Współtwórca polskiej mediewistyki

Abstrakt

Fr prof. Marian Kurdziałek, the priest of the Siedlce diocese, was born on August 12th, 1920, in Bobrowniki. He studied philosophy at the Catholic University of Lublin. He obtained his Ph.D. degree, prepared under the supervision of prof. A. Birkenmajer, at KUL in 1950, and completed his habilitation (post-doctorate studies) in 1961. In 1950 he started his didactic work as an assistant to prof. S. Swieżawski. From 1956 to 1990 he conducted the Chair of the History of Ancient and Mediaeval Philosophy, developing an intensive didactic and research work.

In view of his ideals, Fr prof. M. Kurdziałek adopted the research attitude of A. Birkenmajer's and Fr K. Michalski's, that is, a respect for particular researches on the sources with an eye for the development of the great doctrinal currents in the Middle Ages.

He crowned his research on the reception of Aristotelism in the 13th century with a critical edition of Quaternulorum fragmenta by David of Dinant (1963) and with a more precise unravelling of the place and role which this naturalist and philosopher played in the development of the 13th-century Aristotelism. The initial stage of professor's work in this field was his doctoral dissertation devoted to Gilbert the Englishman.

The philosophical problems concerning natural science and philosophy were a constant core of Fr prof. M. Kurdziałek's research. He traced the ancient sources and transformations of the conception of man as the microcosmos. He searched after the sources of the Copernican revolution.

It was all accompanied by a methodological reflection on the mediaeval (especially those from the 12th century) ways of pursuing theology, philosophy and other particular disciplines. The unravelling of the Boetian-Chartrean approach to these problems turned out to be helpful in the interpretation of Master Eckhart's intricate thought.

Fr prof. M. Kurdziałek was also puzzled by (more in his lectures than in his publications) the courage of Albert the Great and a constructive genius of St Thomas Aquinas.

In cooperation with prof. S. Swieżawski he set up a direction of group research to regain the Polish mediaeval manuscripts as well as prepared professionals to carry out this research. He emphasized that one should show all philosophical orientations that functioned in the Middle Ages.

Fr prof. M. Kurdziałek devoted much of his energy to a careful and intensive didactic work which he carried out without publicity or fame. Its recipients were, for almost forty years, hundreds of students of all faculties at KUL. It is in their minds that the seed of a colourful mediaeval thought brings forth fruit.