John of Salisbury
John of Salisbury
Scholar, philosopher, and historian; born near Salisbury, England , c.1115; died probably Chartres, France, 1180. He was educated in France under some of the most brilliant scholars of the time, including Abelard, Alberic of Rheims, William of Conches, and Theodoric of Chartres. Returning to England , he became secretary to Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, and was sent on various diplomatic missions. Like his friend Thomas Becket, he incurred the displeasure of Henry II and was forced to leave England for six years. His attempts to reconcile Becket with the king failed, and in 1170 he witnessed the tragic death of the bishop. He became treasurer of Exeter cathedral in 1174, and two years later Bishop of Chartres. His works include the “Metalogicus,” a philosophical treatise, the “Policratus,” a miscellaneous compilation of philosophy and diplomacy, and the “Entheticus,” a Latin elegiac poem.
Fuente: New Catholic Dictionary
John of Salisbury
(JOHANNES DE SARESBERIA, surnamed PARVUS).
Born about 1115; died 1180; a distinguished philosopher, historian, churchman, and scholar. Born near Salisbury, he went at an early age to Paris, where he studied arts and philosophy (1136-38) under Peter Abelard, Alberic of Reims, and Robert of Melun; then under William of Conches, Richard l’Evêque, and Theoderic of Chartres at the famous school at this latter town (1138-40); finally again at Paris, completing his studies in theology under Gilbert de La Porrée, Robert Pullus, and Simon of Poissy (1141-45). This solid education, under such brilliant masters, he perfected by some private teaching, perhaps with his lifelong friend Peter, Abbot of Moutier La Celle, near Troyes, with whom he was living in 1148. At the Council of Reims in this year, he was introduced to Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury, by St. Bernard. After spending a few years at the papal Court at Rome, whither he went from Reims with Pope Eugene III, he returned to England and acted as private secretary to Theobald for several years, during which period he was repeatedly sent on delicate and important diplomatic missions to the Holy See, in 1159 he had “ten times crossed the Alps on his road from England” (Metalogicus, iii, prol., p. 113).
He was thus brought into intimate relations with princes and popes, especially with Henry II and his chancellor, Thomas à Becket, and with Pope Adrian IV, also an Englishman. In defending the rights of the Church, he incurred the kings displeasure in 1159 — when his forced seclusion enabled him to complete his two principal works the “Policraticus” and the “Metalogicus”, both dedicated to Thomas à Becket — and again in 1163, when he was obliged to quit England. The next six years he spent with his friend Peter of La Celle, now Abbot of St. Remigius at Reims. Here he wrote “Historia Pontificalis”. Thomas à Becket, who had succeeded Theobald as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1162, was soon obliged to follow John into exile. The latter steadily endeavoured to promote the cause of peace hetween the English king on the one hand and his archbishop and the Holy See on the other. Apparent success crowned those efforts in 1170, when both exiles returned. In a few months (29 Dec.) John witnessed the tragic murder of the saintly archbishop in the cathedral at Canterbury. In 1174 John became treasurer of Exeter cathedral. In 1176 he was appointed Bishop of Chartres. He attended the Third Lateran Council in 1179 and died the next year. He was interred in the monastery of St. Josaphat, near Chartres.
John of Salisbury was one of the most cultured scholars of his day. Notwithstanding the engrossing cares of his diplomatic career, his great learning and indefatigable industry enabled him to carry on an extensive and lifelong correspondence on literary, educational, and ecclesiastical topics with the leading scholars of Europe. His collected letters (over 300 in number), no less than his other works, form an invaluable source of the history of thought and activity in the twefth century. His fine taste and superior training made him the most elegant Latin writer of his time. He is equally distinguished as an historian and as a philosopher: he was the first medieval writer to emphasize the importance of historical studies in philosophy and in all other branches of learning. Naturally of an eclectic turn, he displayed in philosophy a remarkably sound and judicious critical spirit. Familiar with all the phases of contemporary scholastic controversies, he was himself among the first to formulate clearly the solution known as “moderate realism” in answer to the fundamental philosophical problem of the value and significance of universal ideas.
