by any means whatsoever, to establish your view from the authority of scriptures; but you should derive from the scriptures themselves the meaning of the truth.  And therefore it is fitting to gain knowledge of the scriptures from him who guards it according to the truth handed down to him by the fathers, and that he may be able correctly to impart that which he rightly learned.  For when each one has learned from divine scriptures a sound and firm rule of truth, it will not be strange if from the common culture and liberal studies, which perhaps he touched upon in his youth, he should also bring something to the support of true doctrine,—­in such manner, however, that when he learns the truth, he rejects the false and the feigned.

     Likewise Isidorus in his book of Maxims: 

     =Why Christians should be forbidden read the productions of the
     poets.=

     Christians are forbidden to read the productions of the poets
     because through the allurements of their fables the mind is too
     much stimulated toward the incentives to unlawful desires.

     For not only by the offering of incense is sacrifice made to
     devils, but also by accepting too readily their sayings.

     [Gratian draws the CONCLUSION.]

As therefore is evident from the authorities already quoted ignorance ought to be odious to priests.  Since, if in ignorance of their own blindness they undertake to lead others, both fall into the ditch.  Wherefore in the Psalm it is said:  “Let their eyes be darkened that they may not see, and bow down their back always.”  For when those who go ahead are darkened, they who follow are easily inclined to bear the burdens of sinners.  Therefore priests must endeavor to cast off ignorance from them as if it were a sort of pestilence.  For although, in a few instances, it is said that a slave is flogged who does not do his master’s will through ignorance of that will, this is not, generally understood of all.  For the Apostle says:  “If any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant,” which is to be understood as referring to him who did not wish to have knowledge that he might do well.

     Hence Augustine in his book of Questions: 

Not every man who is ignorant is free from the penalty.  For the ignorant man who is ignorant because he found no way of learning (the law) can be excused from the penalty, while he cannot be pardoned who having the means of knowledge did not use them.[31]

(d) Theology

As above noted, one of the two great contributions of the twelfth-century revival of learning to the field of university studies was scholastic theology.  The number of books written on this subject was enormous.  The ponderous tomes, loaded with comments, make a long array on the shelves of our great libraries, but they are memorials of a battlefield of the mind now for the most part deserted.  The importance of the subject in the scheme of mediaeval education has been much exaggerated; it was the pursuit of a very small minority of students.  It has a certain interest to the historian of education, however, as an illustration of the way in which a method struck out by a single original thinker may influence the work of scholars and universities for generations.  The method of scholastic theology is mainly due to Abelard.