Nicholas of Cusa (1401–1464): Platonism at the Dawn of Modernity (original) (raw)
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Nicholas of Cusa and modern philosophy
The Cambridge Companion to Renaissance Philosophy, 2007
Nicholas of Cusa (Niklas Krebs, known as Cusanus, 1401–64), one of the most original and creative intellects of the fifteenth century, 1 has been variously described as ''the last great philosopher of the dying Middle Ages''(Alexandre Koyre), as a ''transition-thinker''between the medieval and modern worlds (Frederick Copleston), 2 and as the ''gatekeeper of the modern age''(Rudolf Haubst). 3 He is a lone figure with no real successor although he had some influence on Copernicus, Kepler, Bruno, and, tangentially, on Descartes.
Christianity's Content: (Neo)Platonism in the Middle Ages, Its Theoretical and Theological Appeal
The development of medieval Christian thought reveals from its inception in foundational authors like Augustine and Boethius an inherent engagement with Neoplatonism. To their influence that of Pseudo-Dionysius was soon added, as the first speculative medieval author, the Carolingian thinker Johannes Scottus Eriugena (810–877 CE), used all three seminal authors in his magisterial demonstration of the workings of procession and return. Rather than a stable ongoing trajectory, however, the development of medieval Christian (Neo)Platonism saw moments of flourishing alternate with moments of philosophical stagnation. The revival of the Timaeus and Platonic cosmogony in the twelfth century marks the achievement of the so-called Chartrian authors, even as the Timaeus never acquired the authority of the biblical book of Genesis. Despite the dominance of scholastic and Aristotelian discourse in the thirteenth century, (Neo) Platonism continued to play an enduring role. The Franciscan Bonaventure follows the Victorine tradition in combining Augustinian and Dionysian themes, but Platonic influence underlies the pattern of procession and return — reflective of the Christian arc of creation and salvation — that frames the thought of Thomas Aquinas. Echoing the interrelation of macro-and microcosmos, the major themes of medieval Christian Platonic thought are, on the one hand, cosmos and creation and, on the other, soul and self. The Dominican friar Meister Eckhart and the beguine Marguerite Porete, finally, both Platonically inspired late-medieval Christian authors keen on accomplishing the return, whether the aim is to bring out its deep, abyss-like " ground " (Eckhart) or to give up reason altogether and surrender to the free state of " living without a why " (Marguerite), reveal the intellectual audacity involved in upending traditional theological modes of discourse.
Infinite Horizons: Nicholas of Cusa and Seventeenth-Century Cambridge Platonism
American Cusanus Society Newsletter, 2018
Building on the pioneering work of Michael Allen, Stephen Gersh, and Sarah Hutton, this paper argues that one of the most robust chapters in the legacy of Nicholas Cusanus involves how his thought was received and developed by the seventeenth-century Cambridge Platonists. Specifically, Nicholas’ novel theorization of infinity and symbolism proved to be extremely important among seventeenth-century English thinkers attempting to avoid the Scylla of Cartesianism and the Charybdis of Spinozism. I concentrate on two important philosophers, Ralph Cudworth (1617- 1688) and Henry More (1614-1687), and show how their intellectual elucidations of Cusanus facilitated a new conception of infinity, the momentous effects of which were seen most prominently in the poetry of their contemporary Thomas Traherne (1636- 1674). I illustrate how Cusanus’ development of the apophatic conception of infinity provided unique resources for the re-symbolization of materiality among philosophers and poets alike.
Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464) is one of the most fascinating Christian authors of the fifteenth century. His vision of an immanent God in an infinite universe weaves together some of the most vibrant strands of medieval Christian mysticism. Although his diverse writings are difficult to classify, they can be understood as a kind of mystical philosophy. While older patterns of research on Nicholas of Cusa separated the medieval and modern aspects of his thought, recent scholarship has tried to overcome this divide. Building on three waves of past scholarship, new directions in research attempt to unify potential divisions in the German cardinal's writings: between science and religion, novelty and tradition, action and contemplation, and mathematics and theology.
1998
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Denys and Later Platonic Traditions
Oxford Handbook of Catholic Theology, Chapter 29, pages 496-510, 2019
This chapter on later Platonic traditions focuses on Denys, otherwise known as Ps-Dionysius the Areopagite. A late fifth- to early sixth-century theologian dependent on Plotinus, Damascius, and, above all, Proclus, assumed to have been converted by St Paul and possessing his spiritual wisdom, Denys was influential throughout Catholic theology. The chapter places Denys’s innovations against the background of Christian engagement with Neoplatonism after Augustine. After tracing Denys’ influence from the ninth to the sixteenth centuries, his role in modernity via Pierre de Bérulle and neo-scholasticism is considered. We conclude with his importance for some postmodern Catholic thinkers.
Platonism and Christian Thought in Late Antiquity
2019
Platonism and Christian Thought in Late Antiquity examines the various ways in which Christian intellectuals engaged with Platonism both as a pagan competitor and as a source of philosophical material useful to the Christian faith. The chapters are united in their goal to explore transformations that took place in the reception and interaction process between Platonism and Christianity in this period. The contributions in this volume explore the reception of Platonic material in Christian thought, showing that the transmission of cultural content is always mediated, and ought to be studied as a transformative process by way of selection and interpretation. Some chapters also deal with various aspects of the wider discussion on how Platonic, and Hellenic, philosophy and early Christian thought related to each other, examining the differences and common ground between these traditions. Platonism and Christian Thought in Late Antiquity offers an insightful and broadranging study on the subject, which will be of interest to students of both philosophy and theology in the Late Antique period, as well as anyone working on the reception and history of Platonic thought, and the development of Christian thought.