Trynitarna koncepcja historiozoficzna Joachima z Fiore

Nowadays people are more and more concerned about the future and the end of the world. The vision of the End of Times in Joachim of Fiore’s apocalyptic conception presents one of the most interesting interpretations of the end of the world in relation to events and historical figures and presents an attempt to look into the future made by the 12th-century Calabyan Abbot Joachim of Fiore on the basis of the book of the Holy Bible, especially the Apocalypse of Saint John. The purpos of the thesis is to introduce the reader to the very form of the medieval exeget – Joachim of Fiore as well as the concept of tripartite and interpretation of history in the Trinitarian context created by him. In the light of the concept mentioned above, the vision of the Calabyan Abbot was presented regarding the end of times, preceded by an explanation of exegetical methods used by the abbot (especially biblical typology and the principle of compatibility of both Testaments in relation to the entire history of the Chosen People and Christianity). The thesis also presents a comparison of the convergent historiosophic concepts of Joachim of Fiore and Saint Augustine of Hippo. The thesis contains both Latin fragments of Joachim’s manuscripts and translations of them into Polish. Annex show translated testament of Joachim of Fiore, proving his faithfulness to the authority of the Catholic Church.

Stworzenie z niczego, czyli słów kilka o monografii Jacka Zielińskiego „Koncepcja creatio ex nihilo w myśli Apologetów greckich II wieku”

The monograph of Jacek Zieliński, The Concept of Creatio ex Nihilo in the Thought of the Greek Apologists of the 2nd century, published by Wroclaw’s Atut in 2013, discusses an important problem of the theory of creation from nothing. It also asks an important question, how far the elements of the concept, articulated in its final form only by Augustine of Hippo can be found in the writings of the Christian apologists of the 2nd century. It is an important question, especially that the Bible in its canonical form, the early extra-biblical Jewish literature or – even more – Greek tradition does not unambiguously advocate the concept creatio ex nihilo. Hence the question how, when and why the concept was articulated, since it played such an important role in the Christian thought of later centuries. In addition, the book of Jacek Zielinski is important in Polish market, because there are only a few serious publications dealing with the issue. The article gives a description and short analysis of the book, pinpointing its strong sights and showing areas, which could be strengthened in this and — hopefully — following publications on creatio ex nihilo by Jacek Zieliński.

Natural signs from Plato to Thomas A. Sebeok

The paper pays tribute to Thomas A. Sebeok with an inquiry into the place of the semiotics of nature within his system of “global semiotics” and of natural signs within his typology of signs, which distinguishes “six species of signs.” It complements Sebeok’s theory of natural signs with a historical study of semiotic definitions of natural signs in four chapters. The first, “Natural signs from Plato to the Scholastics” focuses on Plato’s Cratylus, Aristotle’s “On Interpretation,” Augustine of Hippo, and the Scholastics, in particular Roger Bacon’s distinction between natural and “given” signs. The second, “Natural signs in 20th century analytical and cognitive philosophy,” discusses Rollin’s Natural and conventional meaning as well as the definitions of natural signs proposed by Jerzy Pelc, David S. Clarke, Laird Addis, and in Ruth Garret Millikan’s teleosemiotics. The third, “Structuralist strategies of excluding natural signs from semiotics” discusses how natural signs were excluded from cultural semiotics in the writings of Roland Barthes (Mythologies), Algirdas J. Greimas, and in Umberto Eco’s early semiotic writings. The fourth investigates how C. S. Peirce overcomes the dualism of nature and convention in his general theory of signs founded on evolutionary principles. The paper concludes with reflections on Sebeok’s theory of modeling as the distinctive feature of human semiosis.

