Publication details
Skeptický a materialistický proud ve středověkém křesťanství : případ z Itálie 13. století
| Title in English | Skeptical and materialistic current in Medieval christianity : a case from 13th-century Italy |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Religio : revue pro religionistiku |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Field | Philosophy and religion |
| Keywords | religious skepticism; criticism of religion; materialism; James (Giacomo) Flamenghi; inquisition of Bologna |
| Attached files | |
| Description | In June 1299, James (Giacomo) Flamenghi, monk of the Monte Armato abbey near Bologna, was reported to the inquisitor Guido of Vicenza for his lack of observance of ordinary Christian practices. For many years, he avoided fasting, confession, communion, the liturgy of the hours, and Mass. He was also known for his radical ideas: on many occasions, he was heard questioning the existence of the afterlife, paradise, hell, and the immortal soul. In this article, I analyze James Flamenghi's thought and behavior as portrayed in the register of the Bologna inquisition, and place it in the context of different forms of religious skepticism in medieval Europe. I conclude that his skepticism was less a philosophical system than a practical worldview linked to a hedonistic lifestyle. Nevertheless, it seems highly consistent, and difficult to reduce to a simple expression of anticlericalism. |
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