Massimiliano Traversino Di Cristo | Birkbeck College, University of London (original) (raw)

Papers by Massimiliano Traversino Di Cristo

Divus Thomas, 2020

This paper analyzes one of the most prominent jurists of the sixteenth century, Alberico Gentili,... more This paper analyzes one of the most prominent jurists of the sixteenth century, Alberico Gentili, by taking into consideration the significance of his theological and religious ideas for his positions on sovereignty. To this end, special attention is paid to a long-standing debate in the history of mediaeval theology: the distinction between God’s absolute and ordered power (‘potentia Dei absoluta’ and ‘ordinata’).

Special issue of Aither: Journal for the Study of the Greek and Latin Philosophical Tradition (= Studies in Honour of Paul Richard Blum on the Occasion of His 70th Birthday, ed. T. Nejeschleba, 2 vols), 2020

In defending the infinity of the universe, Giordano Bruno’s philosophy relies fundamentally upon ... more In defending the infinity of the universe, Giordano Bruno’s philosophy relies fundamentally upon the investigation into God’s almightiness. The paper puts specific attention on some of the most authoritative texts of mediaeval Christian theology and their sources. It aims to forestage the interrelation between Bruno’s use of these doctrines, his notion of the infinite, and his view on Christ in particular close relation to his trials.

Sull’argomento della critica Bruniana della religione da John Tolland fino ad oggi si è versata u... more Sull’argomento della critica Bruniana della religione da John Tolland fino ad oggi si è versata una frana di letteratura controversa, minacciando di seppellire sotto il suo peso lo stesso filosofo Nolano. Da autore degno d’interpretazione sobria venne trasformato in icona simbolica e monumento storico, precursore del “secolo da lui divinato”, cioè di qualsiasi movimento fra il settecento e il due mille in cerca di un’immagine sacra da mettere sulle proprie bandiere. Queste proiezioni, il Bruno proto- illuministico, proto-marxista, proto-scienziato moderno, in somma, tutti questi Protei si soprapongano all’opera del filosofo, quando si tratta del suo atteggiamento verso la religione in generale e le varie religioni positive. Ciò non sorprende: per loro impeto polemico e la retorica appassionata e appassiona Giordano Bruno o Friedrich Nietzsche si prestano più facilmente all’uso e abuso ideologico, che non, diciamo, Nicola di Cusa o Immanuel Kant. Concedono gratificazione istantanea a una lettura superficiale, mentre un’analisi nettamente filosofica della loro opera richiede un impegno non minore.

Franciscan Studies, 76, 2018

In this paper, I shall inquire into the story of the distinction between God's absolute and order... more In this paper, I shall inquire into the story of the distinction between God's absolute and ordered power (‘potentia Dei absoluta’ and ‘potentia Dei ordinata’) in the fourteenth century. This period saw the emergence of orientations that would prove decisive for the fate of modernity. In my analysis, I will try to explain the reasons, both historical and doctrinal, for the success of such a distinction as a specifically legal question during this key period. I shall dwell, in particular, on the years from 1316 to the 1330s, under John XXII’s pontificate, explaining the relevant religious and political issues of those times. To this end, I will examine the perspective of John XXII himself in relation to his two great doctrinal rivals Meister Eckhart (†c.1328) and William of Ockham (†1347), and pay special attention to the dispute between the pope and the Franciscans over evangelical poverty.

Divus Thomas, 122, 3, 2019

This paper is a bibliography of the works of Jean-François Malherbe.

Divus Thomas, 122, 3, 2019

Through a literature review, this papers aims to show the relevance of 'De vinculis in genere' wi... more Through a literature review, this papers aims to show the relevance of 'De vinculis in genere' within Giordano Bruno’s overall work. Special attention is paid to the documentation of his trial.

