Religious Epistemology God, Nature , and man at John Scott Eriugena A thesis for the obtainment master of Arts degree from the Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, with a specialization European Medieval Ages Philosophy Submitted By Walaa Farag Shabaan Mohammed Musa Demonstrator in Department of Philosophy in the Faculty Under Supervision of Prof. Nadia Abdul-Ghani El-Bermawi Professor of European Medieval Ages Philosophy Faculty of Arts, Menoufia University Prof. Abdo Kassab Professor of Modern and Contemporary Philosophy Vice Dean for Community Service and environmental development Faculty of Arts, Zagazig University In this research I dealt with one of the most important and prominent personalities in the medieval period, John Scott Arigina (810-877), who belongs to the Irish monasteries, and the reason for choosing this character over others is because he is considered the father of scholastic philosophy in the Middle Ages, which in turn It had the greatest impact in changing that era, and also because his philosophy was influenced by many different philosophical patterns, and it had a clear impact on some philosophers of the modern era, and for this reason his philosophy is a human work in which he was able to master the old heritage, and add to it the new, also in addition to that Studying his philosophy is difficult to some extent, due to the scarcity of sources and references that I dealt with and the scarcity of Arabic and foreign studies, in addition to the fact that some sources and references were written in Latin and French. In this study, I have relied on the following methods: The comparative analytical with the use of the critical method whenever necessary, The reason for my choice of these approaches over others is due to the nature of this study that requires presentation and analysis of the opinions, theories and ideas that John Scott Arigina (the subject of the study) said. This is compared to those who preceded him and those who follow him, and to clarify the extent to which he was affected by them when he said those opinions, and the interconnection and overlapping of ideas, perceptions and comparisons, which led to tracing the history of philosophical thought since its initial inception in order to consolidate ideas. The problem of this research lies in answering the following questions: 1- What are the most important issues that John Scott Arigina dealt with in research and study? 2- Was John Scott Arigina influenced by his opinions? Or was he rational in formulating these views? 3- Does John Scott Arigina belong in his philosophical doctrine to the Platonic current or to the Augustinian current? 4- Was John Scott Arigina a realist or an idealist in his views? 5- To what extent was John Scott Arigina influenced by the doctrines and theories of the Greek philosophers and the philosophy of Islam, and did he have a renewal tendency in his saying these views? Or was he merely a transmitter and conciliator among these philosophers? This research consists of an introduction, five chapters and a conclusion As for the introduction, the researcher introduced the topic of her research, clarified its importance, and indicated the method used in its preparation, as well as the questions directed to the study. As for the first chapter, entitled “John Scott Arigina, his life and his most important writings.” This chapter includes two sections: The first topic is entitled: The life of John Scott Arigina and the circumstances of his time. As for the second topic, it is entitled: The works of John Scott Arigina and his translations. In this chapter, which is considered an introduction to the study of the philosophy of John Scott Arigina, the researcher tried to present the stages of his intellectual life, and the environment in which he grew up, explaining the impact of this environment on his religious and philosophical formation. As for the second chapter, entitled "Knowledge in the Philosophy of John Scott Arigina", it includes two sections: The first topic is entitled: Sensory knowledge and its connection to the epistemological debate. As for the second topic, its title is: The Mental Dimension in Religious Epistemology. In this chapter, the researcher has tried to reveal the Greek roots that John Scott Erigina benefited from in his epistemological theory, as well as how he benefited from his predecessors and what he added anew. As for the third chapter, entitled "Divinity in the Philosophy of John Scott Erigena", it includes two sections: The first topic is entitled: God in the philosophy of John Scott Erigena As for the second topic, it is entitled: The Attributes of God in the Philosophy of John Scott Erigena In this chapter, the researcher has studied and analyzed the idea of divinity in the philosophy of Erigina and the proofs he presented to prove the existence of God, showing how Erigina was affected by his predecessors, as well as the attributes of the Divine Self, showing how Arigina was able to prove it. As for