Alice C. Linsley
As a former professor who taught Medieval Philosophy, I recommend a unique new textbook to those who are interested in a multi-cultural approach. The title is Medieval Philosophy: A Multicultural Reader, edited by Bruce V. Foltz. Forward written by Bernard McGinn. This is a comprehensive volume for less than $50 (US).
There are 5 sections: Ancient philosophers as a spiritual tradition: Predecessors of Medieval Philosophy (Eric D. Perl); The Greek Christian Tradition (David Bradshaw); The Latin Christian Tradition (Peter Casarella); The Jewish Tradition (Sarah Pessin); and The Islamic (mainly Persian) Tradition (Mohammad Azadpur).
Typically, Medieval Philosophy texts jump from Plato to Augustine, or from Aristotle to Descartes, by-passing centuries of philosophical inquiry and cross-fertilization of thought. They do not provide sufficient non-Western sources to help the student gain an accurate understanding of the influence of Greek, Latin, Arabic, and Hebrew traditions. This neglect has the effect of flattening Medieval history. The text's multi-cultural approach exposes the richness of Medieval philosophy.
Published by Bloomsbury Academic (2019), this excellent book is 715 pages of fascinating reading. I hope it will become the approved text at many colleges and universities. There is no other text like it, and it meets a need.
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