Divus Thomas, 122, 2, 2019

The major element of novelty that Luther brings about in the history of Western civilization is t... more The major element of novelty that Luther brings about in the history of Western civilization is to be found in the centrality of faith. However, a full appreciation of Luther’s message is possible only by recognizing the role of works in his ethics. This paper aims to clarify such a statement by taking into analysis some of Luther’s writings and, more specifically, one basic point of his teaching: the conformity of human good works to the will of God.

Vincenzo Lavenia, ed., Alberico Gentili: Diritto internazionale e Riforma. Atti del convegno della XVI Giornata Gentiliana (San Ginesio, 19-20 settembre 2014), 2018

Among the most debated questions of today's historiography, comparison is increasingly relevant. ... more Among the most debated questions of today's historiography, comparison is increasingly relevant. This is mainly due to the impact it has on fields of study as different as anthropology, law, religion, history, etc., and the extremely variegated articulation to which it gives rise between them. In my paper, I will concentrate on the ambit of normative history and consider the case of Alberico Gentili (†1608). With respect to Gentili, comparison helps us trace the role of theology and religious ideas in early-modern legal debates on prince and sovereignty. Special attention will be given to the distinction between God’s absolute and ordered power (potentia Dei absoluta and ordinata) and to Gentili’s image of Luther.

Divus Thomas, 2017

This paper aims to examine Meister Eckhart’s trial by taking into consideration its interrelati... more This paper aims to examine Meister Eckhart’s trial by taking into consideration its interrelation with the spiritual and political stakes of John XXII’s pontificate. Special attention is paid to the role played in Eckhart’s case by the archbishop of Cologne, Henry II of Virneburg, who was a powerful ally of Pope John XXII and Frederick of Austria – the challenger, supported by the papacy, of Louis IV of Bavaria for the imperial throne.

Il presente saggio si propone di esaminare le vicende processuali di Maestro Eckhart alla luce dell’agenda, insieme spirituale e politica, del pontificato di Giovanni XXII. Speciale attenzione è rivolta al ruolo rivestito nel caso di Eckhart da Enrico II di Virneburg, arcivescovo di Colonia e potente alleato di Giovanni XXII e di Federico d’Austria – il rivale, sostenuto dal papa, di Ludovico IV di Baviera al trono imperiale.

Une approche de la pensée de la Renaissance et de la Réforme à travers l’un des plus grands philo... more Une approche de la pensée de la Renaissance et de la Réforme à travers l’un des plus grands philosophes de cette époque.

a cura di Massimiliano Traversino Opera pubblicata con il contributo della Fondazione Parco Lette... more a cura di Massimiliano Traversino Opera pubblicata con il contributo della Fondazione Parco Letterario Giordano Bruno -Nola IV Proprietà letteraria riservata. I diritti di traduzione in qualsiasi forma, di memorizzazione elettronica, di riproduzione e di adattamento, totale o parziale, con qualsiasi mezzo, della presente opera sono riservati alla Editrice Domenicana Italiana s.r.l., come per legge per tutti i paesi. © 2015 Editrice Domenicana Italiana srl Via Giuseppe Marotta, 12 -80133 Napoli tel. +39 081 5526670 -fax +39 081 4109563 www.edi.na.it -info@edi.na.it Il catalogo EDI è scaricabile gratuitamente dal sito Progetto grafi co e redazione di Giuseppe Piccinno.

Natura enim aut est Deus ipse, aut divina virtus in rebus ipsis manifestata. Summa terminorum met... more Natura enim aut est Deus ipse, aut divina virtus in rebus ipsis manifestata. Summa terminorum metaphysicorum, II, 51 (Evidentia). I. «UN INFINITO UNIVERSO, CIOÈ EFFETTO DELLA INFINITA DIVINA POTENTIA»

Osservazioni sulla lettura di Aristotele operata negli scritti di Giordano Bruno. In essi, penso... more Osservazioni sulla lettura di Aristotele operata negli scritti di
Giordano Bruno. In essi, penso che si possa parlare di un Aristotele dissimulato. E che, come in ciascuna dissimulazione,
anche qui ne esistano due prospettive: Bruno fa finta di essere un aristotelico, cioè di insegnare la dottrina del maestro; e allo stesso tempo il povero Aristotele viene distorto, se non falsificato. Senonché, alla fine si arriva a una conoscenza più approfondita del pensiero tanto di Aristotele quanto di Bruno. L’appropriazione di Aristotele da parte di Bruno è un caso paradigmatico di filosofia nata dalla lotta col passato.