the fourth chapter, entitled “The Issue of Creation,” it includes two sections: The first topic is entitled: Sections of Creation. As for the second topic, its title: The relationship of creatures to God Almighty. In this chapter, the researcher has studied and analyzed the creation problem and its divisions with Erigina, and explained the connection between God Almighty and the creatures from Erigina's point of view. As for the fifth chapter, entitled “The Man,” it includes two sections: The first topic is entitled: Human Ethics. As for the second topic, it is entitled: The Divine Will. In this chapter, the researcher explained how Erigina dealt with ethics as a problem with a human dimension in the first place, indicating the extent to which ethics is linked to the will, and how Scott was affected by his predecessors, and a statement of his innovative aspects. Through the previous study, the most important findings can be clarified in the following points: 1- Erigina is considered a prominent and distinguishing mark in the history of Christian thought. Scott had a prominent influence on the main structure of what is called metaphysics or nature by placing the four divisions of nature on the philosophers who followed him in this regard. -2Although Arigina is one of the greatest and most important thinkers of the Middle Ages who contributed mainly to the field of philosophy in general, metaphysics, knowledge, theology, and ethics in particular, his views and thought are complex, as he usually eludes dialectical arguments, but it is easy to trace, in addition to Erigina's idea is not known to a large extent precisely except for a small circle of philosophers who have the ability to comprehend and understand his thought, and possess a complete vision of this thought. -3 Erigina is more of a philosopher than a theologian, and this is because despite his studies in monasticism in Ireland, which has a spiritual nature, he uses the method of rational reasoning on the widest scale. It is actually based on analogy and takes deduction as a basis for it in many of the opinions it advocates. -4Erigina relied in clarifying and presenting his views and synthesising his ideas on a synthetic analytical approach, so he had the ability to present and analyze the opinions of his predecessors, especially Greek philosophers and thinkers, and then come up with a bold and new opinion that reconciles many of these opinions, and in accordance with his mental tendency, and this highlights He was not merely a repeater and conveyor of the thought of those who preceded him, rather he was creative and innovative in what he presented of ideas and approved opinions, so he chose what suited his doctrine and agreed with his mental boldness, and his intellectual logic, and excluded everything that contradicted that. -5 Erigina belongs to each of the patristic currents (the Augustinian current) due to the compatibility of some statements regarding theology and his views on knowledge, as well as (the Platonic current) and with regard to the theory of emanation and emanation at Neoplatonism, and it was found through the analysis and presentation of the views of Erigina that he actually belonged to the sect of thinkers Realists, so to speak, not to the list of idealists. We find him not agreeing with both the formal and the luminous doctrine as a way to reach the truth. It shows that the mind is able to reach the truth and complete certainty through its natural powers, so we do not need doubt in order to reach the truth and the divine light. Erigina was objective and realistic in his saying of the divine will, and in his saying that the main attribute of God is the infinite and made it the basis of other attributes, and that attribute is the highest concept of God to reach him through the natural mind. 6- Despite Erigina’s rationalist tendency, we do not see him not abandoning his history and spiritual doctrine, and evidence of this is the importance Erigina presented in his presentation of the evidence for the existence of God in his epistemological theory, in addition to his giving extensive attention to the subject of theology, as we see him separating theology Philosophy, and he sees that true philosophy is the true religion and true religion is true philosophy, and that philosophy is limited to the sciences that are understood by the mind, and the doctrines of theology cannot be discussed rationally, as they are accepted facts that cannot be proven and understood by the mind. And he believes that we perceive God through our actions that bring us happiness in life, so we cannot see God directly because He transcends everything. 7 - Erigina's epistemology is the cornerstone of his philosophy, as we find that in his proofs of the existence of God depends entirely on rational knowledge to prove the existence of God, and to prove the attributes of the Divine Self. Its determinant must occur by the nature of the attic itself. 