Vorscholastik: The contribution of the Carolingian monk Paschasius Radbertus of Corbie (c. 790–860) to early medieval philosophy

Abstract

This article reconsiders the historical–philosophical significance of the monk and abbot of Corbie Abbey (est. 657), Paschasius Radbertus (c. 790–860).  Radbert is contextualised within the cultural and academic setting of the Carolingian period of the eighth and ninth centuries while taking into account  the diverse scholarly accomplishments of his contemporaries such as Alcuin of York (c. 740–804), Rabanus Maurus (c. 780–856), Walafrid Strabo (c.  809–849) and John Scottus Eriugena (815–877). The characteristic absence of contributions regarding Radbert in otherwise comprehensive introductions  and editorial works in medieval philosophy is subsequently surveyed. It is shown that only a few introductory works of note contain references to  Radbert, while the current specialised research is also relatively limited. Reconsidering depictions of Radbert in several older commentaries, notably  Martin Grabmann’s (1875–1949) Die Geschichte der Scholastischen Methode I (1957), it is suggested that Radbert’s philosophical importance could be  traced to Vorscholastik or the earliest development of scholasticism, as presented in his extensive commentary Expositio in Matheo Libri XII – without  diminishing the ecclesiastical weight of his dispute with Ratramnus (d.c. 868) regarding their interpretation of the Eucharist in their similarly titled but  disparate treatises De corpore et sanguine Domini, for which Radbert is generally better known and accordingly reflected in studies of early medieval  intellectual history.

Contribution: This article contributes to scholarship in early medieval philosophy by reassessing the philosophical influence of  Paschasius Radbertus, based on the most recent specialised analyses and older modern receptions of his texts De corpore et sanguine Domini and   Expositio in Matheo Libri XII.