| Paper 108-b | Reception of Beauty and Love by Augustine, Bernard, and Dante
(Language: English)
Irena Avsenik Nabergoj, Scientific Research Centre, Slovenian Academy of Sciences & Arts, Ljubljana
Index terms: Language and Literature - Comparative, Religious Life |
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| Abstract | Paper -a:
In Book four, Prose three of the Consolatio, Lady Philosophy informs the character Boethius that the reward of the good is to 'become gods'. This reference to deification in a philosophical work supports a conceptual community that transcends both religious and political boundaries. The doctrine of deification originated in the more diverse belief systems of nascent Christianity, yet it would appeal directly to the Eastern Church, centered in Byzantium, both when Boethius composed the Consolatio in the 6th century and at the time of its eventual translation into Greek by Maximus Planudes at the end of the 13th century.
Paper -b:
In ancient Israel the concept of beauty was by definition inspired by great variety of symbolic presentation of God's power, splendour, love, and beauty. Augustine and other early Fathers developed a method of interpretation of Biblical sources by following the method of allegorical exposition in practice in Rabbinical tradition. The views of the ancient Greek writers and philosophers, the beliefs of the Bible and explications of Church Fathers jointly influenced the attitude to love in St Bernard (1091–1153) and Dante Alighieri (1265–1321). The paper aims to present the natural and cultural influence on reception of beauty and love by Augustine, Bernard, and Dante.
Paper -c:
Empires come into being through conflict. Disciplined power imposes control and sustains order. The Gospel narrative of 'kingdom' reinforces but then overturns human assumptions. The kingdom-bringer gains victory in being overcome. Self-possession is expressed in dispossession. Hadewijch sees Christ, 'Love' setting out to do battle with us through the absolute of self-gift. He faces us as equals, for the noble soul expresses divinity when full-grown in its humanity. But only in matching Love with love will we attain our 'first dignity and liberty'. One must enter the conflict resolutely, powerfully, willing to enter the abyss of utter renunciation through suffering, for this is the form that generous, redemptive love takes in its incarnation in the world.
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