8- Through Erigina’s clarification of the doctrine of existence, it became clear that what Erigina intended was the participation of God and the creatures only in the act of existence, but Erigina did not err, as some described him in his collection of God and the creatures, and looked at this issue with some caution despite his mental boldness, and acknowledged that God They transcend and transcend everything, for God is above anything, as He is described by all in all. 9- By addressing human ethics in the philosophy of Erigina, it was found that he agreed with St. Thomas Aquinas in his saying that the moral law is a basic imposition on people by God, but Erigina disagreed with him in exalting the status of the divine will and divine destiny. 10- It can be said in the end that what gives Erigina this importance today is his thought full of renaissance, which greatly influenced postmodern thinkers and students of Christian religious philosophy, and there are many features of his thought that are relevant and important to our contemporary world, including, first, his strong commitment to the dignity of Man as representing the image of God on earth in the world of the future and the present. Second, his opinion regarding his optimism for the creation system and the clarification of its divisions to creation. Third, the centrality of the love of knowledge by making it a key to true rationality, which gives a distinctive model for understanding ourselves and our place in the world. 11- Erigina’s vision had a modern vision, especially with regard to human dignity and the importance of the mind, in addition to his style that characterizes the spirit of competition in us to reconsider to know the basic keys to the perfection of human nature. Erigina’s profound insight in this regard has to fully influence his views and his theological boldness, and through his life experiences, Erigina was able to give us a clear philosophical vision that had a prominent impact on later philosophers. He imposed himself for research and study, and the greatest credit has been written for him in shedding the lights of criticism and controversy on prominent scholastic philosophers, and in occupying a clear position that everyone acknowledges without reservation that it has great importance as the father of modern scholasticism. 12- Some have distinguished Erigina’s philosophy by making it a clear exception to an innovative and original thought that none of his contemporaries possessed, and some of his followers did not reach it. Rather, Erigina produced the most important intellectual system in the medieval era, and this is clear in his views towards nature, its oaths, and theology, but this does not It absolutely applies to his opinion of the divine destiny, there is no innovation or originality in this approach. -13Erigina's message in his book "A Message about Divine Fate" took another path from the goal for which it came, through which Erigina fought Godskalk's sayings as Henkmar wanted, and took an extreme position in his position, acknowledging and decisively on the control and supremacy of reason, and also employed the dialectical argument instead of His citation of the Bible to refute opinions about the saying of double destiny, Erigina relied on philosophy and debate with an exaggerated system towards his treatment of the issue of divine destiny, at the expense of religion and the Bible, where he used them sparingly, and this is compared to his use of philosophy and his employment of the argument mechanism to prove his own point of view . 14- It becomes clear to us how Erigina dealt with the problem of divine destiny, that on the one hand a Christian clergyman could not turn a blind eye to what was mentioned in the Holy Bible on this issue, and on the other hand he is a lover of philosophy, so he made room for her, and unleashed before the mind and its capabilities in a way that angered many The clergy of that period, and the puzzling thing is that Erigina in the issue of divine destiny did not aim to establish and employ philosophy and reason to serve religion, as many philosophers did in the Middle Ages. the divine in order to be in line with what has been affirmed and affirmed by reason and by which philosophy has been affirmed. He also worked on taking and examining some of Augustine's changing opinions regarding the issue of divine destiny, and selecting what corresponded to his own viewpoint, supported by philosophy and favored by reason, without prejudice to the constants of belief. 15- Erigina combined in his analysis of the mentality of creation between the mystical dimension and the mental dimension to a large extent, and this became clear in his handling of the idea of return, or in particular the return of creatures to God Almighty, and also appeared in his handling of the idea of love, that is, attracts the lover (creature) towards his beloved, i.e. (Creator). ) He is God Almighty. 