Sull’argomento della critica Bruniana della religione da John Tolland fino ad oggi si è versata u... more Sull’argomento della critica Bruniana della religione da John Tolland fino ad oggi si è versata una frana di letteratura controversa, minacciando di seppellire sotto il suo peso lo stesso filosofo Nolano. Da autore degno d’interpretazione sobria venne trasformato in icona simbolica e monumento storico, precursore del “secolo da lui divinato”, cioè di qualsiasi movimento fra il settecento e il due mille in cerca di un’immagine sacra da mettere sulle proprie bandiere. Queste proiezioni, il Bruno proto- illuministico, proto-marxista, proto-scienziato moderno, in somma, tutti questi Protei si soprapongano all’opera del filosofo, quando si tratta del suo atteggiamento verso la religione in generale e le varie religioni positive.
Ciò non sorprende: per loro impeto polemico e la retorica appassionata e appassiona Giordano Bruno o Friedrich Nietzsche si prestano più facilmente all’uso e abuso ideologico, che non, diciamo, Nicola di Cusa o Immanuel Kant. Concedono gratificazione istantanea a una lettura superficiale, mentre un’analisi nettamente filosofica della loro opera richiede un impegno non minore.

In defending the infinity of the universe, Giordano Bruno’s philosophy relies fundamentally upon... more In defending the infinity of the universe, Giordano Bruno’s
philosophy relies fundamentally upon the investigation into God’s almightiness. The paper puts specific attention on the teaching of Christian theology throughout the Middle Age and to the doctrine of Thomas Aquinas in particular. It aims to forestage the interrelation between Bruno’s notion of the infinite and his view on Christ, the latter in particular close relation to his trials.

At the threshold of modernity, the programs of politics and the justifications of law assume new... more At the threshold of modernity, the programs of politics and the justifications of law assume new forms: analyzing them, the best historians of the last century dismissed the idea that the second millennium AD was one integrated bloc. Today, their counter-interpretation in the sign of discontinuity is being summoned. Rather than to any «revolutionary programme», what the tumultuous innovations of the age of the rising state system might respond to are the unintended collateral effects of unrehearsed and makeshift repair interventions imposed by a chain reaction of newly emerging interdependent problem situations. In this view, the laboratory of the innovations that we call modernity might be the legacy, rather than the victim, of pre-modern conceptions. The late mediaeval distinction of two powers in God (potentia absoluta, potentia ordinata) has made a wide career in the new culture of earthly Power. Ordered power refers to an «ethically» acceptable or legitimate use of power, absolute power closes an otherwise «ungovernable» horizon by proclaiming an unfailing mastery even over the contingent. Their oscillation gives rise to a dynamics to which we are still subject.

Con l'avvento dell'età moderna, politica e diritto si dotano di nuovi statuti. Analizzandoli, la migliore storiografia dell'ultimo secolo ha preferito un'interpretazione nel segno della discontinuità all'idea che il secondo millennio d.C. costituisca un tutt'uno omogeneo. Oggi, tuttavia, una tale posizione è chiamata in causa. Le tumultuose innovazioni che hanno accompagnato la nascita degli stati assoluti potrebbero infatti essere il risultato, inatteso e involontario, di un adeguamento ai tempi dell'ordine politico esistente anziché rispondere ad un qualsiasi «programma rivoluzionario». Si potrebbe anzi dire che quel che, nella storia del pensiero giuridico-politico, siamo soliti definire come l'eredità di concezioni pre-moderne sia piuttosto laboratorio che vittima della nascente modernità. In un simile scenario, la distinzione medievale di due forme di potere in Dio (potentia absoluta e ordinata) rappresenta un punto cruciale nell'emergere di una nuova nozione di Potere. Laddove il potere ordinato è il prodotto di una condotta legittima, il potere assoluto chiude invece un altrimenti «ingovernabile» orizzonte del possibile, proclamando al contempo il proprio dominio sul contingente. L'oscillazione tra queste due forme di potere dà luogo ad una dinamica tuttora irrisolta.

