Ética e mística em Nicolau de Cusa (1401-1464): uma assimilação do conceito de interioridade agostiniano

The present article seeks to present an ethical and mystical reflection according tothe philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464). Moreover, it is also intended to reflect on the influence of the ideas of Augustine of Hippo (354-430) on the thought of the German philosopher. Thus, the development of this work will be focused in the interiority as an ethics and mystical process of improvement of oneself, in orderto reach happiness.

O desdobramento da alma em direção ao belo: preleções no Livro sexto do diálogo Sobre a Música de Agostinho de Hipona

Our investigation aims to propose a brief reflection on Book VI of De musica(387-391) by Agostinho de Hipona. In the light of philosophy, it is intendedto submit the main lines of arguments on the unfolding of the soul in its itinerary to God, in analogy to the rhythms and harmonies of musical art. Evidently, the meeting betweenHellenistic philosophy and Christianity in the early days of Patristics took place through many resources, but with some acquiescence on the part of Latin Patrology. In this context, the thought of Augustine of Hippo mustbe considered a reference for thesynthesis of Hellenistic philosophy in the Latin tradition. There is no doubt that the Neoplatonic reference was singularly present in Augustine's philosophy, not only as an ingredient of his intellectual and spiritual evolution, culminating in his conversion, but it was also the instrument by which, and exclusively through it, his thought has formed. In fact, it is clear that Augustine's thought is a synthesis of Hellenistic culture incorporated in Latin times, although this characteristic is not duly explicit in some of his works and in the course of his history, requiring a closer and more accurate examination of our interpretations. In the course of reading book VI of De musicawe can identify three important aspects: i) At first, Augustine proposes theunfolding of the soul based on the sensations. The path of reflection runs through the education of the senses in order to achieve the perceptual-sensorial transcendentalization,so that, Augustine intends to demonstrate that the movements and rhythms of music are in analogy to the rhythms of the soul driven by a natural desire to contemplate God; ii) In order to carry out this path of soul ascension, Augustine identifies in Neoplatonism the notion of spiritualization as an essential activity of the soul'sintimate life, in such a way that the dialogue is impregnated with the Plotinian speculation about the concept of unity, order and being, always related to the notion of God as ineffable; iii) The Augustinian assumption in discovering bodily harmonies in the soul through sensations, sounds and words in analogy to eternal harmony, supports, in a way, his notion of invisible perfection of God as the one who reveals himself to us in created things.

Breves notas sobre a mística agostiniana

I addition to the fact that Augustine never wrote specifically about mysticism, wemay consider, for instance, the absence in Augustine's time of a systematic character concept of the infused prayer effects which will shape the later Mystical Theology. However, such effects seem to influence the terms used by Augustine: overly an indicative sign of the philosophical, intellectual, and Neoplatonic influence, which leads to a criticism about the similarity of his narrations to the religious experiences described by the mystics themselves, according to the later Christian tradition. This work presents a brief introduction regarding Augustine as a master of Western mysticism, giving it a new Latin and genuinely Christian expression of the Neoplatonic contemplation conceptual structure.

O problema da relação entre o livre-arbítrio humano e a graça/predestinação em Agostinho em diálogo com a Modernidade/Contemporaneidade

One of the most complex issues in St. Augustine's philosophical-religious doctrine is that of the relationship between human free will and divine grace / predestination. This problem has its main expression in the controversy with the Pelagians / semi-Pelagians, who, each in their own way, believed that there is an incompatibility between the two terms. They sought to annul one of the poles of the question, arguing that the human being is free. In addition, they state thatoriginal sin in no way damaged human free will, and that, consequently, the latter can achieve perfection / salvation by his own merits, without the help of divine grace. Augustine, on the contrary, says that with original sin the “first nature” of man was damaged. Thus, human beingneeds the help of divine grace to be able to perform good actions (merits), but Augustine claimed, there is no incompatibility there, conversely, for him, what the human being has lost was the full freedom he enjoyed before sin. Now human being has only free will thatgrace will restore, giving him back his full freedom. Likewise, he argues, predestination does not nullify free will, determining man's destiny. Thus, first, man is a being created by God for himself, with no determinants for evil,and, second, as much as damaged he may be, he is keeps something of his first condition, even the tiniest one. Thus, human being is capable of say no to God's call. These questions will reverberate in the philosophical-religious discourses about the problem in Modernity / Contemporaneity, mainly in Protestant circles, which have intertwined themselves, each in their own way, between the so-called incompatibilities and compatibilities. Both seeking to substantiate their positions, often in St. Augustine. Something that he would not always agree with. Here's what we'll look at in this paper.

