The Short History of Infinity #2 # The Throne of God and Scholastic Thought: The Fear of Limitlessness in the Middle Ages
Following the mind bending infinity debates of ancient philosophers, the Middle Ages opened a very different curtain for humanity. Shaped by the shadow of theology, infinity was no longer just an abstract mathematical puzzle or a philosophical topic of debate; it had become directly the absolute attribute of God. For medieval scholastic scholars and theologians, humans lived in a neat, orderly, and finite universe with a beginning and an end. Only and exclusively God was infinite (eternal and uncreated), limitless, and uncontainable. However, this flawless theological framework raised a question that intensely challenged the minds of the era: If God is infinite, how can a finite human mind comprehend Him? And more importantly, could a physical infinity exist in the universe, or was this merely a dangerous boundary violation reserved solely for the Creator? During the scholastic period, thinkers like Thomas Aquinas walked a very fine line. They divided infinity into two: Potential...