Worlds of Difference: European Discourses of Toleration, c. 1100–c. 1550

Toleration has become a keystone of liberal political philosophy, but with liberalism under attack today as inadequate for dealing with all the problems of a pluralistic world, other resources are needed. Cary Nederman directs our attention to the creative thinking about toleration that preceded the rise of liberalism and canvasses the diverse ideas proposed then within Christianity as a response to religious, cultural, national, and ethnic differences.

Self-Help

Nederman, Cary J.

Happiness

Penn State University Press

The Bonds of Humanity: Cicero’s Legacies in European Social and Political Thought, ca. 1100–ca. 1550

Of the great philosophers of pagan antiquity, Marcus Tullius Cicero is the only one whose ideas were continuously accessible to the Christian West following the collapse of the Roman Empire. Yet, in marked contrast with other ancient philosophers, Cicero has largely been written out of the historical narrative on early European political thought, and the reception of his ideas has barely been studied. The Bonds of Humanity corrects this glaring oversight, arguing that the influence of Cicero's ideas in medieval and early modern Europe was far more pervasive than previously believed. In this book, Cary J. Nederman presents a persuasive counternarrative to the widely accepted belief in the dominance of Aristotelian thought. Surveying the work of a diverse range of thinkers from the twelfth to the sixteenth century, including John of Salisbury, Brunetto Latini, Marsiglio of Padua, Christine de Pizan, and Bartolomé de Las Casas, Nederman shows that these men and women inherited, deployed, and adapted key Ciceronian themes. He argues that the rise of scholastic Aristotelianism in the thirteenth century did not supplant but rather supplemented and bolstered Ciceronian ideas, and he identifies the character and limits of Ciceronianism that distinguish it from other schools of philosophy. Highly original and compelling, this paradigm-shifting book will be greeted enthusiastically by students and scholars of early European political thought and intellectual history, particularly those engaged in the conversation about the role played by ancient and early Christian ideas in shaping the theories of later times.

History

Europe

About the Author\nCary J. Nederman is Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University and the author of six books, including Worlds of Difference: European Discourses of Toleration, c. 1100–c. 1550, also published by Penn State University Press.\nOf the great philosophers of pagan antiquity, Marcus Tullius Cicero is the only one whose ideas were continuously accessible to the Christian West following the collapse of the Roman Empire. Yet, in marked contrast with other ancient philosophers, Cicero has largely been written out of the historical narrative on early European political thought, and the reception of his ideas has barely been studied. The Bonds of Humanity corrects this glaring oversight, arguing that the influence of Cicero’s ideas in medieval and early modern Europe was far more pervasive than previously believed. 
In this book, Cary J. Nederman presents a persuasive counternarrative to the widely accepted belief in the dominance of Aristotelian thought. Surveying the work of a diverse range of thinkers from the twelfth to the sixteenth century, including John of Salisbury, Brunetto Latini, Marsiglio of Padua, Christine de Pizan, and Bartolomé de Las Casas, Nederman shows that these men and women inherited, deployed, and adapted key Ciceronian themes. He argues that the rise of scholastic Aristotelianism in the thirteenth century did not supplant but rather supplemented and bolstered Ciceronian ideas, and he identifies the character and limits of Ciceronianism that distinguish it from other schools of philosophy. 
Highly original and compelling, this paradigm-shifting book will be greeted enthusiastically by students and scholars of early European political thought and intellectual history, particularly those engaged in the conversation about the role played by ancient and early Christian ideas in shaping the theories of later times.

The concept of heresy is deeply rooted in Christian European culture. The palpable increase in incidences of heresy in the Middle Ages may be said to directly relate to the Christianity's attempts to define orthodoxy and establish conformity at its centre, resulting in the sometimes forceful elimination of Christian sects. In the transition from medieval to early modern times, however, the perception of heresy underwent a profound transformation, ultimately leading to its decriminalization and the emergence of a pluralistic religious outlook. The essays in this volume offer readers a unique insight into this little-understood cultural shift. Half of the chapters investigate the manner in which the church and its attendant civil authorities defined and proscribed heresy, whilst the other half focus on the means by which early modern writers sought to supersede such definition and proscription. The result of these investigations is a multifaceted historical account of the construction and serial reconstruction of one of the key categories of European theological, juristic and political thought. The contributors explore the role of nationalism and linguistic identity in constructions of heresy, its analogies with treason and madness, the role of class and status in the responses to heresy. In doing so they provide fascinating insights into the roots of the historicization of heresy and the role of this historicization in the emergence of religious pluralism.

Heresy in Transition: Transforming Ideas of Heresy in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (Catholic Christendom, 1300-1700)

Laursen, John Christian

Routledge

Nearly 850 years after his death, Thomas Becket remains one of the most controversial and enigmatic figures in English history. As chancellor to King Henry II, as Archbishop of Canterbury, and ultimately as a martyr and saint, Becket (and his unconventional career) has taken hold of the historical imagination, both academic and popular. An apparently dedicated servant of Archbishop Theobald, Becket's transfer to King Henry's court shifted his loyalties to secular causes, only for them to swing back to the Church folowing his appointment to the archbishopric. Thomas Becket: An Intimate Biography offers a new approach to understanding the man: the writings of John of Salisbury, a fellow English churchman who was an associate of and advisor to Becket throughout his life. Becket and John attended school together in Paris, served Theobald at Canterbury, sparred while Becket was King Henry's chancellor, and cooperated closely once Becket became archbishop and especially during his exile from England. John was present at the scene of Becket's murder, after which he became a key figure in advancing the archbishop's canonization and cult. From the time that John commenced his education until his own death in 1180, Becket was almost constantly in John's sight. In consequence, the large body of writing that John produced--letters, philosophical tomes, hagiographies, histories, poetry--constitutes a virtual running commentary on the future saint's life. Thomas Becket: An Intimate Biography draws upon this vast source in pursuit of a singular opportunity to share one man's up-close perceptions of and experiences with Becket over more than three decades. +

