양심에 대한 계보 고찰 ― 그리스 스토아철학, 초기 그리스도교(사도 바오로와 예로니모), 베드로 롬바르두스, 필립푸스, 보나벤투라와 토마스 아퀴나스 ―

In fifth-century BCE Greece, a rapidly transforming social climate called for a new form of moral authority—one found not in external codes but within the individual’s interior sense of right and wrong. This need is reflected in the emergence of syneidesis, a term appearing in comedy, fragments by Democritus, legal speeches, and other literary works of the period. Intriguingly, when syneidesis is used in legal contexts—referring to legislators, judges, witnesses, prosecutors, and guardians—it is often portrayed through a variety of metaphors that highlight its communal or shared dimension. In ancient Greek thought, shame and moral responsibility were collective experiences, and the idea of “shared knowledge” (syneidesis) arose precisely from this intersubjective framework. This genealogical exploration of conscience traces how the Greek syneidesis was translated into Latin as conscientia, and how synderesis evolved under the influence of Stoic philosophy and early Christian thinkers such as Paul and Jerome. Later medieval theologians, notably Peter Lombard, Philip, Bonaventure, and Thomas Aquinas, further refined these concepts, underscoring that conscience is not purely individual but entails knowledge “held in common”. Indeed, synderesis and conscientia were envisioned as catalysts for social transformation—a call to forge a “shared conscience” rather than maintain isolated personal convictions. By examining these developments, this study elucidates how the ancient and medieval understandings of conscience, with their collective orientation, can offer insightful perspectives on moral discourse and ethical decision-making in contemporary society.