Medieval Literature VIII: Dante and Boccaccio
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
Release Date: 07/09/2025
Europe in Crisis: The Struggle for the Church
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
Political turmoil swept across Europe in the wake of the Protestant Reformation. To help us expand the topic, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions: How did Luther’s approach to religious reform encourage a rise in centralized power? Why was it necessary to divide the Holy Roman Empire in the Peace of Augsburg? How did Rashi, an eleventh century Jewish scholar, indirectly influence Luther’s interpretation of scripture?
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Martin Luther: Reformer or Revolutionary
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
Few events in Christian history had a more dramatic impact than the Protestant Reformation. As we survey this seismic event, Rabbi Rocklin will answer the following questions: How did the spirit of the Renaissance that swept through Europe foster a culture that could lead to the Reformation? What theological debates led to Martin Luther’s eventual split from the Roman Catholic Church? How is Luther’s insistence that the Bible can be translated into the vernacular an outgrowth of his view of the ordinary man?
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The Age of Exploration: Europe's Commerce and Classes
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
The spirit of discovery in the Renaissance will push Europe to expand its trade horizons and reshape its economy. On today’s episode, we’ll address the following questions: What were the technological innovations in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries that made long-distance sailing easier? Why did Portugal, of all countries, become a dominant force in expanding European trade in the East? How did the Age of Exploration completely pull Europe out of a feudal economic system and into an era of mercantilism?
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Of Kings, Nobles, and Commoners: The Emergence of the New Monarchs
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
Consolidation of power will dramatically alter politics, wars, and loyalties in Europe. To help us expand this notion, we’ll explore the following questions: What caused political power in Europe to shift from being localized in the hands of the lords to being wielded by royal families ruling vast territories? How did a rise in national loyalties lead to increasing suspicion of divergent religious groups? Why were the common people important to kings such that kings allied themselves with the populace against the nobility?
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The Northern Renaissance: Aesthetics, Mystics, and Humanists
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
The Northern Renaissance may be infused with the same spirit as the Italian Renaissance, but it manifested in uniquely northern European ways. On today’s episode, we’ll take a look at the following questions: How does Goethe’s Faustus grapple with the relationship between knowledge and goodness? What was the danger in Nicholas of Cusa’s philosophical innovation regarding man’s relationship with God? Why did the Northern Renaissance produce great thinkers and reformers? Recommended Viewing: at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) at the Museo del Prado (Madrid, Spain)
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To be Loved or Feared: Machiavelli and the Politics of Power
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
Modern politics cannot be fully understood without Machiavelli. To help us unpack this claim, Rabbi Rocklin will explore the following questions: How does Machiavelli shift the way that virtue is understood? Why do some scholars consider Machiavelli to be the first modern political philosopher? How does Machiavelli justify his claim that a ruler should use cruelty and fear as tools to control the people? Recommended Reading: Machiavelli, Niccolo. , 2nd edition. Translated by Harvey Mansfield, University of Chicago Press: 1998.
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Human Dignity: Petrarch and Pico della Mirandola
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
The notion of human dignity takes center stage as humanism comes to the fore with Petrarch and Pico. To help us explore the topic, Rabbi Rocklin will address the following questions: Why did Petrarch, who is often considered the father of humanism, heavily criticize Medieval philosophers? According to Pico, what makes man unique and uniquely dignified? How does that shift the general understanding of man’s relationship with God? Both Pico and the Greeks seem to have asserted that man can change through culture. How is Pico’s assertion notably different? Recommended Reading: Pico della...
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An Era of Rebirth: The Italian Renaissance
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
A new era dawns on history as the Renaissance begins. As we begin to explore this period, Rabbi Rocklin will help us answer the following questions: Can the Renaissance truly be characterized as a new period, as opposed to simply an outgrowth of the Middle Ages? Why does the re-examining of Greco-Roman thought lead to a religious emphasis on man’s greatness and centrality to creation? What was the Church’s reaction to the changes of the Renaissance era?
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Medieval Literature IX: Drama and Tales
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
Chaucer is arguably the most famous writer of the Middle English period. To give us a sense of his greatness, we’ll address the following questions: Since Chaucer was not the typical Medieval scholar, how did he gain access to the texts that made him such a great writer? How does Chaucer’s “The Pardoner’s Tale” challenge the offices of the Church during this time? What was Chaucer’s dynamic contribution to the development of literature? Recommended Reading: Lavinsky, David. . England: Boydell and Brewer, 2017.
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Medieval Literature VIII: Dante and Boccaccio
The Pillars: Jerusalem, Athens, and the Western Mind
Dante and Bocaccio did more to develop vernacular writing than perhaps any other writers of their era. On today’s episode, we’ll explore the following questions: To what extent should Dante be considered an innovator with what he accomplished in the Divine Comedy? Why has Dante endured through the centuries? What makes him still relevant today? How can Boccaccio’s writings be considered spiritual?
info_outlineDante and Bocaccio did more to develop vernacular writing than perhaps any other writers of their era. On today’s episode, we’ll explore the following questions:
- To what extent should Dante be considered an innovator with what he accomplished in the Divine Comedy?
- Why has Dante endured through the centuries? What makes him still relevant today?
- How can Boccaccio’s writings be considered spiritual?