#Nicholas of Cusa

[majestativa]

What would have happened if what lived in the hearts of the greatest individuals – Nicolaus Cusanus, Paracelsus, Agrippa, Giordano Bruno, and Campanella – would have entered the hearts of everyone? […] What if the old and the new had met and intermingled, spirit with blood, and blood with spirit?

— Gustav Landauer, Revolution and Other Writings: A Political Reader, transl Gabriel Kuhn, (2010)

[chepooka]

Irrefutable proof that Jordan Peterson is a time traveler

[famousdeaths]

Nicholas of Cusa, also referred to as Nicholas of Kues and Nicolaus Cusanus, was a German Catholic cardinal and polymath active as a philosopher, theologian, ju...

Link: Nicholas of Cusa

[asexualbuthorny]

another attempt at drawing @the-whispers-of-death oc Stone

art consistency? we don't know her.

(i feel like i could've done better for the scars)

[philosophy-uml]

[6.10.1] Cusanus, Nicolaus on God, Universe, Christ, and Human Being

Nicholas of Cusa (Nikolaus Cryfftz or Krebs in German, then Nicolaus Cusanus in Latin, 1401-1464) “Christian Neoplatonic framework to construct his own synthesis of inherited ideas”.  Cusanus addresses the four categorical realities traditionally found in Christian thought: God, the natural universe, Christ and human beings. God is absolute and maximum. The following OntoUML diagram shows…

[apenitentialprayer]

Do you think it would be possible for an Evangelical or Pentacostal church to enter full communion with Rome (presuming that their pastors would get ordained etc) while keeping most of its current liturgy?

I haven't really been to any Protestant services of a low church persuasion before, so I don't think I can competently comment on it. But in principle, I don't see why not.

In Allatae sunt, Pope Benedict XIV says that when groups of "schismatics" return to the Catholic Church, they should not be expected to give up their liturgical traditions. "[The Church's] great desire is [...] in short, that all may be Catholic rather than all become Latin." Now, this was written with the Orthodox Churches in mind. But I don't see why this would ipso facto mean that it couldn't also be applied to groups born of the Protestant Reformation.

Now, Anglican Ordinariate communities are technically Roman Rite Catholics, but their breviary and missal might bring something to the conversation, too. Namely, as their website says, Divine Worship: The Missal is a very unique Catholic liturgical text in that it "marks the first time the Catholic Church has sanctioned liturgical texts deriving from the Protestant Reformation." And if it's happened once, well, I don't see why it can't happen again. I would imagine that any explicitly anti-Catholic or overtly Calvinistic language would need to be expunged, and the Communion prayer would need to incorporate the Epiclesis and Words of Institution, at minimum.

Based off of these two principles, I don't think it's necessary impossible for what you're suggesting to come to pass. I think these rites would potentially look radically different from the current 24 rites of the Catholic Church, but as early as the 1450s, Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa was making suggestions for incorporating religious traditions that would have looked radically different from the Catholic rites prominent in his own time.

But I wonder if someone has actually talked about this possibility in a way that was publishable in an academic environment?

[noise-vs-signal]

All Time is Present

“All time is comprised in the present or ‘Now’.

The past was present, the future shall be present, so that time is only a methodical arrangement of the present.

The past and the future, in consequence, are the development of the present; the present comprises all present times, and present times are a regular and orderly development of it: only the present is to be found in them.

The present, therefore, in which all times are included, is One: it is Unity itself.”

- Nicholas of Cusa.

Image by Alex Grey.

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

It Happened Today in Christian History

September 21, 1451: Nicholas of Cusa, a German cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church, orders Jews to wear a yellow badge. A practice later followed by the Nazi regime throughout Germany and Nazi occupied Europe during the Second World War.

