Doubts Flow Like a River Inthe Middle Ages, people accepted whatever they were told, They did not question the church, because itheld the keys to heaven. They did not question their ruler, because he had a torture rack. They did not read the ancient writings, because few could read in any language. Their world was limited to a small village or town, and while they might have met a crusader or a sailor who had traveled hundreds of miles, there were ‘oceans, continents, and peoples completely unknown toeven him. “Thomas Aquinas said: “faith and reason are one,” which leftlttle room forhonest doubt. But Peter Abelard said: “For by doubt, we come to investigate, and by investigation, we leam truth,” By 1500, there WeFe 4, ue vinci was one of those people many doubts being expressed. Was the feudal SYS" sith a questioning mind that would ead the tom~-with its lords, vassals, knights, and wars—the, Search for answers in the Renaissance. way society should be? Were some of the practices way the church proper? Was alchemy good science? Should artists and writers be limited by the tigid standards of the past? The church was soon to be challenged on many fronts. Ithad lost some of ts influence during the time twas in France (the "Babylonian Captivity") and when two or three men ata time clalmed tobe Pope (the “Great Schism’). In the 12th century, St. Bernard criticized bishops anc arch- bishops 2s tools of the devil, but Joachim of Floris went further and attacked the FoPe a the antichrist (enemy of Christ) Wycliffe and Huss blasted the evilsin the church during thelr time, bu falled to make much difference. Martin Luther and John Calvin in the early 16th century, however ‘succeeded in bringing dramatic change through the Protestant Reformation. ‘Traditional views on science were also being challenged by the 16th century. One majo change was the growing doubt that the earth was the center ofthe universe. Aristarchus hadwritter rane sid century that the sun was the center ofthe universe, but in the Middle Ages the theor: of Ptolemy, going back to the 2nd century, that the earth was the center ofthe universe, was mucl more popular. Nicholas Copernicus was not the fist to question Ptolemy's science, but throug! ao ee cunments and nights of study, he became convinced that the planets revolved around ou ie knew this would be very unpopular, so he waited unti he was on his deathbed before hr published On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres (1548). His views remained unpopular f¢ any years, and when Galileo tried to defend them in the 17th century, he was imprisoned. atiso, Leonardo da Vinci, and others were beginning to develop a new understanding ¢ physies. Knowledge of the human body was also increasing. n the 14th corti, dissection « coy bodies (eadavers) became a common practice at the University of Bologna. Andree Vavalius became noted for his knowledge gained from dissections andis today known asthe fathe {ithe science of anatomy. Michael Servetus studied the circulation of blood in the early 16: century. ‘© Mark Twain Media, Inc., Publishers 124Doubts Flow Like a River CHALLENGES 4. Asapersonwho preferstoletotherstell you whatto believe, which would you like better: Aquinas or Abelard? | | ». As a person who enjoys thinking for yourself, which would you like better: Aquinas or Abelard? 3. Whom did St. Bernard criticize? 4, Who called the Pope the Antichrist? 5. What movement did Luther and Calvin lead? 6. Whose theory did people of the Middle Ages prefer: Arstarchus or Ptolemy? Why? 7. What theory did Copernicus develop? 8, Whom did Galileo side with? 9. What was an improvement made in medical studies at Bologna? 10. Who is known today as the father of medical anatomy? ‘© Mark Twaln Media, Inc., Publishers 126