First, Arnald de Villanova became known as a philosopher, theoretical and practical physician. He advocated the wide spread Galenism as a basic principle, which he, and Hippocrates’ works likewise, illustrated didactically, commented and completed - thanks to numerous own observations and experiences. He composed collections of aphorisms, among them his late but famous and all over Europe copied Parabolae medicationis, wrote a considerable number of textbooks, clinical monographies, as well as treatises about therapeutics and medical theory with practically oriented intention. He devoted himself to particular problems of the art of healing and sought manual-like and didactically reduced medical overview works. Altogether he predominantly published works characterized by a strong inductive way of argumentation and oriented toward therapeutic effectiveness.
Moreover, the later editions of his medical achievements and the thereby found erroneous ascription of works present Arnald as a practical oriented physician, who raised critical objection against superficial and hasty blending of philosophy and medicine, and in this regard polemicized against Averroes (Ibn Rushd), too. In particular, these are Speculum medicinae, De intentionibus medicorum, De parte operativa, Liber de gradibus, De humido radicale, De simplicibus, De arte cognoscendi venena, Antidotarium, De vinis, De dosibus tyriacalibus, and De cura febris ethice.
In the 1290s, Arnald increasingly advanced to a homo spiritualis. While Avicenna already understood medicine as a philosophical discipline and, moreover, perceived philosophy as therapy, ‘‘as cure from detrimental delusions,’’ Arnald adopted this view in a modified form. Cure for him meant turning toward salvation in Christ. His religiosity was not confined to religious service, prayer, family life, and caritas alone, but it imbued the entity of his existence, to which belonged also his profession as a physician, an author and - later more and more - a political actor. His writings Introductio in librum Ioachim de semine scripturarum seu de prophetis dormientibus, Allocutio super significatione nominis thetragrammaton as well as De tempore antichristi etfine mundi, and Tractatus de mysterio cymbalorum belonged to this period, while it is doubtable whether Arnald authored the apocalypse exposition Expositio super apocalypsi.
to his medical capabilities and accomplishments, Arnald gained special consideration of the pope at the beginning of the new century. Thus, he succeeded in presenting his idea of the imminent arrival of the Antichrist to Boniface VIII. Previously his thesis raised a vehement conflict at the theological faculty of the
University of Paris. Arnald’s Antichrist tract was confiscated, and he was imprisoned for a short time and accused of heresy. However, pope Boniface VIII freed him. Pope Benedict XI took him to custody in Perugia but released him soon after. Arnald escaped to the court of Frederick III of Sicily. Frederick accommodated him friendly and called him the ‘‘new Plato.’’
Arnald gratefully dedicated his newest work, Allocutio christiani, to the king. Here Arnald expressed what and how a ruler had to be, had to do and not to do, to be ruler in a true Christian sense. However, one year later -1305 - the Catalan was back at the court of James II, who gladly received him and employed him as physician, personal adviser, and finally as ambassador. During this period, Arnald wrote Antidotum, refering back again to his earlier warning against the imminent arrival of the Antichrist, and Informatio Beguinorum, in which he took the side of the Beguines. For this, he was later in 1316 condemned by the Holy Office. But even after his death, the pope defended Arnald. His sentence was invalidated, a fact that is often ignored even in specialist literature.
Clement V, James II, and Frederick III of Sicily employed Arnald’s services during the last years of his life, as physician, as emissary, as personal domestic and political adviser. His reputation as an influential character with intensive spiritual concern qualified him as a contact and promising advocate for those who envisioned themselves as misunderstood, socially ecclesiastically marginalized, or even prosecuted in their mental-spiritual aspiration by clerical and secular powers. The Templars from Aragon asked him to support the existence of their order in front of the pope and against Philip IV of France; regrettably they failed, as we know. On the other hand, Arnald successfully supported the monks of Mount Athos and Ubertino of Casale.
Frederick III unwaveringly held on to Arnald, he defended him even against his brother’s offenses and com-mendably sought to comply with the reform scheme of the Catalan physician in Sicily kingdom. He also was in close contact with King Robert. Robert did not only have an open mind about the peaceful solutions proposed by Frederick, often submitted by Arnald, to nonviolently settle the present disputes between Sicily and Naples. Moreover, Arnald soon could count Robert to the friends of the spiritual and manY “innovators.”
In his theological-ascetic and spiritual-practical works, Arnaldus de Villanova declared himself impressed with the piety of the mendicant orders, namely the Franciscans. In them, he saw signs of hope for an emergence of a strong and convincing-efficacious Christendom. While he diagnosed the illness of the patient ‘‘mankind,’’ he saw the medicine, the cure for the diseased body of Christianity in the practically lived spirituality of the mendicant orders, primarily in their option for the poor and the poverty. In doing so, Arnald presented an increasing tendency to rigorism, to the ideal of pure poverty advocated by the Franciscan Spirituals (Spirituale) and to a joachitically influenced end time expectance. However, he did not desire breaking with the church but a reform of the church. He sought convalescence of its head and limbs.
See also: > Alchemy in the Latin World > Galen, Arabic
> Ibn Rushd, Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Hafid (Averroes)
> Ibn Sina, Abu ‘tAll (Avicenna) > Medicine and Philosophy > Peter John Olivi > Theology Versus Philosophy in the Arab World > Thomas Aquinas
World History
