Berthold of Moosburg (died after 1361[1]) Not much is known about the early life of Berthold of Moosburg.[2] Berthold was a member of the German Dominican order.[3] The first recorded date for Berthold of Moosburg is 1316, when he was studying at Oxford University in England. Berthold is said to have been sixteen years old at this time.[4] Berthold of Moosburg's active years spanned from 1316 to 1361.[5] Berthold as a part of the Dominican order was a German Dominican theologian and neo-Platonist of the 14th century, teaching in Regensburg in 1327.[6] In 1335, Berthold was called to head the Dominican order in Cologne, Germany.[5] In 1348, as head of the Cologne Dominicans, Berthold represented the Dominican order at the Natio Bavariae in Nuremberg.[7]
He is notable for his work on the neo-Platonist Proclus Lycaeus' Elements of Theology (Institutio Theologica) writing Expositio super Elementationem theologicam Procli, which was done based on the Latin translation of Proclus's work by another Dominican, Willem van Moerbeke.[8]Expositio would become the only commentary written on Proclus's works to have come the medieval age.[8] He attended Oxford, being dispatched there by his Dominican chapter for his studium generale.[9] It is believed that during this time he would have discovered works that influenced him in his writings such as Thomas of York'sSapientiale, Macrobius' Comentarii in Somnium Scipionis, and most notably Proclus'Elementationem Theologicam, which Berthold cited ten times just in his glosses on Macrobius.[9] Berthold's document, Expositio, was written after the condemnation of Eckhart, which led to a period of disunity and chaos within the Dominican order.[10]
Bronze image of Dietrich of Freiberg, a major influence on Berthold of Moosburg, as shown on the Fortuna-Brunnen in Munich, Germany.
His Expositio super Elementationem theologicam Procli, written between 1340 and 1361,[12] was a major statement of the importance for Platonism of Proclus.[13] In the making of his Expositio, Berthold attempted to create a comprehensive written work that served as a bridge between the Christian Platonic view to the non-Christian Platonic view of his day.[11] As a result, Berthold's written work Expositio incorporates both "Christian Platonic writings" and "non-Christian Platonic writings."[11] He opposed his Christian-Platonic synthesis to Aristotelian philosophy.[14] His sources included Theodoric of Freiberg and Albertus Magnus.[15][16] Following Proclus's model of two modes of duration, eternity and time, Berthold rejected the aevum, an intermediate mode of time held by Theodoric and Albertus.[15] In Expositio Berthold makes 132 citations from 93 different chapters from Clavis. He uses these citations to reinterpret and to correct Proclus's doctorines to make it more inline with Christian and platonic belief.[17] Further, in the making of Expositio, Berthold referenced and used several authors and written works on top of his use of Proclus' Elements of Theology in the making of Expositio.[11] Some of the authors include but are not limited to Augustine of Hippo, Calcidius, Boethius, Apuleius, Macrobius, andIohannes or JohnScotusEriugena.[11]
Ideas and Philosophy
Despite this rejection of Aristotelian ideas, Berthold borrows frequently from these predecessors.[18] He often melds neo-Platonism and Christian theology in a synthesis sometimes called by contemporary scholars, eriugenism, a school of philosophy named for Johns Scotus Eriugena.[18] Sometimes he would even attempt to build off the work of these Aristotelian thinkers, such as he did with Albertus Magnus's work, De Natura Origine Animae.[18] Berthold states that “souls are poured in by being created and are created by being poured in” (creando infundi et infundendo creari).[18] Stating as much creates a cyclical argument for the origin of souls and avoids the idea of a souls pre-existence in accordance with neo-platonic though.[18] While this still puts Berthold in opposition to authors such as Proclus and Albertus, it presents his argument in such as way as not to be directly confrontational to them.[18]
Berthold continues with his analysis of the soul, building of the analysis of Proclus by Dietrich of Freiburg who features frequently in his works as one who shares a similar way of thinking.[18] In this he makes emphasis to further align with platonic theory by stating that the soul and body can never be truly joined as one "form".[18] All of these arguments and those he makes on other topics serves to place learned members of the church such as Dionysius and Proclus in line with platonic philosophy.[18] This is not to say that his work is meant solely to reframe the works of previous philosophers. Berthold often expanded on the philosophies of those whom he commented on such as he had done with Dietrich of Freiburg, wherein he extended his principles "both upward (from the intelligences to the gods), downward (to the incorruptible spiritual body)," when evaluating his commentaries on Proclus.[18]
