Author : John B. Morrall
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 184 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (555 download)
Book Synopsis The Medieval Imprint by : John B. Morrall
Download or read book The Medieval Imprint written by John B. Morrall and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although often held in contempt, dismissed with obloquy, or simply ignored, cannot the Middle Ages be regarded as more than the traditional delayer of the Renaissance and the Reformation? John Morrall, while not denying the essential differences between that age and ours, shows that the dichotomy between medieval and modern is not so self-evident. Tracing the rise, development and the eventual decline of the medieval period, the author illustrates how the attempt to implement ideals of human relationships through socially viable institutions was as strong in the days of early Christianity as it is today. He analyses the roles played by the Church, feudalism, universities, guilds and communes, and particularly by the political parties, in protecting the personalist ideal. However, by the fifteenth century, failure to preserve the ideal provoked wide-scale disillusionment with these institutions, and the eventual collapse of medieval society. The same problem of reconciling the 'individual' with the 'community' faces us today. A sympathetic understanding of medieval man's tragedy could well prove an invaluable lesson to us. -- from book cover.