Changes

Here you will find a small reading list for medieval philosophy. It should be noted: when talking about the history of philosophy we must separate the primary texts from the secondary literature. So, this medieval philosophy booklist will be separated into the most influential primary texts in the history of medieval philosophy, essentially what comprises the content of historical study of medieval philosophy, and then some of the corresponding secondary literature on these sources.

As far as the secondary literature is concerned, I only included two sources on particular figures, Augustine and Aquinas, because they are, arguably, the two most influential figures of the period. Rist’s monograph on Augustine was extremely successful and masterfully demonstrates the dependence early Christian philosophy had on the NeoPlatonic tradition. Among an increasingly growing and vast pool of secondary literature on Augustine, Rist’s <i>Augustine: Ancient Thought Baptized</i>, remains one of the most respected and continually visited monographs by contemporary scholars. Though there is similarly, a massive amount of secondary literature on Thomas Aquinas, Stump’s monograph treats him in a rigorous, analytic fashion, delivering a comprehensive overview of the Angelic doctor’s philosophical framework and method. The other two texts, <i>History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle </i> and <i>The Cambridge History of Medieval Philosophy</i> both provide glances of the period as a whole, but approach this dubious task in very different ways. Gilson’s book is perhaps the most cited historical analysis of medieval philosophy in the twentieth century, providing a meta-narrative in one singular voice. <i>The Cambridge History of Medieval Philosophy</i> has an impressive collection of essays from nearly all the top scholars in medieval philosophy, including essays on historical context, analysis of particular thinkers, and numerous thematic considerations. In my opinion, it is an indispensable aid to anyone in history of philosophy, most particularly medieval philosophy.

Gilson, Etienne. <i>History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages</i>. (Random House, 1954).

Rist, John. <i>Augustine: Ancient Thought Baptized </i>. (Cambridge University Press, 1994).

Stump, Eleonore. <i>Aquinas</i>. (Routledge, 2008).

Pasnau, Robert, and Christina van Dyke, eds. <i>The Cambridge History of Medieval Philosophy</i>. (Cambridge University Press, 2010).