16- Erigina is considered a pioneer of non-scolastic philosophy, so to speak, and this was evident in his symbolic representation of the religious relationship. This was also evident in his clear belief in the doctrine of pantheism, a doctrine that is contrary to scholastic norms as well as ecclesiastical norms that recognize the existence of fundamental differences between Both God the Creator and creatures. These are the most important results that I reached through this study, and I hope to God Almighty that I have been successful in what I have presented, for He is the Most High, the Blessed of the Lord and the Best of Supporter. The study is followed by a list of sources and references that the researcher relied on in preparing her study. Sources: 1- Augustine : On the free choise of the will , on the grace and free choise and other writings , Edited and trans by peter king university of toronto, cambridg text in the history of philosophy , cambridg press, 2010 . 2- Augustine: on the Predestination of the Saints and on the gift of Perseverance, trans ,by the Rev.Ernest wallis , Revised by Benjamen B. Warfield Taken from "the early church fathers and otherwork" Scotlanda Beginning , 1867, book2 , ch41. 3- Johannis scotti Eriugenae: periphyseon , edited by i.p, Willim Sheldon, the Dublin institute for Advanced studies, Dublin , B 1, 1968. 4- Juan Escoto Eriugena:Divaision de la naturaleza, Ediciones Orbis , S.A, 1984. 5- John Scottus Eriugena: Treatise on Divine Predestination , Trans; Mary Brennan , notre dame texts in medieval culturs, vol 5, John Van Engen editor, the Medieval institute, university of notre dame press , united states ,Indiana, 2002 . 6- Juan ScottusEriugena : Deirdre carabine , Oxford University Press , new york , 2000 . 7- Rudolf Eucken's : philosophy of life, W.R.boyce Gibson , adam and Charles black , London ,1906 . References: 1. Andrea Elizabeth : Eriugena On Predestination and Dialectics , Fild under dialectics or east v west , john scotus Eriugena , philosophy ,predestination , St Maximus , 2009 . 2. Cardinal Mercier : A Manual of Modern Scholastic Philosophy, Keganpaul, Trench, trubner, co., LTD, thud Edition , London, 1926. 3. Dermot moran ; the philosophy of john scottus eriugena , a study of idealism in the middle ages , cambridag university press, new york , first published , 1989 . 4. Dermot moran: Wandering from the path, navigation in the philosophy of john scottus eriugena, the crane bag , the other Ireland, vol 2 , published by Richard kearney . 5. Erica. A. Havelock : the liberal temper in greek politics, yale university press , great Britain , 1957, 6. Etienne Gilson : History of Christian Philosophy in the middle ages, first published, London, 1955. 7. Etienne Gilson : John duns scott, introduction a sses positions fondamentles ,library philosophy vrin , paris, 1952 . 8. Frederick Copleston: A History of Philosophy, Vol 3, published by doubleday , first Published, London, 1976. 9. G. 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Julian Maries: History of Philosophy, Dover Publications, copyright, Inc New York,1967. 24. K. Freeman: Companion to the pre-socratic philosophers , second Edition , Basil , Blackwell, Oxford , 1959 . 25. La Philosophy au moyen age, deuxiem edition, payot, Paris, 1947. 26. M.J Charles Worth: Philosophy of Religion, the Historic Approaches, macmillan Published, London, 1972. 27. R.W Southern : The making of middle ages, hutchinson and co (Publishers), LTD. London. 1978. 28. Radha Krishnan Sarvepalli : History of Philosophy, Vol.2, "Eastern and western", London, without Dat. 29. Richard cross : duns scotus on god ashgate , publishing university of Oxford , oxford ,2005. 30. Samuel Enoch Stumpf : Philosophy (History and problems) ,McGraw-hill book company, trid Edition , New York, without Date. 31. Stanley .D.Beck : the simplicity , Macillan Co, new york , 1956. 32. Thomas finan, Vincent Twomey: The Relationshipe between Neoplatonism and Christianity, four courts press , 1992 . 33. Vicppel f.John , Allan B. Wolter (O.F.M) : Medieval Philosophy, (from st. Augustine to Nicholas of cusa), the free , press, a Division of Macmillan Publishing, Co., Inc, New York, without Date. 34. W. Jeager : The Theology of the Early Greek philosophers , ta clarendon press , Oxford, London , 1948. 35. W.K.S Guthrie : Ahistory of Greek philosophy (the Presocratics tradition from Parmenides to democritus) , vol 2 , the university press , cambridg ,1965 . 36. 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Inc , New York,2008. 15- The editors of Cambridge Dictionary : Predestination , Cambridge Advanced Learner's and Thesaurus Dictionary , Cambridge university press, 2019. 16- The lexicon Universal Encyclopedia, (John Scotus Erigena), lexicon Publications, Inc, New York, N. Y. without Date. Scientific thesis: 1- John Christian maclnnis: the Harmony of all things , music, soul, and cosmos, in the writings of John scottus eriugena , florida state university libraries college of music, 2014. 2- Dermot moran : Nature and Mind in The philosophy of john scottus Eriugena, astudy in medieval idealism, PH.D, yale university, 1986 .