Dealing with medieval theology one cannot but take into account the theories of sign and text interpretation. One of the main authorities in this field, Augustine of Hippo, devotes an important part of his De doctrina christiana to the analysis of signs and of human institutions where the practices of sign usage and/or interpretation play a pivotal role. His definition and classification of signs would become paradigmatic for the whole medieval culture, but in a roundabout way. Everything starts in the IXth century, when the first debate on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist took place, and ends in the XIIth century with a return to the Augustinian notion of the sign, finally accepted by all Christian theologians. The first debate, in particular, appears to be important for the theme of this volume, since one of the parties involved — the one appealing to a non-Augustinian notion of sign — presents the sacrament as an immediate access to Christ’s body and blood.
Medieval Theology and the Theory of Signs / Costantino Marmo. - STAMPA. - unico:(2021), pp. 5.67-5.84. [10.1515/9783110690347-001]
Medieval Theology and the Theory of Signs
Costantino Marmo
Primo
2021
Abstract
Dealing with medieval theology one cannot but take into account the theories of sign and text interpretation. One of the main authorities in this field, Augustine of Hippo, devotes an important part of his De doctrina christiana to the analysis of signs and of human institutions where the practices of sign usage and/or interpretation play a pivotal role. His definition and classification of signs would become paradigmatic for the whole medieval culture, but in a roundabout way. Everything starts in the IXth century, when the first debate on the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist took place, and ends in the XIIth century with a return to the Augustinian notion of the sign, finally accepted by all Christian theologians. The first debate, in particular, appears to be important for the theme of this volume, since one of the parties involved — the one appealing to a non-Augustinian notion of sign — presents the sacrament as an immediate access to Christ’s body and blood.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.