Christianity and Middle Ages
Remota itaque iustitia, quid sunt regna nisi magna latrocinia? Augustine,
Civitas Dei, IV, 4 From the new-fangled Christian point of view, even the political questions are to be located within a perspective which is eschatological and messianic. But this perspective has to come to terms with Greek intellectual naturalism.
Augustine (4th-5th century CE): The first major philosophy of history, which foresees the eschatological end of history and the final achievement of
justice in the City of God, because God only can remove the flaw of
original sin from humankind.
Thomas Aquinas (13th century CE): The reconciler between Christianity and Aristotle, whose work was rediscovered by means of the Arabian translations. In spite of original sin, it is possible to achieve a natural justice, because the whole Creation is made in accordance with God''s rational project.
Marsiglio of Padua and
William of Ockham (14th century CE): After Aquinas'' harmonization, a progressive separation between reason and faith serves as a prelude to the modern idea of the autonomy of politics.