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Document Details : Title: The Interfaces between Scholasticism and Humanism in Pope Adrian VI's and Desiderius Erasmus's Mutual Appreciation for Each Other and their Indebtedness to the Devotio Moderna Author(s): VAN GEEST, Paul Journal: Archivum Historiae Pontificiae Volume: 56 Date: 2022-2023 Pages: 31-65 DOI: 10.2143/AHP.56.0.3293913 Abstract : In this study the relationship between pope Adrian VI and Desiderius Erasmus is addressed, and their indebtedness to the Modern Devotion studied as a source of their intellectual compatibility in spite of the fact that scholasticism and humanism were understood as opposing schools of thought. Parallels are pointed out between the two men’s formation in institutions that can be related to those that originated from the Modern Devotion and their respective intellectual developments that led both to divergences and convergences in their scholarly practice. The convergences resulted mainly from their personal compatibility. It turns out that their differences of opinion concerning the value of their respective scholarly methods affected their views on church reform. For Adrian, the aim of reform was to renew the institution through the renewal of Christians. Reform was not doctrinal or dogmatic, nor theological-methodological. By contrast, Erasmus gives the impression that he regarded scholastic logic, with its dialectics, syllogisms and distinctions, as powerless to contribute to the reform of the Church, and therefore believed that the reform of the Church depended on the reform of the theological-scientific method. However, their correspondence shows that, paradoxically, Erasmus recognized the benefits of scholasticism and Adrian recognized the benefits of humanism when it came to the reform of the Church. |
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