How the doctrine of the incarnation shaped Western culture

In recent years numerous scholars in disciplines not traditionally associated with theology have promoted an interesting thesis. They maintain that one particular Christian doctrine, the Incarnation, had an inordinate influence on the shape of Western culture. The doctrine, they say, was so radical that it mandated an epistemological break with pagan society's perception of the universe and forced Christians to form a new culture. As medieval society worked out the consequences of the doctrine, it gave birth to those attitudes, institutions, and actions that define modern Western culture. The claims are well argued, but it is a historically untested thesis. How the Doctrine of Incarnation Shaped Western Culture is a response to the situation. It investigates whether the presence of the doctrine had the definitive effect on Western culture that so many scholars claim it did. It searches early Christian and medieval sources for evidence and concludes that the doctrine had a dominant effect on the developing culture. No other idea was as omnipresent or pervasive in Western society during its formative stage as the Incarnation doctrine. The doctrine was influential in the establishment of every major facet of Western culture. Its paradox, irrationality, and juxtaposition of opposites created a tension that cried out for resolution, and society responded accordingly. The ideas within the doctrine acted as catalysts for cultural change. As a result, the West developed its most characteristic traits and forged a path that was uniquely its own. Introduction 6 Chapter One Reason for the Study 7 PART ONE: THE FIRST MILLENNIUM 19 Chapter Two Formulation of the Doctrine of the Incarnation 20 Chapter Three Early Reflections on the Doctrine and Its Impact 43 Chapter Four The West Establishes Itself 67 PART TWO: THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES 90 Chapter Five Intellectual Stirrings: The Eucharistic Debates and Anselm 91 Chapter Six Peter Damian: New Ideas and Attitudes 121 Chapter Seven The Doctrine in Women’s Thoughts and Actions 143 Chapter Eight Individualism, Political Discourse, and Science 165 Chapter Nine Reconciling the Doctrine as Catalyst with Historiography 190 Concluding Remarks 210 Bibliography 211 Recent scholars from numerous disciples have promoted an intriguing yet undocumented thesis, that the doctrine of the Incarnation had an inordinate influence on the shape of Western culture. This study offers the necessary evidence, documenting whether, when, by whom, and how the doctrine acted as an intellectual catalyst in the formation of Western culture during the Middle Ages