Does true faith rely on anything external?

Abstract

Chapter 4 examines the ways in which several masters recast the certitude of faith as a private intellectual illumination, similar to that of the first principles assumed by Aristotle. They strongly contrasted this to the weak faith that relies on authorities and is rooted in the ecclesiastical power structure, while simultaneously aiming to strengthen the scientific image of theology and its distinction from simple belief. It considers the place of relying upon one’s judgment and another’s authority in the context of the transformation of charismatic school culture into the institution of the university and then the complex problem of relying on oneself or on another’s words in the context of heresy.