中世纪自然哲学与神学的互动刍议

On the Interaction between Natural Philosophy and Theology in the Middle Ages

中世纪并非黑暗,中世纪的科学与宗教也并非截然冲突,而是有着复杂的关系和深刻的相通之处。中世纪的自然哲学与神学相互渗透和影响:一方面,自然哲学家们可以一般地援引上帝的绝对能力,超出亚里士多德自然哲学来分析问题;另一方面,对《圣经》以及其他神学著作的评注需要大量运用自然哲学知识,中世纪晚期自然哲学和数学的概念与技巧被大量运用于与创世无关的神学问题。基督教与近代科学之间有着深刻的内在关联,这为近代科学开辟了道路。

The middle ages are not dark. The medieval science and religion are not completely conflicting, but have a complex relationship and profound connections. On the one hand, medieval natural philosophers could generally invoke God＇s absolute power and analyze problems beyond the Aristotelian natural philosophy; on the other hand, in order to write commentaries on the Bible and other theological works, extensive use of natural philosophy is badly needed. The concepts and techniques of natural philosophy mathematics in the late middle ages have been widely used in the theological issues. Christianity and modern science have a profound internal relationship, which opened the way for modern science.