Albertus Magnus and the World of Nature

Since the 700^th anniversary of his death (1980), Albertus Magnus has regained the academy’s attention after a 600-year hiatus. Irven M. Resnick and Kenneth F. Kitchell, Jr., the authors of Albertus Magnus and the World of Nature, have played a role in this revival with their translation and annotation of Albertus’ magnum opus On Animals (OSU Press, 2018), a selectively annotated bibliography of 20^th century publications on Albertus (ASU Press, 2004), and Resnick’s edited volume of nineteen essays, A Companion to Albert the Great (Brill, 2013). In this most recent compact and accessible work, Resnick and Kitchell continue their efforts on behalf of the patron saint of scientists.

Originally from Germany, Albertus made a name for himself in Paris, then spent many years in Cologne as part of the founding of the city’s university. Probably his greatest scholarly contribution was as a paraphraser and commentator on Aristotle, introducing a new Aristotelianism to the West. As indicated by this book’s title, Albertus was especially enamored with the “world of nature.” Albertus’ contribution to natural philosophy is the primary focus of the biography.

While it is marketed as a biography (“the first scholarly biography in English for nearly a century”), only the first half of the book follows a traditional narrative from birth to death. The book begins without prefatory remarks, so we can only surmise the authors’ structural intention. It appears that they intended to sketch out Albertus’ life and then fulfill “the world of nature” portion of the title with the six later chapters. And the biographical narrative itself is only tenuous, since a firm factual telling of the first half of Albert’s life continues to elude scholars. Thus, the authors can only offer a “plausible summary” (13). Much of this summary consists of shards of Albert’s story enveloped by contextual history. For example, we learn much about 13^th -century Europe, the city of Cologne—its cathedral, its university, and its Jewish population, as well as the history of science, Aristotle’s reception in medieval Paris, and so on. Reasonable assumptions are deduced from these contextual clues.

The book’s biographical form falters somewhat with the end of the narrative in the middle of the book and beginning of the latter chapters, which read like six appendices. Each of these are enlightening, but Albert’s story might been better served with an organic chronological account of his engagement with the natural world. An interleaving of the various topics and their associated texts with the accidents of Albertus’ life would perhaps produce a more seamless story, as well as introducing insightful pericopes. One of the best instances of this is when the authors connect his vast travels with his investigations and tests of nature: “It is difficult to read Albertus’ work on natural history and not take away a mental image of a Dominican friar squatting in a field, intensely gazing at something passers-by cannot see” (151).

These final chapters situate Albert within the history of science, beginning with “Those Who Came Before.” This chapter effectively renders eighteen centuries of scientific inquiry (from Thales to 13^th century Europe), displaying continuities between the Greco-Roman world and the Middle Ages. This chapter could serve as a syllabus for the “history of science,” with authors and potential readings mapped out for the self-initiated learner. We receive a sampling of the more than “forty ancient authors cited by name” in Albertus’ work (106).

The two chapters that cover Albertus’ actual scientific work are enthralling and worth the price of the book. “Albertus and the Experts” reminds the reader that conjecture and folklore once served as legitimate authorities on the natural world. Without completely dismissing either traditional method of verification, Albert proceeded to “experience” the world around him. Thus, he became an “expert,” and he solicited the learning of other experts. This development provided major traction for natural science’s continual climb toward truth. Investigations of moles, birds, spiders, fish, and human medical matters are detailed. The next chapter’s exploration of everyday life continues the theme of testing. Everything from the best leathers for shoes (from a man who walked more than 19,000 miles) to materials for clothing, minerals for industry, falconry, and pest control were all subjected to Albertus’ analyses.

This book should find a place in the curriculum of classical secondary schools as well as introductory undergraduate courses in the history of science, especially those offered in schools that integrate faith and learning. It does not require technical knowledge or vocabulary, and the writing is clear and engaging. The physical book is an attractive artifact. The binding is sewn, and the visual presentation is aided by almost forty full color illustrations. The publisher is to be commended for this attention to detail.

If this is the culmination of Resnick and Kitchell’s work on Albert, it is a worthy capstone. They have created a world of resources that should provide fodder for the next generation of scholarship. It is hoped that a book such as this, aimed toward the student, will whet the appetite of future scholars in the study of the great Albert. The continuing labor of the Alberti Magni Opera Omnia (Aschendorff, 1951-), referred to as the Editio Coloniensis, is creating a mountain that will demand men and women prepared to ascend, and Albertus Magnus and the World of Nature goes some way toward providing this preparation.

Michael Garrett is the director and librarian of the Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, Union University.

Michael Garrett

Date Of Review:

June 29, 2023