| The Universe
| | In the 28 years from 1201-1228, when Anders Sunesen sits as archbishop in Lund, he consolidates the church influence on everyday life and world view.
The centre of the world is often Jerusalem in medieval maps and the spiritual centre is St.Peter´s Cathedral in Rome. |
The Spiritual Power of the Church
In the period from the end of the 1000th century and onwards until the year 1200 a strengthened royal power in co-operation with the church and magnate families create a medieval society, where the royal power in co-operation with the leading men of the realm exercise the secular power, while the church´s centre in the archbishopric in Lund has the spiritual suzerainty in the region.
In the 28 years, from 1201-1228, where Anders Sunesen is the archbishop in Lund, he consolidates, in different ways, the church´s influence on everyday life and view of the world.
The world´s spiritual centre in medieval maps is often Jerusalem and the spiritual centre is St. Peter´s Cathedral in Rome, but that does not prevent the archbishoprics in establishing regional centres of considerable stature. In Anders Sunesen´s time Lund becomes a considerable spiritual and intellectual centre – a world centre, as can be seen in the church´s astronomical clock, which however is from a later time.
In Lund the dissemination of academic learning was an important matter, when it came to educate the clergy and spread the church´s world view. Anders Sunesen himself writes the long educational poem Hexaëmeron, which among other things holds a picture of the bible interpretation of the period and the reigning view of the world. Anders Sunesen writes about the story of creation and the heavenly order.
Hexaëmeron | 
Vitskøvle | 
Jerusalem in the Centre |
The Physical View of the World
It is also around this time that the church decides to adopt central parts of the views of the classical philosopher Aristotle on the structure of the physical world, a so-called cosmology. Aristotle perceived the world as consisting of four elements, which were marked by a mutual purpose.
The four elements, earth, water, air and fire exit in the same sphere, or area, but will according to nature go upwards or downwards. The earth, which is the heaviest element, will go downwards, or towards the centre of the universe, the globe, whereas water with lesser weight will camp on it. The air, which is even lighter, will go upwards, like bubbles through water. Fire, which goes up in the air, is the lightest element.
In medieval representations, the four elements are depicted as organized layers on top of each other, but in ”reality”, they are in constant movement. This sub-lunar (under the moon) world is in contrast to the external universe, where the planets move in regular courses and consist of a more complete element (the ether). Aristotle perceived the ether world as a perfect celestial world. This is consistent with a Christian understanding and this physical view of the world is not challenged until the 16th century.
The Earth in the Centre | 
Nature | 
Pickture of the universe 1474 |
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