When in the first half of the sixteenth century the Salamanca theologians, especially Francisco d... more When in the first half of the sixteenth century the Salamanca theologians, especially Francisco de Vitoria in his two Relectiones de Indis and de iure belli, faced with the subjection of the New World, they tackled the question of the native Americans' condition chiefly on the basis of an ethical and non-
ecclesiological approach. In particular, this seems to be confirmed by their refusal of the mediaeval doctrine of the «potestas directa» of the popes. On the one hand, according to that doctrine, the popes, in their quality as the successors of the apostle Peter, were to be regarded as the earthly representatives of God and thus considered as entrusted with both a political and religious power over the created world;
on the other hand, the canonists and theologians concerned with the problem of such an unrestricted legitimacy of the popes' powers, maintained that that political should be considered as delegated to territorial rulers by means of donation. Actually, when they came to examine the condition of the native Americans, the masters of Salamanca considered the doctrine of «potestas directa» no more than a purely instrumental fashion to justify the policy of conquest enacted by the contemporary European power-holders in their ambition to impose their rule upon the new territories and populations. This being said, they tackled the question from an ethical point of view and started considering the absence
of the Christian faith among the Natives and the differences between their social customs and those of the European peoples. The paper aims to show, with closer attention to the late sixteenth-century philosopher Giordano Bruno and to the late sixteenth-century and early seventeenth-century lawyer
Alberico Gentili, the influence that the opinions held by the theologians of Salamanca exerted in the contemporary as well as in the later history of thought. In its last part, the paper will try to contribute to defining the role the school of Salamanca played, on the one hand, in the early modern dabates
concerning the two concepts of natural law and natural rights and, on the other hand, in the formation of the international law.

The distinction between «potentia Dei absoluta» and «ordinata» is taken as an example of the mor... more The distinction between «potentia Dei absoluta» and «ordinata» is taken as an example of the more general investigation into God’s attributes performed again and again by theologians throughout the Middle Ages. Indeed, if the question of «potentia Dei» also plays an important role in the history of Western legal and political thought, originally it starts as a cosmological debate on God’s operative power. Could God have created more than only one world? And if – according to the common viewpoint throughout the Middle Ages – He has created only one world, could He still create another one? And also – on closer looks into the infinite good nature God is credited with by Christianism as well as into the problem of God’s envy («invidia Dei»), first discussed by Plato in his Timaeus – is the only one world He is supposed to have created the best one He could have created? These were among the questions which confronted the mediaeval theologians of scholasticism, with special attention to the eleventh-century cosmological dispute between Abelard and Lombard and the very fundamental stance of Thomas Aquinas. This paper aims to show, with closer attention to the «new» philosophy of Giordano Bruno, in which way the early modern cosmology still resorts to the investigation into God’s almightiness that Christian theologians ran throughout the Middle Ages.

Divus Thomas, 2020

Franciscan Studies, 76, 2018

Divus Thomas, 122, 3, 2019

This paper is a bibliography of the works of Jean-François Malherbe.

