Abstract

Michael Psellus was one of the most erudite and prolific thinkers of the Byzantine Middle Ages. His oeuvre includes historical writings, philosophical treatises and commentaries, theological writings, poems, speeches, legal, geographical, military and medical works as well as works on music. Psellus taught all branches of philosophy by closely reading and commenting on the works of ancient philosophers, especially on Aristotle’s logical treatises. At the same time he had a strong preference for Plato and the Neo-platonists, especially for Proclus, whom he considered as an authority among ancient authors. Psellus may not have been an innovator, but he systematically tried to reconcile the Christian dogma with the ancient philosophical traditions. In his attempts to advance philosophical learning he was often attacked, concerning his theological orthodoxy, so that he often had to be careful to distance himself from heretical doctrines. In this paper, I will present the De omnifaria doctrina, a treatise which deals with various issues, such as philosophy, theology, psychology, ethics, metaphysics, biology, cosmology etc. The author attempts to present a worldview through the prism of Christian theology and ethics. Although Psellus depends on the scientific tradition, i.e. philosophy and theology, of both Classical and Late Antiquity, the De omnifaria doctrina constitutes an original work. A second feature by which one can speak of originality in De omnifaria doctrina is how to address the content: the Byzantine polygraph scientifically demonstrates a solvent and precise knowledge in his understanding of that. Lastly, the paper will attempt to present a synthesis of both science and philosophy during the 11th century of the Byzantium era.