Works
The “Metalogicus” is a philosophical treatise in four books, in defence of the study of logic and philosophy, against a group of obscurantists whom he nicknamed Cornificians. It is the first medieval treatise to show acquaintance with the whole of Aristotle’s “organon”. The “Policraticus”, in eight books, deals, as its sub-title (De nugis curialium et vestigiis philosophorum) indicates, partly with philosophy and learning and readable miscellaneous compilation. The “Entheticus” (De dogmate philosophorum) is a Latin elegiac poem of 1852 lines, apparently intended as an introduction to the “Policraticus”, and covering practically the same ground in briefer form. The authenticity of the “De Septem Septenis”, a brief on the seven liberal arts, is doubted by Hauréau (Nouvelle Biographie Générale, xxv, 539, 1858) and Schaarschmidt (pp. 278 sq.) The “Historia Pontificalis” was first published by Arndt (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, xx, 517-45, 1868), and identified as the work of John, by Giesebrecht (Bay. Akad. d. Wissensch., Munich, 1873, 124). The actual MS. carries on the Gembloux continuation of Sigebert from 1148 to 1152. It was written about 1164, and dedicated to Peter of La Celle. John also wrote a “Vita Sti. Anselmi” (1163), a “Vita Sti. Thomae Cantuar.” (1171), and the letters already referred to. All these works (except “Hist Pont.”) were edited by Giles, 5 vols., London, 1848, reprinted in P.L. .CXCIX; “Policraticus, also ed. C.C.J. Webb (2 vols., Oxford, 1909). The materials for John’s biography are contained mainly in his own letters and other works, and on the letters of Peter of La Celle.
For John of Salisbury and the Bull “Laudabiliter”, see ADRIAN IV.
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Materials for Hist. Thomas Becket, ed. ROBEBTSON AND SHEPPARD, (7 vols., R. S. London); SCHAARSCHMIDT, Jonnes Saresberiensis nach Leben und Studien, Schriftten und Philosophie (Leipzig, 1862), a good critical appreciation of John’s attainments as a scholar, but biography needs modification; DEMIMUID, Jean de Salisbury (Paris, 1873), good on Correspondence; PAUILI in DOVE AND FRIEDBERG, Zeitschrift f. Kirchenrecht, XVI (1881), 271, POOLE, Illustrations of the History of Medieval Thought (London, 1884), IDEM in Dictionary of National Biography, s. v. NORGATE, England under the Angevin Kings (London, 1887), STUBBS, Lectures on the Study of Med. and Mod. Hist., I (London, 1886), vi and vii; WEBB in Proceedings of Aristotelean Society (London, 1894), p. 91; DE WULF, Histoire de la philosophie medievale (Louvain, 1905), pp. 217 sqq.; HAUREAU, Hist. philos. scol. (Paris, 1872); TURNER, History of Philosophy (Boston, 1903), 299 sqq.
P. COFFEY Transcribed by Joseph P. Thomas
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VIIICopyright © 1910 by Robert Appleton CompanyOnline Edition Copyright © 2003 by K. KnightNihil Obstat, October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., CensorImprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York
Fuente: Catholic Encyclopedia
John Of Salisbury
an eminent English prelate, was born at Salisbury (old Sarum) about 1110. He was first educated at Oxford, and in 1136 went to France, where he continued his studies under Abelard, and many other celebrated French divines of that age. About 1151 he returned to England, and was appointed chaplain of Theobald, archbishop of Canterbury. Sent on a mission to pope Hadrian IV in 1156, he openly approached the latter on the abuses of the Church and of the papacy, though always an earnest advocate of the unity and liberty of the Church, and the independence of the episcopate from the secular princes. He was an intimate friend and admirer of Thomas a Becket, whose cause he espoused warmly, and whom he followed into exile returning only to England with him in 1170, and after his death secured his canonization. John was called Becket’s eye and arm. In 1176 he was appointed bishop of Chartres, and died about 1180. His works, which evince positive Realistic tendencies, and bear evidence of fruitful genius, sound understanding, and great erudition, are, Policraticus s. de nugis curialium et vestigiis philosophorum (Leyden, 1691) (an excellent treatise on the employments, duties, virtues, and vices of great men a curious and valuable monument of the literature of John of Salisbury’s time): Metaloqicus (Leyd. 1610, Amst. 1664), an exhibition of true and false science; Entheticus de dogmate philosophorum (pub. by Chr. Petersen, Hamb. 1843): Vita ac Passio S. Thomoe (a Life of Thomas a Becket), etc. His collective works have been published by J. A. Giles (Lond. 1848, 5 vols. 8vo). See H. Reuter, J. von Salisbury (Berl. 1842); J. Schmidt, Joan Parv. Sarisb., etc. (1838); Hist. Litt. de la France, etc., 14, 89 sq.; Ritter, Gesch. d. Philos. 7, 605; Darling, Cyclop. Bibliogr. s.v. SEE BECKET; SEE PAPACY.
Fuente: Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
John of Salisbury
(c 1115-1180) From the works of this Englishman, much can be learned about the schoolmen of his day for he presents cogent criticism of their views which he characterizes as fruitless. In his Metalogicus he advocates reform in logic. He was among the earliest adherents of absolute separation of church and state, a view which he advanced in Policraticus. He adopted a practical attitude toward knowledge, seeking the rejection of what was useless and contrary to a pious life, even though proof positive could not be advanced for what was found favorable to the true good. — L.E.D.