Introducing Nicholas of Cusa: A Guide to a Renaissance Man (review)

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Introducing Nicholas of Cusa: A Guide to a Man. Edited by Christopher M. Bellito, Thomas M. Izbicki, and Gerald Christianson. (New York/Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press. 2004. Pp. xvi, 480. $29.95 paperback.) Attempting to introduce Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464) to twenty-first century involves almost as much complexity and nuance as typified subtle mind of Nicholas himself.The contributors to this volume, mostly members of American Cusanus Society, have achieved a formidable task. volume divides into five sections: Introduction, and Society, and Spirituality, Philosophy, Theology, and Science, and a Guide to Research. This works weE, for it allows readers to dip into whichever facet of Cusa's writings has most fascination for them or one can just read book straight through. To get a glimpse of whole picture one would do best by reading two chapters in Part I: Introduction, i.e., An Appreciation by Morimichi Watanabe and chap. 2 Life and Works by Donald F. Duclow.They place Cusa in context of fifteenth century, and they reflect breadth of Cusa's interests, profundity of his thought, but also how his life and works reveal his involvement in issues and events of his lifetime: Council of Basel, attempt at reunion with Greek Churches, and also an issue of his time and ours, attempt at dialogue between European and Christian worlds on one side and non-Christian and especially Muslim world on other. Section II presents in three chapters parts of Cusa's life that have become better known in last two generations: [Cusa and] Reform by Brian A. Pavlac, The Church by Thomas M. Izbicki, and Political and Legal Ideas by Morimichi Watanabe. One of terms in Cusa's mystical theology and metaphysical thinking could be very aptly applied here: the coincidence of opposites. Pavlac concentrates on Cusa and reform in a discussion of his deeds. Cusa was an advocate of contemplative life but was constantly on move, involved in major crises of his day. He worked for reform as a bishop and preacher but was also a coEector of benefices, a curialist at heart of what many saw as major structure in need of reform. He was open-minded and a realist in his dealings with Hussites at Basel and wrote his major treatise (De concordantia catholica) at Basel but then broke with Basel to side with Pope Eugenius IV in hope of having a better chance of reuniting churches. His personal intervention and journey to Constantinople in pursuit of union led to remarkable vision and shift in thinking while on return voyage which leads into third part in this volume: and Spirituality. Here several writers expound on Cusa and Renaissance Humanism by Pauline M. …