For the past 20 years, the Lumen Christi Institute has worked to make the Catholic intellectual tradition a living dialogue partner to students and faculty at the University of Chicago and across the nation through masterclasses, lectures, summer seminars, and non-credit courses. A major goal of the Lumen Christi Institute is to develop courses in Catholic thought and spirituality that complement the regular offerings of the University of Chicago. Our non-credit courses allow students to pursue an outstanding secular education while being formed in the traditions of Catholic intellectual and spiritual life.
Experience first-hand the world-class programming that is made available weekly to students as Lumen Christi brings its spring non-credit course on “Reason and Wisdom in Medieval Christian Thought” to the nation as a live-webinar series. Our first seminar will launch on Tuesday of holy week with the great historian of Chirstianity Bernard McGinn on “Gregory the Great on Reading Scripture for Wisdom.” Subsequent webinars will follow on Thursdays at 7pm.
No preparation is necessary and participants can attend according to their availablity. Register for each event on the event page.
2020 Spring Webinar Series on “Reason and Wisdom in Medieval Christian Thought”
What can reason discover about God? Are there other possible ways to know God? Medieval Christians undertook great rational enterprises—including the sharp logic of Abelard and the grand system of Thomas Aquinas—as well as practiced experiential and contemplative modes of knowing, as did Bernard of Clairvaux. This course will examine how different preeminent medieval Christian thinkers saw the relationship between reason and wisdom, how to arrive at them, and so how to seek the face of God.
This series is cosponsored by the Calvert House Catholic Center, the Collegium Institute, the Harvard Catholic Center, the Nova Forum, the Saint Benedict Institute, the Beatrice Institute, and the Institute for Faith and Culture.
Series Lectures
Tuesday, April 7, 7PM
“Gregory the Great on Reading Scripture for Wisdom” | Bernard McGinn (University of Chicago)
Thursday, April 16, 7PM
“Anselm of Canterbury on the Rationality of Faith” | Aaron Canty (Saint Xavier University)
Thursday, April 23, 7PM
“Thomas Aquinas on Ways to Know God” | Brian Carl (St. Thomas University)
Thursday, April 30, 7PM
Hildegard of Bingen | Barbara Newman (Northwestern University)
Thursday, May 7, 7PM
Abelard and Bernard of Clairvaux | Willemien Otten (University of Chicago)
Thursday, May 14, 7PM
“The Wisdom of Enclosure in Julian of Norwich’s Showings” | Katie Bugyis (University of Notre Dame)
Thursday, May 21, 7PM
Bonaventure | Kevin Hughes (Villanova University)
Thursday, May 28, 7PM
Meister Eckhart | Bernard McGinn (University of Chicago)
Thursday, June 4, 7PM
Nicholas of Cusa | David Albertson (University of Southern California)