[cogentranting]

Biblical Critical Theory has a quote from Nicholas of Cusa at the beginning, but I glanced at the footnote and thought it was Nic Cage and I don't quite have words for the emotion I felt in that half second

[irunevenus]

The Ideology of Giordano Bruno

Giordano Bruno, a philosopher of the 16th century, is known for his passionate defense of the idea of an infinite universe, a conception that led him to be accused of pantheism and eventually burned alive. He challenged the traditional view of a fixed and structured cosmos, proposing that the universe is a dynamic system in constant transformation, populated by an infinite number of stars and planets, many of which, according to him, could harbor intelligent life.

Bruno drew inspiration from the ideas of Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa, Copernicus, and Giovanni Battista della Porta. He is often cited as one of the first to suggest the infinitude of the universe. In his work On the Infinite Universe and Worlds (1584), he stated: "We declare this infinite space, since there is no reason, convenience, possibility, meaning, or nature that delineates a limit for it." For Bruno, this idea was not merely a theoretical speculation but a reflection of the nature of God: "The world is infinite because God is infinite. How can one believe that God, an infinite being, could have limited Himself by creating a closed and limited world?"

His view of relativity anticipated concepts that would be explored by Galileo, emphasizing that "in an infinite universe, any perspective of any object is always relative to the position of the observer," suggesting that there are "infinite possible references" and that none is privileged over the others.

Bruno was also a proponent of hylozoism, the belief that everything has life. He stated: "The Earth and the stars, as they provide life and sustenance to things, returning all matter they lend, are themselves endowed with life, in an even greater measure." This view led him to assert that "all forms of natural things have souls," reflecting his belief that "the spirit exists in all things," and that even the smallest particle contains a portion of spiritual substance.

In his work The Ash Wednesday Supper, Bruno challenged the idea that divinity should be sought outside ourselves, arguing that "we should not look for divinity outside ourselves, for it is by our side, or rather, in our innermost selves, more intimately in us than we are in ourselves." This statement underscores the deep connection he saw between humanity and the universe.

Bruno positioned himself against the religious orthodoxy of his time, confronting the Catholic Church and other institutions, which resulted in his excommunication. His book The Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast is an example of his attack on organized religion and his pantheistic view of the world.

Thus, Giordano Bruno stands out as a bold thinker who, by proposing an infinite and interconnected universe, not only challenged established beliefs but also laid the groundwork for modern scientific inquiry, advocating a vision of the cosmos where life and divinity permeate all things. His philosophy continues to resonate, inviting us to explore the depth of the relationship between the human and the divine.

[clarcking]

Nicholas of Cusa—Father of the Nation State and Modern Science (Part 2)

[giordanobruno1]

Giordano Bruno: A Visionary Thinker Ahead of His Time

Introduction

Giordano Bruno was a Renaissance philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer whose ideas challenged the traditional beliefs of his time and laid the groundwork for modern science. His fearless pursuit of knowledge and his advocacy for the infinite nature of the universe and the plurality of worlds ultimately led to his tragic end. Despite facing persecution and condemnation, Bruno's legacy endures as a symbol of intellectual courage and the pursuit of truth.

Background

Born in 1548 in Nola, Italy, Bruno entered the Dominican Order at a young age but soon found himself at odds with its teachings. He was deeply influenced by the works of ancient philosophers, such as Lucretius and Nicholas of Cusa, who questioned prevailing religious and scientific beliefs. Bruno's unorthodox ideas and refusal to recant eventually led to his trial for heresy by the Roman Inquisition, culminating in his execution in 1600.

Outlines

Early Life and Education

Early Years: Bruno's upbringing in Nola and his entry into the Dominican Order.

Education and Influences: His studies in theology, philosophy, and the works of ancient and Renaissance thinkers.

Cosmology and Philosophy

Infinite Universe: Bruno's belief in the infinity of the universe and the existence of countless worlds.

Pantheism: His philosophical concept that God and the universe are synonymous, challenging traditional religious doctrines.

Conflict with the Church

Heresy Charges: Bruno's clashes with religious authorities over his unorthodox beliefs.