Homo sum – amicus sum, sive de Terentio Christiano Hrotsvithae Gandeshemensis

The most famous line from Terence, homo sum etc. (Heautontimoroumenos 77), has been interpreted in different ways under different circumstances by authors ranging from Cicero and Seneca in antiquity and Erasmus at the beginning of the modern age to figures of the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Friedrich Nietzsche, George Bataille, and Thomas Mann. Augustine of Hippo was the first to refer to Terence within a broader Christian context, and in the 12th century John of Salisbury equated the presumed philanthropic attitude of the Roman comedian and imitator of Menander with charity, the ultimate Christian virtue. Whereas most of the testimonia to the reception of Heautontimoroumenos 77 have already been identified and in part analyzed, a refined indirect ῾quotation᾿ of the line in question has been neglected: In a sort of réécriture of the initial scene of Terence’s drama, Roswita (Hrotsvit) of Gandersheim (10th century), in her hagiographic comedy ῾Abraham᾿, interpreted the even then proverbial sentence by introducing for the attitude of ῾humanity towards one’s neighbour᾿ both the Aristotelian definition of friendship (῾one soul in two bodies᾿) and a reference to the ideal of a Christian society with ‘one heart and one soul᾿ (Acts 4, 32). Thus the Terentian humanum is bothparaphrased by and identified with both an other classical and a Christian concept of mutual human affection.

The transformation of Plato’s theory of soul in the philosophy of Florentine Neoplatonism

The object of this research is the Platonic tradition of understanding of soul. The subject of this research is the interpretation of Plato's concept of soul in the philosophy of Florentine academicians. The goal is trace the historical-philosophical evolution of Plato's theory of soul from the Antiquity to the Renaissance philosophy. The article represents the authorial historical-philosophical and comparative analysis of the primary sources. Analysis is conducted on the works of Plato, Plotinus, Augustine of Hippo, Aristotle, Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, M. Ficino, and D. Pico della Mirandola. The article outlines the key provisions of Plato's concept of the soul, reveals the tendencies of gradual historical transformation of this tradition within the history of philosophical thought. The topic at hand has not been previously covered in the scientific research, which defines the novelty of this paper. Soul is viewed as the mirror of the divine world that is in need of catharsis. Special attention is given to Neoplatonic comprehension of the luminous nature of soul. The concept of “universal soul”, which eclectically connects with the Christian understanding of soul as the individual and free principle is revealed. Analysis is conducted on components of the soul described by Plato, namely rational, appetitive, and the spirited. Special attention is turned to the rational soul as an immortal active principle. Position of the soul in the world hierarchy is considered. The article examines the soul as “bond of peace”, which encompasses the dialectical opposites of rational and sensuous, sole and numerous, separable and inseparable, time and eternity.

Augustine

Augustine of Hippo (Thagaste, b. 354–Hippo, d. 430 ce) brings the very person of the thinker onto the philosophical scene for the first time in the history of philosophy, with his existential vicissitudes, his spiritual travails, and his incessant search for truth. Augustine is the ancient figure we know better than anyone else, thanks to the fact that he himself has narrated in the Confessions the external and internal events of his life, from his childhood spent in Roman Africa to his conversion to a radical and demanding form of Christian existence in 386. His conversion also marks the moment in which faith is consciously and programmatically assumed as the starting point of a rational itinerary that aims at understanding the most important truths about God and the human being. Augustine’s contribution to philosophical and theological thought is broad and manifold, from the theory of knowledge and language to the conception of evil and freedom, from the doctrine of creation and time to the analysis of the mind and its acts, from the most difficult questions concerning divine grace and the Trinity to the reading of human history as the interweaving of two mystical ‘cities’. Fundamental terms of the intellectual language of the West—such as ‘sign’, ‘free will’, ‘original sin’, ‘predestination’, ‘relation’—bear the indelible imprint of Augustine’s reflection. Especially sensitive to the influence of Plotinian and Porphyrian Neoplatonism, the gigantic work of this Father of the Church—an essential link between Antiquity and the Middle Ages—has in turn influenced Western Christianity like few others, and through it European culture, right up to modern and contemporary times. Although in Augustine’s thought one cannot clearly distinguish between philosophy and theology, in this article only his works and themes that have greater philosophical prominence today are considered. Therefore, purely theological topics such as the doctrine of divine grace are excluded. Only books published or republished after 1970 are cited, with a few rare exceptions. The remaining bibliography (earlier books, essays contained in collective volumes, and journal articles) can be found by consulting the section Bibliographies.