in Paris. All of this is possible, but cannot be clearly and reliably substantiated from the sources if it is critically examined. The date of death is also unclear. September 12 is given in a manuscript, but whether the year of death can be dated to 1200 is a matter of dispute. On the other hand, on the basis of characteristic doctrines from several passages of the Speculum universale (e.g. books VII and VIII) it can be inferred that Radulfus Ardens - like Nikolaus von Amiens , Alanus von Lille , Simon von Tournai and others. a. - is influenced by Gilbert's thinking of Poitiers .

The speculum universale

construction

  • Book I: General determination of ethics in the context of the sciences / determination of good and bad, virtue and vice / theory of the soul / doctrine of original and original sin
  • Book II: Doctrine of Salvation / Grace and Freedom / The external occasions that are conducive and obstructive to the development of virtues and vices
  • Book III: The enemies of man: the flesh, devils and demons, worldly oriented people
  • Book IV: The Friends of Man: the Spirit, the Angels, Righteous People, God Himself
  • Book V: The development of good and bad will from thoughts and affects and the consolidation of this will in virtues and vices
  • [Book VI:] The prayer (missing)
  • Book VII: The Discrete Virtues; Faith: doctrine of God and the Trinity
  • Book VIII: Faith: Christology, Sacraments, Eschatology
  • Book IX: Wisdom
  • Book X: Justice, Valor, Moderation
  • Book XI: The Affective (Amative and Oditive) Virtues
  • Book XII: The Contemptive Virtues
  • Book XIII: The Virtues of the External Man; Discipline of words: speaking and remaining silent
  • Book XIV: Discipline of the senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch
  • [Book XV:] correctness of the works (missing)

It is noticeable that Radulfus classifies all important topics of the dogmatic doctrine of faith in the basic structure of the doctrine of virtue: The doctrine of original sin in Book I, soteriology and grace doctrine in Book II, demonology and angelology in Books III and IV, doctrine of God and the Trinity in Book VII, Christology, The doctrine of the sacraments and eschatology in Book VIII. This creates an overall theological presentation of Christian faith, which, however, in contrast to the salvation-historical sums of this time, is not based on the presentation of the contents of the faith, but on the systematics of ethics and the doctrine of virtues. Radulfus Ardens thus conceived theology primarily as a practical and less as a theoretical science. For him it is not primarily a matter of speculative development of beliefs; rather, the contents of faith are understood from the outset in terms of their relationship to the ethical conduct of human beings and their significance for this practice.

Creation process of virtues and vices

What is new in Radulfus Ardens' general doctrine of virtues is the in-depth analysis of the process of how virtues and vices come about. Starting from the thoughts, their increasing affective cathexis is worked out, which finally condenses into the will with the consent (consensus) . The inner will is followed by the outer deeds and these can eventually develop into virtues and vices through habit. Radulfus Ardens also addresses the external conditions that can promote the emergence of virtues and vices, such as the personal disposition of character, the influences of the living environment and upbringing, social relationships and economic well-being or emergencies, etc.

Soul doctrine as the basis for the division of the virtues

Radulfus Ardens is the first who - in contrast to the virtue ethics collections and treatises that preceded it in the 12th century - does not simply adopt the schemes of Macrobius or Cicero for the breakdown of virtues and vices , but rather uses their classification on the basis of a highly differentiated doctrine of the soul the various powers and capacities of the soul. So he does not simply take over the classifications of virtues and sub-virtues given by ancient philosophy, but asks about the reason from which the various virtues and their classification result. Radulfus Ardens' aim is to justify the completeness of the individual virtues mentioned. At the same time, by orienting himself towards the various powers and capacities of the soul, he finds a new, completely independent and unique breakdown of the virtues, for which the scheme of the cardinal virtues as well as the commonality of the three theological virtues faith, hope and love only remain is of minor importance. The influence of good or bad role models is included, as is a detailed doctrine of angels and demons, which brings up many psychological observations.

Complementary virtues

The doctrine of Radulfus Ardens about the “virtutes collaterales” , the complementary virtues, can also be seen as characteristic of the doctrine of virtues of the Speculum universale, which is unique in the history of theology in its systematic implementation, as found in the Speculum universale. Based on the definition of virtue as the middle between two vices, the idea of ​​complementary virtues consists in the fact that in the middle there is not only one virtue, but two virtues together form the middle. The essence of the complementary virtues is that they moderate each other and prevent one from sliding into one of the extremes of too much or too little and thus becoming a vice. So z. B. sincerity (simplicitas), cleverness (prudentia) and prevents them from becoming cunning and cunning (versutia). Conversely, the prudentia moderates the simplicitas and prevents them from becoming stupid (stultitia). In Radulfus Ardens' work, the idea of ​​complementary virtues is not only found randomly and sporadically, but consistently and shapes the entire system of the doctrine of virtues.

