first place, the works of Aristotle on the one side, and the Bible and
the writings of the Fathers on the other side, were treated as of
equal authority in their respective spheres The ingenuity of the
theologians was to be employed in harmonising them. It is, in fact,
only from this period that "the Scholastic Philosophy became
distinguished by that servile deference to authority" which we
ordinarily attribute to it.

[Sidenote: Reason and faith.]

But, in the second place, any such harmonisation could only be carried
out by some demarcation of territory. The earlier orthodox writers
like Anselm, as we have seen, did not hesitate to attempt a
philosophical explanation of the doctrine of the Trinity. But
Aristotle and his Arabian commentators were monotheistic, and
consequently the reconciliation between the Aristotelian philosophy
and the Christian faith could only be effected by distinguishing
between natural and revealed religion. The truths of the former were
demonstrable by reason, of which Aristotle was the supreme guide. The
truths of the latter were mysteries to be accepted on an equally good
though different authority. By such methods these later schoolmen
excepted and accepted the doctrines of the Trinity and the
Incarnation, though they allowed the doctrine of the existence of God
to be susceptible of logical proof. But notwithstanding these
exceptions, the teaching of the Dominicans was a wonderful attempt to
abolish the inevitable dualism between faith and reason.

[Sidenote: Thomists and Scotists.]

The history of Scholasticism after Thomas Aquinas is largely occupied