The Last Father of the Latin Church Isidore of Seville
This study aims to examine the thought of Isidore of Seville (d. 636),
known as the “Last Father of the Latin Church,” within the political and
religious context of Visigothic Spain. Going beyond the conventional
approach that views Isidore merely as an encyclopedist who transmitted
the classical heritage, this research argues that his act of ordering
knowledge (ordo) was intertwined with a project of constructing power
and identity. Within this framework, Isidore’s theology and encyclopedic
method are interpreted as two complementary facets of a single
intellectual endeavor, demonstrating how compilation functioned to
establish and legitimize a unified Catholic Visigothic kingdom.
The study consists of three chapters. The first chapter examines Isidore’s
historical context, life, works, and intellectual methodology. Drawing
upon his primary texts -most notably Etymologiae and Sententiae- the
second chapter explores his theological views, including doctrines of
God and angels, Christology, eschatology, conceptions of sin, virtue, and
penance, monastic rule, the relationship between king and church, and
anti-Jewish polemics. The third chapter traces Isidore’s posthumous influence
across the Mozarabic, Carolingian, Scholastic, and Renaissance
worlds, substantiating the thesis that he served as a “bridge” between
Antiquity and the Middle Ages.
Based on primary sources and developed comparatively alongside contemporary
international scholarship, this study offers a holistic treatment
of a itera who lacks a dedicated and comprehensive examination
in Turkish iteratüre, thereby aiming to contribute to both the history of
Late Antique Christianity and broader discussions on the relationship
between knowledge and power.
Keywords: History of Religions; Christianity; Catholic Church; Isidore
of Seville; Church Fathers