De la connaissance textuelle et de l’observation des phénomènes naturels : le système du monde au XIIIe siècle dans la chronique de Wierum en Hollande
Thomas Labbé
The chronicle written successively by the two Prémontré Friesian abbots Emon
and Menko de Wierum, covering the period 1204-1273, is rich in information for
those interested in observing natural phenomena in the Middle Ages and particularly
tidal waves. These two scholars, well-versed in the writings of the main naturalists
of the period, show us to what extent intertextuality reproducing faithfully, sometimes word for word, passages from the greatest scholars remains the best way to
approach an explanation of such phenomena. Yet they also know how to judge both
the limits of the scientia naturalis of their time and the role of Providence. All in all,
in the middle of the Aristotelian century, these two scholarly monks were driven by
a vision of the world and a philosophy of nature inherited in every way from Saint
Augustine.Keywords :
natural philosophy, natural phenomena, tidal wave, Augustinism, science.
• 1. L’intertextualité : une méthode de réflexion
• 2. Théorie et réalité
• Conclusion