Work in Ancient and Medieval Thought: Ancient Philosophers, Medieval Monks and Theologians and Their Concept of Work, Occupations and Technology (Dutch ... on Ancient History and Archaeology, Vol 14)

The main object of this study is to find out whether the differences between classical and medieval thinking about work, occupations and technology are so significant that we are justified in speaking of a real break between Antiquity and the Middle Ages in this connection; or whether there is a possible continuity of ideas. From a comparative perspective five themes are being researched to shed light on this ques-tion. In the first two chapters the author looks into the traditional view of negative ideas about work in Antiquity. Chapter three subsequently deals with monks and their attitude towards labour. In chapter four the place of the so-called artes mechanicae in medieval classifications of knowledge is being studied. In chapter five we find an analysis of twelfth-century sermons ad status. These three chapters principally deal with the question whether Christianity brought about a change in attitude towards work. WORK IN ANCIENT AND MEDIEVAL THOUGHT 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Preface 10 Introduction 12 I. The ideology of labour under the Principate 32 The Stoa: their general doctrine 32 Stoics on labour: the sources 37 The Stoic conception of ponos 39 Some introductory remarks 39 Stoics and ponos 42 Agriculture 49 Banausic arts 60 Trade 74 II. Technical arts in ancient classifications of knowledge 84 Introduction 84 The terminology: artes mechanicae, mēchanē, mēchanikē technē 88 Mentality and the technical arts 92 Technical arts as banausic or illiberal arts 101 Technical arts as liberal or semi-liberal arts 105 Technical arts as productive arts 112 Technical arts as a branch of mathematics 118 III. Work and the monastic world 124 Introduction 124 Eastern monasticism 127 The anchorites 127 Pachomius 135 Western monasticism 139 Emergence and early development 139 Work in pre-Benedictine monasticism 148 Jerome 148 Basil 149 Augustine 153 Cassian 157 Work in some early monastic rules 159 The Rule of Benedict and the work ethic in Wes tern monasticism 163 IV. The mechanical arts in medieval classifications of knowledge 170 Some general remarks about medieval classifications of knowledge and the mechanical arts 170 Hugh of St. Victor and the artes mechanicae 173 Some classifications of knowledge dating from the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries 188 Dominic Gundisalvo 189 Vincent of Beauvais 196 Robert Kilwardby 203 V. Ad status sermons and the recognition of work and occupations in the thirteenth century 212 Changes in sermons and confessions during the thirteenth century 215 Sermones ad status: the genre 219 Sermones ad status: an analysis 224 Hierarchical thinking: tradition or innovation? 225 Material and Immaterial 235 The good worker and the bad 244 Conclusion 256 Bibliography 268 Index 294