Divus Thomas, 122, 3, 2019

Divus Thomas, 122, 2, 2019

Vincenzo Lavenia, ed., Alberico Gentili: Diritto internazionale e Riforma. Atti del convegno della XVI Giornata Gentiliana (San Ginesio, 19-20 settembre 2014), 2018

Divus Thomas, 2017

Sull’argomento della critica Bruniana della religione da John Tolland fino ad oggi si è versata u... more Sull’argomento della critica Bruniana della religione da John Tolland fino ad oggi si è versata una frana di letteratura controversa, minacciando di seppellire sotto il suo peso lo stesso filosofo Nolano. Da autore degno d’interpretazione sobria venne trasformato in icona simbolica e monumento storico, precursore del “secolo da lui divinato”, cioè di qualsiasi movimento fra il settecento e il due mille in cerca di un’immagine sacra da mettere sulle proprie bandiere. Queste proiezioni, il Bruno proto- illuministico, proto-marxista, proto-scienziato moderno, in somma, tutti questi Protei si soprapongano all’opera del filosofo, quando si tratta del suo atteggiamento verso la religione in generale e le varie religioni positive.
Ciò non sorprende: per loro impeto polemico e la retorica appassionata e appassiona Giordano Bruno o Friedrich Nietzsche si prestano più facilmente all’uso e abuso ideologico, che non, diciamo, Nicola di Cusa o Immanuel Kant. Concedono gratificazione istantanea a una lettura superficiale, mentre un’analisi nettamente filosofica della loro opera richiede un impegno non minore.

In defending the infinity of the universe, Giordano Bruno’s philosophy relies fundamentally upon... more In defending the infinity of the universe, Giordano Bruno’s
philosophy relies fundamentally upon the investigation into God’s almightiness. The paper puts specific attention on the teaching of Christian theology throughout the Middle Age and to the doctrine of Thomas Aquinas in particular. It aims to forestage the interrelation between Bruno’s notion of the infinite and his view on Christ, the latter in particular close relation to his trials.

Against the Backdrop of Sovereignty and Absolutism, 2022

With a foreword by Diego Quaglioni This book attempts to determine the degree to which the mode... more With a foreword by Diego Quaglioni

This book attempts to determine the degree to which the modern fate of the Western legal tradition depends on one of the most long-standing debates of the Middle Ages, the distinction between 'potentia Dei absoluta' and 'ordinata' (God's absolute and ordered power). The mediaeval investigation into God's attributes was originally concerned with the problem of divine almightiness. It underwent a slow but steady displacement from the territory of theology to the freshly emerging proceedings of legal analysis. Here, based on the distinction, late-mediaeval lawyers worked out a new terminology to de ne the extent of the power-holder's authority. This e fort would give rise, during the early modern era, to the gradual establishment of the legal-political framework represented by the concepts of the prince and sovereignty.

This volume includes some of the papers from the second and third instalments of the series Festi... more This volume includes some of the papers from the second and third instalments of the series Festival Bruniano, held in Geneva in 2015 and in Tours and Wittenberg in 2018, respectively. By picking up the baton from the inaugural edition of 2014 and the two preparatory colloquia that preceded it in 2013, this volume aims to discuss Giordano Bruno’s contribution to sixteenth-century ideas by focusing on some theological, moral, and legal-political aspects of his philosophy. Starting from a re-evaluation of Christianity after Luther’s Reformation, the four sections of this volume pay special, but not exclusive, attention to Bruno’s later philosophical teaching, including his Wittenberg period and the ‘Frankfurt trilogy’.

Les éditions du Cerf (collection « Patrimoine »), 2019

Ce volume comprend les actes d’un colloque international qui s’est tenu à Genève les 14 et 15 fév... more Ce volume comprend les actes d’un colloque international qui s’est tenu à Genève les 14 et 15 février 2013. Ce colloque concluait une série de rencontres dédiée à l’une des questions les plus débattues du Moyen Âge, la distinction entre « potentia Dei absoluta » et « potentia Dei ordinata ». Cette initiative se proposait un défi ambitieux : engager un large cercle de chercheurs et, sur la base des intérêts et domaines de recherche respectifs, parcourir à nouveau l’histoire de la pensée juridique et des autres savoirs laïques modernes afin de retrouver leur unité intime, donnée par la fonction ancillaire originelle de ces disciplines par rapport à la théologie, selon une vieille image traditionnelle.
La question du volontarisme, autour de laquelle la rencontre de Genève a été articulée, a joué un rôle très important dans l’ensemble de la série de colloques. Pour le volontarisme comme pour la distinction « potentia Dei absoluta »/ « ordinata », des éléments de la nature la plus variée – théologique, juridique, philosophique, etc. – convergent pour dicter un changement de cap historique et dans l’agenda politique de la fin du Moyen Âge et de la première époque moderne et, plus particulièrement, dans la réflexion du XVIème siècle sur la souveraineté, véritable concept paradigmatique moderne.

