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"His book is a detailed but accessible treatment of the political thought of John of Salisbury, a twelfth-century author and educationalist who rose from a modest background to become Bishop of Chartres. It shows how aspects of John's thought - such as his views on political cooperation and virtuous rulership - were inspired by the writings of Roman philosophers, notably Cicero and Seneca. Investigating how John accessed and adapted the classics, the book argues that he developed a hybrid political philosophy by taking elements from Roman Stoic sources and combining them with insights from patristic writings. By situating his ideas in their political and intellectual context, it offers a reassessment of John's political thought, as well as a case study in classical reception of relevance to students and scholars of political philosophy and the history of ideas."--.

• Cover
• John of Salisbury and the Medieval Roman Renaissance
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Editions and translations used
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• 1 The Roman inheritance
• 2 Nature and reason
• 3 Defining duties: the cooperative model of the polity
• 4 Political relationships in context: the body politic
• 5 Moderation and the virtuous life
• 6 The princely head
• Conclusion
• Select bibliography
• Index