Medieval Cosmology

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Medieval Cosmology

• Dr. Marley
• INLA 102
• February 19,2004

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God as architect of Universe Medieval.uiuc.edu

• Universe as harmonious coherent whole, created by
  an infinite and good God as an appropriate home
  for human beings

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Direct, naïve interpretation of sky

• It is a thing
• Sphere, both earth and heaven
• Its nature is defined in terms of its relation to
  the earth
• Inner sphere solid and stationary
• Outer larger sphere hollow and moving

Bosch (1504) Creation of Universe
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Ptolomy

• 2nd C. AD
• Egyptian
• Mathematician, astronomer, geographer
• Working in Alexandria
• Earth is center of universe with series of
  concentrical transparent spheres surrounding it

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Center earth Moon Mercury Venus Sun Mars Jupiter
Saturn Stellatum (fixed stars Primum Mobile

• Ptolomys Geocentric Cosmos

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Heaven

• Universe is finite
• Aristotle outside outer sphere literally
  nothingno matter, no space, not even a void
• Medieval Christians above Primum Mobile is
  heaven or Empyrean, the place of perfect fire and
  light.
• Heaven has a physical location

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Everything has a natural place

• Manifestation of Gods order of the universe
• Harmoniously interlinked
• Move from corruptible and changeable to
  incorruptible and unchanging
• Earth changeable, corruptible
• Celestial spheres changeable, incorruptible
• Heaven unchanging, incorruptible

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The celestial spheres influence what happens on
earth

• Astronomy astrology
• Signs from heaven
• Earth is physical and spiritual center
• Around human beings everything revolvesliterally
  and symbolically

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Dantes View of the Universe

• Hell goes down deep into the earth
• Has complex layers
• Lust
• Gluttonous
• Greedy
• Wrathful (anger)
• Heretics
• Violent
• Fraudulent
• Traitors

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Purgatory

• Mountain
• Must pay for unpurged sins
• Geographic order starting at top of mountain
• Lust
• Gluttony
• Greed
• Sloth
• Wrath
• Envy
• Pride
• Spiritual sins more serious than fleshly sins

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Celestial spheres and Heaven

• Beatrice represents Christian love
• Conforms to Ptolemaic view
• Vision of heavens is visible image of creator

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Dantes cosmos

• Order
• Harmony
• Justice
• Love
• Both intelligent and emotional
• World for medieval man is harmonious, ordered,
  finite, displaying the glories of God
• Interest not primarily in structure or how it
  worked. Interest in what it and everything that
  belonged to it, MEANT the network of meaning