hallq

Richard Carrier has written great stuff on the credulity - and rare skeptics like Lucian - in the age of Christianity's birth. It's gotten me wondering: What displays of skepticism are to be found in the Middle Ages? I know of the surprising debunking of the Shroud of Turin by a Catholic bishop, but what else?

andrewcriddle

With some exceptions the Middle Ages tended not to be skeptical about historical claims in ancient documents Christian Pagan whatever.

The main skeptical tradition is the Middle Ages is found in people like Nicholas of Autrecourt and William of Ockham who put stringent limits on human reason and claimed that people such as Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas had grossly exaggerated the amount of religious and metaphysical claims that human reason could establish.

Most of these skeptics where largely orthodox Christians but they regarded almost all Christian claims (including in some cases the existence of God) as things to be accepted on faith rather than established by reason.

Andrew Criddle

David B

I suspect that any who were sceptical took good care to keep quiet about it.

If so, it would be understandable.

David B

Anat

Among the Jews, in the 12th century Abraham Ibn Ezra listed many of the problematic places in Torah, anachronisms and other statements that cast doubt on authorship by Moses. IIRC his comments are hinted, or accompanied by advice for the wise to remain silent.

In the 9th century Hiwi of Balkh, afghanistan wrote a list of 200 questions where he raised problematic areas in the way God is represented in the Tanakh, such as why does an omniscent god ask Adam of his whereabouts, why does an omniscent god need to test Abraham, as well as questions regarding God's justice. Most of El-Balkhi's list was lost, but some of it is known through refutations by Saadia Gaon.