Università degli Studi di Trento (and Editoriale Scientifica), 2015

The distinction between 'potentia Dei absoluta' and 'ordinata' is taken as an example of the more... more The distinction between 'potentia Dei absoluta' and 'ordinata' is taken as an example of the more general investigation into God’s attributes performed again and again by theologians throughout the Middle Ages. Indeed, if the question of 'potentia Dei' also plays an important role in the history of Western legal and political thought, originally it starts as a theological and cosmological debate on God’s operative power. Could God have created more than only one world? And if – according to the common viewpoint throughout the Middle Ages – He has created only one world, could He still create another one? And also – on closer looks into the infinite good nature God is credited with by Christianity as well as into the problem of God’s envy ('invidia Dei'), first discussed by Plato in his Timaeus – is the only one world He is supposed to have created the best one He could have created? These were among the questions which confronted the mediaeval theologians of scholasticism, with special attention to the eleventh-century cosmological dispute between Abelard and Lombard and the very fundamental stance of Thomas Aquinas. With closer attention to the 'new' philosophy of Giordano Bruno and its legal and political implications, this volume aims to show in which way early-modern authors still resort to the investigation into God’s almightiness that Christian theologians conducted throughout the Middle Ages.

Divus Thomas, 122, 3, 2019

This volume aims to honour the memory of Jean-François Malherbe by involving a part of his closes... more This volume aims to honour the memory of Jean-François Malherbe by involving a part of his closest colleagues and pupils on topics that are central to different subfields of ethics as well as to philosophy, theology, and social and normative discussion. The issues analyzed coincide, in some cases, with topics on which Malherbe offered his own scientific contribution and, in some other cases, with interests, ideas, and projects realized or to be realized by him in collaboration with the authors of the essays included here.

« Sit pro ratione voluntas ». L'âge moderne de la norme et la métaphysique de la volonté, 2019

Ce volume comprend les actes d'un colloque international qui s'est tenu à Genève les 14 et 15 fév... more Ce volume comprend les actes d'un colloque international qui s'est tenu à Genève les 14 et 15 février 2013. Ce colloque concluait une série de rencontres dédiée à l'une des questions les plus débattues du Moyen Âge, la distinction entre 'potentia Dei absoluta' et 'ordinata'. Cette initiative se proposait un défi ambitieux : engager un large cercle de chercheurs et, sur la base des intérêts et domaines de recherche respectifs, parcourir à nouveau l'histoire de la pensée juridique et des autres savoirs laïques modernes afin de retrouver leur unité intime, donnée par la fonction ancillaire originelle de ces disciplines par rapport à la théologie, selon une vieille image traditionnelle. La question du volontarisme, autour de laquelle la rencontre de Genève a été articulée, a joué un rôle très important dans l'ensemble de la série de colloques. Pour le volontarisme comme pour la distinction 'potentia Dei absoluta'/'ordinata', des éléments de la nature la plus variée - théologique, juridique, philosophique, etc. - convergent pour dicter un changement de cap historique et dans l'agenda politique de la fin du Moyen Âge et de la première époque moderne et, plus particulièrement, dans la réflexion du XVIe siècle sur la souveraineté, véritable concept paradigmatique moderne.

Editrice Domenicana Italiana, 2018

On the occasion of the 3rd edition of the Festival Bruniano to be held in Tours and Wittenberg in... more On the occasion of the 3rd edition of the Festival Bruniano to be held in Tours and Wittenberg in 2018, this volume aims to present the activities of its inaugural edition held in Bruno's birthplace, Nola, in 2014.