Other works

In addition to the Speculum universale, 202 sermons - divided into three liturgical cycles - are ascribed to Radulfus Ardens. It is the most comprehensive collection of model sermons from this period not written by monks. It is true that all the manuscripts still in existence are either anonymously or incorrectly assigned to Ralph Acton or Atton, an English cleric or preacher of the 14th century. However, the prologue also names a Radulfus as the author. The fact that this is actually Radulfus Ardens can not only be determined from the conceptual similarities of the two works, but verbatim quotations in the Speculum universale from the sermons (or vice versa) from the pen of Radulfus can also be identified. In addition, Radulfus Ardens must also have written a number of letters (liber epistolarum), which have not yet been found. In contrast, the Historia sui temporis, belli Godefridi de Bouillon in Saracenos - obviously a story of the First Crusade - is not authentic, contrary to earlier information.

expenditure

  • Radulfi Ardentis Speculum universale, libri IV, ed .: Claudia Heimann / Stephan Ernst (CCCM 241), Turnhout 2011.
    • Translator: Radulfus Ardens, How do virtues and vices arise? Latin / German, ed., trans. and introduced by Stephan Ernst (HBPhMA 41), Freiburg / Basel / Vienna 2017.
  • Radulfus Ardens, Homiliae in epistolas et evangelia sanctorum et de tempore, ed .: J.-P. Migne (Patrologia latina, no. 155), Paris 1880, col. 1299-2118.

Secondary literature

  • Johannes Gründel: The teaching of Radulfus Ardens of the virtues of the understanding against the background of his teaching of the soul. (Publications of the Grabmann Institute 27), Munich a. a. 1976.
  • Johannes Gründel: The "Speculum universale" of Radulfus Ardens. (Communications from the Grabmann Institute 5), Munich 1961.
  • Pierre Michaud-Quantin: The psychology in Radulfus Ardens, a theologian of the late 12th century. In: MThZ 9 (1958), pp. 81-96.
  • Stephan Ernst: Smart as snakes and honest as pigeons. The doctrine of the complementary virtues as a structural principle of the virtue doctrine of Radulfus Ardens. In: MThZ 61 (2010), pp. 43–60.
  • Claudia Heimann: Observations on the reception of the works of Radulfus Ardens in the late Middle Ages. In: Archa Verbi. Yearbook for the Study of Medieval Theology 10 (2013), pp. 166-176.
  • Stephan Ernst: The passiones animae in the Speculum universale of Radulfus Ardens. In: Passiones animae. The “passions of the soul” in medieval theology and philosophy. Edited by Chr. Schäfer / M. Thurner, Berlin 2013, pp. 135–164.
  • Stephan Ernst: Morality and Contingency. The condition of man and its importance for the development of virtues and vices according to Radulfus Ardens († around 1200). In: Future from God's History. Theology in the service of the future viability of the church. Edited by G. Bausenhart / M. Eckholt / L. Hauser (FS. Peter Hünermann), Freiburg / Basel / Vienna 2014, pp. 264–286.
  • Marie-Thérèse d'Alverny: L'Obit de Raoul Ardent. In: Arch. Hist. Doctr. suffered. moyen âge, 15/17 (1940/42), pp. 403-405.
  • Tobias Janotta, The soteriology in the Speculum uniuersale des Radulfus Ardens. A systematic consideration of Christ's saving action from the perspective of virtue ethics , in: U. Roth / D. Olszynski (eds.), Soteriology in the Early Medieval Theology (Archa Verbi. Subsidia 18), Münster 2019, 279-314.
  • Stephan Ernst / Tobias Janotta, Radulfus Ardens: Typology of alms (around 1200). Introduction and translation , in: GK Schäfer / W. Maaser (ed.), History of Diakonie in Sources. From Biblical Origins to the 18th Century, Göttingen 2020, 347-356.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Radulfus Ardens, How do virtues and vices arise? Latin-German, ed., Transl. and a. by Stephan Ernst (HBPhMA 41), Freiburg / Basel / Vienna 2017, 13 f.
  2. ↑ Marie-Thérèse d'Alverny, L'Obit de Raoul Ardent, in: AHDLMA 15/17 (1940/42), 403-405
  3. ↑ Radulfi Ardentis Speculum Universale, libri I – V, ed .: Claudia Heimann / Stephan Ernst (CCCM 241), Turnhout 2011, pp. XXX – XXXVII
  4. ↑ Radulfi Ardentis Speculum Universale, libri I – V, ed .: Claudia Heimann / Stephan Ernst (CCCM 241), Turnhout 2011, p. 14 f.
  5. ↑ Radulfi Ardentis Speculum Universale, libri I – V, ed .: Claudia Heimann / Stephan Ernst (CCCM 241), Turnhout 2011, p. 23 f.
  6. ↑ Radulfi Ardentis Speculum Universale, libri I – V, ed .: Claudia Heimann / Stephan Ernst (CCCM 241), Turnhout 2011, p. 24 f.
  7. ↑ Cf. Stephan Ernst, The expansion of the virtue systems to comprehensive classification keys for applied ethics in the 12th and 13th centuries, in: Wilhelm Korff / Markus Vogt (ed.), Classification systems for applied ethics. A manual. Based on a project by Wilhelm Korff, Freiburg / Basel / Vienna 2016, 367f.
  8. ↑ See Stephan Ernst, Smart as the snakes and honest as the doves. The doctrine of the complementary virtues as a structural principle of the doctrine of virtues of Radulfus Ardens, in: MThZ 61 (2010) 43-60.
  9. ↑ Radulfus Ardens, How do virtues and vices arise? Latin-German, ed., Transl. and a. by Stephan Ernst (HBPhMA 41), Freiburg / Basel / Vienna 2017, 15f.
personal data
SURNAME Radulfus Ardens
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Raoul Ardent (French)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION scholastic theologian
DATE OF BIRTH 12th Century
DATE OF DEATH around 1200