Trial and Imprisonment: The Roman Inquisition's trial and condemnation of Bruno for heresy.

Legacy and Impact

Scientific Contributions: Bruno's influence on the development of modern science, particularly his ideas on the nature of the cosmos.

Intellectual Courage: His willingness to defend his beliefs, even at the cost of his life, inspiring future generations of thinkers.

Reception and Rehabilitation

Posthumous Recognition: Bruno's gradual rehabilitation by scholars and the recognition of his contributions to philosophy and science.

Symbol of Freedom of Thought: His legacy as a martyr for intellectual freedom and the pursuit of knowledge.

Headings

Early Life and Education

Childhood and Early Influences

Entry into the Dominican Order

Cosmology and Philosophy

Infinity of the Universe

Pantheistic Beliefs

Conflict with the Church

Heresy Accusations

Trial and Condemnation

Legacy and Impact

Influence on Science

Legacy of Intellectual Courage

Reception and Rehabilitation

Posthumous Recognition

Symbol of Freedom of Thought

Conclusion

Giordano Bruno's life and work exemplify the timeless struggle between the pursuit of knowledge and the forces of orthodoxy. His ideas, though controversial in his time, laid the foundation for modern cosmology and philosophy, challenging humanity to think beyond the confines of traditional beliefs. Bruno's legacy serves as a reminder of the importance of intellectual freedom and the enduring power of ideas to shape our understanding of the universe.

[gods-little-words]

The Faithfulness of God

As emphasized earlier, God’s attributes are not isolated traits of His character but facets

of His unitary being. They are not things-in-themselves; they are, rather, thoughts by

which we think of God aspects of a perfect whole, names given to whatever we know to

be true of the Godhead.

To have a correct understanding of the attributes it is necessary that we see them all as

one. We can think of them separately, but they cannot be separated. “All attributes

assigned to God cannot differ in reality, by reason of the perfect simplicity of God,

although we in divers ways use of God divers words,” says Nicholas of Cusa. “Whence,

although we attribute to God sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, sense, reason and

intellect, and so forth, according to the divers significations of each word, yet in Him

sight is not other than hearing, or tasting, or smelling, or touching, or feeling, or

understanding. And so all theology is said to be stablished in a circle, because any one

of His attributes is affirmed of another.”

In studying any attribute, the essential oneness of all the attributes soon becomes

apparent. We see, for instance, that if God is self-existent He must be also self-sufficient;

and if He has power He, being infinite, must have all power. If He possesses

knowledge, His infinitude assures us that He possesses all knowledge. Similarly, His

immutability presuppose His faithfulness. If He is unchanging, it follows that He could

not be unfaithful, since that would require Him to change.

Any failure within the divine character would argue imperfection and, since God is

perfect, it could not occur. Thus the attributes explain each other and prove that they are

but glimpes the mind enjoys of the absolutely perfect Godhead.

All of God’s acts are consistent with all of His attributes. No attribute contradicts the

other, but all harmonize and blend into each other in the infinite abyss of the Godhead.

All that God does agrees with all that God is and being and doing are one in Him.

The familiar picture of God as often torn between His justice and His mercy is

altogether false to the facts. To think of God as inclining first toward one and then

toward another of His attributes is to imagine a God who is unsure of Himself,

frustrated and emotionally unstable, which of course is to say that the one of whom we

are thinking is not the true God at all but a weak, mental reflection of Him badly out of

focus.

God being who He is, cannot cease to be what He is, and being what He is, He cannot

act out of character with Himself. He is at once faithful and immutable, so all His words

and acts must be and remain faithful. Men become unfaithful out of desire, fear,

weakness, loss of interest, or because of some strong influence from without. Obviously

none of these forces can affect God in any way. He is His own reason for all He is and

does. He cannot be compelled from without, but ever speaks and acts from within

Himself by His own sovereign will as it pleases Him.