Atti del convegno della XVI Giornata Gentiliana San Ginesio, 19-20 settembre 2014

Giordano Bruno: 'civil conversazione' e riforma religiosa tra eredità medievale e identità modern... more Giordano Bruno: 'civil conversazione' e riforma religiosa tra eredità medievale e identità moderna (Series of colloquia in preparation of the project ‘Festival Bruniano’, 1)

‘I’allargo i miei pensieri ad alta preda'. L'infinito di Bruno tra caccia filosofica e riforma re... more ‘I’allargo i miei pensieri ad alta preda'. L'infinito di Bruno tra caccia filosofica e riforma religiosa: cosmologia, antropologia, etica, magia (Series of colloquia in preparation of the project ‘Festival Bruniano’, 2)

'Sit pro ratione voluntas': L’âge moderne de la norme et la métaphysique de la volonté (Series of... more 'Sit pro ratione voluntas': L’âge moderne de la norme et la métaphysique de la volonté (Series of colloquia on the theology of God's power and its impact on Western legal tradition, 5)

Absolutism Re-Visited: The Making of State and Power in the Wake of Political and Religious Warfa... more Absolutism Re-Visited: The Making of State and Power in the Wake of Political and Religious Warfare: Roman Jurists, Neo-Platonist Philosophers, Politicising Theologians (Series of colloquia on the theology of God's power and its impact on Western legal tradition, 4)

The Theology of ‘Potentia Dei’ and the History of European Normativity (Series of colloquia on th... more The Theology of ‘Potentia Dei’ and the History of European Normativity (Series of colloquia on the theology of God's power and its impact on Western legal tradition, 2)

'Epigenesis' in the History o Powers and Laws: Re-Describing the Debate on Potency and Poverty (S... more 'Epigenesis' in the History o Powers and Laws: Re-Describing the Debate on Potency and Poverty (Series of colloquia on the theology of God's power and its impact on Western legal tradition, 3)

Workshop on 'Potentia dei absoluta/ordinata: absolute and ordered Power in, around, and since Dun... more Workshop on 'Potentia dei absoluta/ordinata: absolute and ordered Power in, around, and since Duns Scot' (Series of colloquia on the theology of God's power and its impact on Western legal tradition, 1)

First edition of the series of cultural events named 'Festival della teologia del Triveneto', hel... more First edition of the series of cultural events named 'Festival della teologia del Triveneto', held in Verona in 2014.

Starting from a re-evaluation of Christianity after Luther’s Reform, the event aims to discuss Gi... more Starting from a re-evaluation of Christianity after Luther’s Reform, the event aims to discuss Giordano Bruno's contribution to the history of modern ideas by focusing in particular on theological, moral, and legal-political aspects of his philosophy, and by comparing his views to other significant sixteenth-century writers, who include: his fellow countrymen Alberico Gentili and Tommaso Campanella, the masters of the School of Salamanca, François Hotman, Michel de Montaigne, François Bauduin, Celio Secondo Curione, and Jean Bodin. In continuity with the first 2 editions of the event and the meetings that preceded it, special attention will be paid to Bruno’s last philosophical teaching: his Wittenberg period and the role of the city in the second half of the sixteenth century, the ‘Frankfurt trilogy’, the treatises on magic, and the trial documentation.

Il pensiero storico, 2021

This paper is a review of a collective volume on the case of Simon of Trent.

From Wittenberg to Rome, and Beyond Giordano Bruno: Will, Power, and Being Law, Philosophy, and Theology in the Early Modern Era, 2021

At the dawn of modernity, Montaigne stresses the multiplicity of laws and of customs and the obsc... more At the dawn of modernity, Montaigne stresses the multiplicity of laws and of customs and the obscure fundament of law, while Bruno draws attention particularly to their ability to cement human communities. The question of the relationship between law, ethics and customs is answered differently by the two thinkers, albeit with the occasional concordance, but both invite us to reflect on the relationship between man and nature, and on whether laws represent a strengthening or an adulteration of nature.