Thomas Becket: An Intimate Portrait

Bollermann, Karen

Religion & Spirituality

Paulist Press

This book examines some of the salient historiographical and conceptual issues that animate current scholarly debates about the nature of the medieval contribution to modern Western political ideas. On the one hand, scholars who subscribe to the "Baron thesis" concerning civic humanism have asserted that the break between medieval and modern modes of political thinking formed an unbridgeable chasm associated with the development of an entirely new framework at the dawn of the Florentine Renaissance. Others have challenged this hypothesis, replacing it with another extreme: an unbroken continuity in the intellectual terrain between the twelfth and the seventeenth centuries (or later). The present book seeks to qualify both of these positions. Cary J. Nederman argues for a more nuanced historiography of intellectual continuity and change that depends upon analyzing a host of contextual as well as philosophical factors to account for the emergence of the European tradition of political theory in the medieval and early modern periods. He finds that categories such as "medieval" and "modern" can and should be usefully deployed, yet always with the understanding that they are provisional and potentially fluid.  The book opens with an introduction that lays out the main issues and sources of the debate, followed by five sets of interrelated chapters. The first section critically assesses some of the leading scholars who have contributed to the current understanding of the relationship between medieval and modern ideas. The central part of the book includes three sections that address salient themes that illuminate and illustrate continuity and change: Dissent and Power, Empire and Republic, and Political Economy. The volume closes with a few examples of the ways in which medieval political doctrines were absorbed into and transformed during the modern period up to the nineteenth century.ABOUT THE AUTHOR:  Cary J. Nederman is professor of political science at Texas A&M University and author of numerous published works including Machiavelli, John of Salisbury, Worlds of Difference: European Discourses of Toleration, c. 1100-c.1550, and Medieval Aristotelianism and Its Limits.PRAISE FOR THE BOOK: "In this technical yet illuminating book, Nederman authors a series of essays animated by a single purpose--to steer historians of political thought away from two extremes when studying "modern" and "medieval" ideas. . . . He illustrates his method through fascinating studies of Marsiglio of Padua, Machiavelli, Filmer, Bracton, and others. . . . Highly recommended." -- D. J. Lorenzo, Choice "This book should be read by everyone who is concerned with the history of ideas and the defects of modernity."--Antony Black, Review of Politics "Cary J. Nederman is one of the leading political theorists of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, whose work on John of Salisbury and Machiavelli, among others, has helped to define the modern understanding of the medieval political mind. This collection of essays. . . is a distillation of Nederman's most recent thinking about medieval political theory and what it might teach us about modern political structures. . . . [A]s a synthesis of major concepts in medieval political theory, and modern responses to them, this book is invaluable." --Helen Fulton, Parergon "[The book] is a work of intellectual subtlety: Nederman tackles the contentious and complex issue of continuity and discontinuity between the Middle Ages and modern times in the history of European political thought from four different angles. . . . [T]he book powerfully demands that its readers appreciate the immense complexity associated with such categories as 'medieval' and 'modern' in the history of political thought. It surely promises to occupy a center stage of scholarly debate." --Takashi Shogimen, Sixteenth Century Journal

Lineages of European Political Thought: Explorations along the Medieval/Modern Divide from John of Salisbury to Hegel

The Catholic University of America Press

Community and Consent

In the first examination of the Defensor Pacis in almost fifty years, Cary J. Nederman demonstrates Marsiglio of Padua's continuing relevance, connecting his philosophy to contemporary debates about community, identity, difference, and political participation. Community and Consent describes Marsiglio's attempt to resolve the tension in medieval Christian political thought created by the apparently competing standards of reason (thought to be the province of a few) and volition (the realm of every individual). Marsiglio argued for a harmonization of reason and will, regarding neither as sufficient to authorize political conduct. The book includes historical and biographical information not previously available in English, as well as a survey and critique of the current state of Marsiglio scholarship in all languages.

World

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

This volume deals with the development of moral and political philosophy in the medieval West. Professor Nederman is concerned to trace the continuing influence of classical ideas, but emphasises that  the very diversity and diffuseness of medieval thought shows that there is no single scheme that can account for the way these ideas were received, disseminated and reformulated by medieval ethical and political theorists.

Medieval Aristotelianism and its Limits: Classical Traditions in Moral and Political Philosophy, 12th–15th Centuries (Variorum Collected Studies)

Historical Study & Educational Resources

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Books by Nederman, Cary J.

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Worlds of Difference: European Discourses of Toleration, c. 1100–c. 1550

Worlds of Difference: European Discourses of Toleration, c. 1100–c. 1550

The Bonds of Humanity: Cicero’s Legacies in European Social and Political Thought, ca. 1100–ca. 1550

The Bonds of Humanity: Cicero’s Legacies in European Social and Political Thought, ca. 1100–ca. 1550

Heresy in Transition: Transforming Ideas of Heresy in Medieval and Early Modern Europe (Catholic Christendom, 1300-1700)

Thomas Becket: An Intimate Portrait

Lineages of European Political Thought: Explorations along the Medieval/Modern Divide from John of Salisbury to Hegel

Community and Consent

Community and Consent

Medieval Aristotelianism and its Limits: Classical Traditions in Moral and Political Philosophy, 12th–15th Centuries (Variorum Collected Studies)