Folia Theologica 16. (2005)
Pál Bolberitz: The Beginnings of Hungarian Philosphy (The Reception of Nicholas of Cusa in the work of "De homine" by Peter Monedulatus Csokas Laskoi)
8 P. BOLBERITZ it was allowed only to be the slave girl of the specialised branches of science or different ideologies. The Supreme Pontiff John Paul II not inaptly writes in his encyclic letter "Fides et ratio" - discussing the relation between theology and philosophy - that while earlier reason was advocating for religious belief, in the 21th century it is faith that should prevent reason from itself and its scientific enterprises and adventures against mankind, that is faith ought to advocate of reason. After this clarification I wish to demonstrate in short, that we, Hungarians, are not to feel ashamed, since - in spite of our prevailing disadvantageous position - it has tried to move with the current trends of the European philosophical thinking. Though in the monographical elaboration of our sources from the Medieval Age there is a lot to do - the sources themselves are available only incompletely - the work, investigating the history of the Hungarian philosophy4 by Janos Erdélyi, can be considered of documentary value, since even nowadays authors after all do refer to him. The grounds for philosophical education were first established by the episcopical, monastic and prebendal schools in our country where several subjects of seven free arts were taught. The first schoolbooks were arriving from abroad. Bishop Bonipert of Pecs, born in France, who had corresponded with Fulbert, the founder of the school of Chartres, asked for schoolbooks from France (1008). Among these schools the school in Csanad, founded by St. Gellert, the bishop of Marosvar, had got reputation in the early times, and were attended by foreign students as well5, which did not cause any difficulty, since the official language of education was Latin. From the works by St. Gellert, the commentary on the three young men from the Bible (Dan 3, 57) has remained for us, which at the same time is regarded the oldest written record from among our philosophical works.6 Though this book is a biblical-theological 4 Cp. J. ERDÉLYI, A bölcsészet Magyarországon (Philosophy in Hungary), Budapest, 1885. 5 Primarily from the surrounding countries. It is proved by data, that the bishopical school of Marosvar was attended by German, Polish, Czech, even French students besides the Hungarian. 6 „Deliberatio Gerardi Moresanae ecclesiae episcopi supra hymnum trium puerorum ad Insingrinum liberalem. Published by Batthianyi Ignác, bishop of
