Leading scholars in the field of religious studies show that scholasticism as a comparative category is useful in the analysis of a variety of religious and philosophical traditions and even in the task of cultural criticism.

With this book, distinguished historian of philosophy Ulrich Leinsle offers the first comprehensive introduction to scholastic theology -- a textbook for both Protestant and Catholic students.

Individuals and Institutions in Medieval Scholasticism is one of the first pieces of close exploratory scholarship on the fundamental relationship between medieval scholastic thought, individual scholars, and their institutions. The text revolves around these essential questions: What was the relationship between particular intellectuals and their wider networks (including but not limited to "schools"), how did intellectuals shape their institutions, and how were their institutions shaped by them? This theoretically sophisticated collection uses a range of European methodological approaches to address a variety of genres such as commentaries, quodlibetal questions, polemics, epic poetry, and inquisition records, and a range of subject matter including history, practical ethics, medicine, theology, philosophy, the constitution of religious orders, the practice of confession, and the institution of cults. This book will be an important reference point for medieval historians, while also raising questions relevant to those working on individualization and institutionalization in other periods and disciplines.

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Leading scholars in the field of religious studies show that scholasticism as a comparative category is useful in the analysis of a variety of religious and philosophical traditions and even in the task of cultural criticism.