Agostinho: a inquietação como fonte

O propósito deste texto é fazer uma aproximação entre Santo Agostinho (354-430) e Etty Hillesum (1914-1943), no que serefere à experiência mística. À primeira vista pode parecer que entre um autor e outro há uma distância abissal. Certo. Agostinho viveu entre os séculos IV-V e assistiu a decadência do Império Romano. Por sua vez, a jovem Etty Hillesum viveu no século XX –uma vida breve –mas suficiente para testemunhar os horrores de Auschwitz.O elo entre estes dois autores, portanto, é supratemporal e se dá pela busca da via mística, que ambos procuraram. Etty, leitora de Agostinho, declara em seuDiário, reiteradas vezes, que o importante é a via da interiorização, a via de busca de si mesmo, no mais profundo de si. É o que importa em tempos sombrios e obscuros, talvez para suportá-loscom mais dignidade e lucidez. Agostinho, que vivera muitos séculos antes, também presenciou violências e iniquidades e a inquietação sempre foi a sua fonte. Fonte interior para onde se deve voltar. Não se trata de um ensimesmamento, um narcisismo às avessas, mas de um exercício espiritual, místico, à procura de um território interior, de recantos místicos cuja fonte é a inquietação e, ao mesmo tempo, fortalecimento de si.

Mestre Eckhart e Santo Agostinho: a bem-aventurança (beatitudo) consiste em um ato do intelecto ou da vontade?

In Chapter XVII of the Commentary on the Gospel of John, Eckhart comments on John 17, 3: «Now this is eternal life: may they know you, the only true God, and the one you sent, Jesus Christ». The comment begins like this: «If the beatitude consists of an act of the intellect or the will, it is an old question. From the words above [from the Gospel of John] it seems that it consists essentially of knowledge and intellect». To make his position clear, Eckhart cites some texts by Augustine, for example: De moribus Ecclesiae; Retracticiones; De beata vitaand De Trinitate. In our work, we intend to show how Eckhart builds his exhibition from Augustine, focusing on the analysis of Chapter XVII of that comment.

Entre o amor e a soberba: o conceito de justiça do livro XIX do “Sobre a Cidade de Deus”, como chave de interpretação do amor ao próximo no “Comentário à Primeira Epístola de São João” de Agostinho

Starting from the concept of justice in Book XIX of De civitate Dei, especially whatjustice is "to give to each one what is his", we will investigate the extent to which the love (dilectio) worked in the Commentary on the First Epistle of St. John can be interpreted as social justice. Considering that this Epistle is one of the hardest texts of the collection of love for the Christian in the New Testament, Augustine understands the consequences of abundance and lack of love in an eminently social way, since through love it is impossible to be insensitive before the misery of social injustice, which makes so many miserable. Thus, vera justitiawould be demonstrated by unconditional love of neighbor, not allowing his neighbor to be in miser. However, this aid, moreover, cannot translate into a constant dependence between the aided and the helper, for when this situation of dependence if it is perpetuated, the aided one naturally will nourish a feeling of superiority before the aided one, and the latter will think himself inferior to that which assists him. Sothat the love demonstrated by true justitiais configured in an emergency to get the poor from misery, and continuous rite, to work so that it acquires autonomy and dignity