Providence and Fate
Berthold was a pivotal figure in the discussion of providence in 13th and 14th centuryGermany.[9]Regna duo duorum was a new concept created by Berthold of Moosburg and other theologians in the Dominican Order.[9] Regna duo duorum focused on twofold providence, which separated natural providence and voluntary providence.[9]
Berthold also theorizes two hierarchal realms, the realm of providence, and the realm of fate.[9] The realm of providence in Berthold's philosophy is the realm of God and gods.[9]
The realm of fate in Berthold's philosophy is the structure of structure of the physical world.[9] Berthold also described natural providence as the realm of fate.[9] He believed that many things were not subject to fate.[9] Things close to God were exempt from fate, because of the control providence has over fate.[9]
Forms
Berthold also believed in two forms of intellect, the primal intellect and the potential intellect.[19] He believed that once the intellects aligned, it became impossible to speak of intellect any longer because intellect requires a difference between thought and the object of thought.[19]
A central belief in Berthold's philosophy was that deification was a possibility through the union of God and the Christian man.[9] Berthold called this union "the One" and believed that "the One" was supreme good, and the ultimate "One" could only be understood in a way that goes beyond human intellect.[19]
Legacy
Berthold's Expositio has notably have been influential on Nicholas of Cusa's works, and has been cited among a list of authoritative Neoplatonic authors in Cusa's Apologia doctae ignorantiae[20]
Works
Expositio super elementationem theologicam Procli 184-211. De animabus, edited by Loris Sturlese, Rome, Edizioni di storia e letteratura, 1974.
Bertoldo di Moosburg, Tabula contentorum in Expositione super Elementationem theologicam Procli, edited by A. Beccarisi, Pisa, Scuola Normale Superiore, 2000.
Expositio super Elementationem theologicam Procli, in Corpus philosophorum Teutonicorum medii aevi, vol. 6, edited by Loris Sturlese:
Markus Fűhrer, Stephen Gersh, Dietrich of Freiberg and Berthold of Moosburg, in Stephen Gersh (ed.), Interpreting Proclus from Antiquity to the Renaissance, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014, pp.299–317.
Antonella Sannino, Berthold of Moosburg's Hermetic Sources, Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes, Vol. 63, 2000 (2000), pp.243–258
Beukes, Johann. (2021). Neoplatonism in the Cologne tradition of the later Middle Ages: Berthold of Moosburg (ca. 1300–1361) as case study. HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. 77. 10.4102/hts.v77i4.6281.
↑ Beukes, Johann (2021). "Neoplatonism in the Cologne tradition of the later Middle Ages: Berthold of Moosburg (ca. 1300-1361) as case study". HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies: 5 of 15.
↑ Loconsole, M (2022). "The figure and Thoughts of Berthold of Moosburg. New Studies and Perspectives". Bulletin de Philosophie Medievale.
↑ Beukes, Johann (2021). "Neoplatonism in the Cologne tradition of the later Middle Ages: Berthold of Moosburg (ca. 1300-1361) as case study". HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies: 5 of 15.
1 2 Zavattero, Irene (2020). In the Encyclopedia of Medieval Philosophy: Philosophy between 500 and 1500. pp.282–286. ISBN9789402416633.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Calma, Dragos; King, Evan (2021). The Renewal of Medieval Metaphysics: Berthold of Moosburg’s Expositio on Proclus’ Elements of Theology. University College Dublin: Brill. ISBN978-90-04-47102-3.
↑ Beukes, Johann (2021). "Neoplatonism in the Cologne tradition of the later Middle Ages: Berthold of Moosburg (ca. 1300-1361) as case study". HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies: 5 of 15.
1 2 3 4 5 Gersh, Stephen (July 2014). Interpreting Proclus from Antiquity to the Renaissance. Cambridge University Press. p.307. ISBN978-1-108-46535-9.
↑ D. N. Sedley, The Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Philosophy (2003), p. 327.
↑ King, Evan (2019). "Eriugenism in Berthold of Moosburg's Expositio super Elementationem theologicam Procli". In Calma, Dragos (ed.). Reading Proclus and the Book of Causes Volume 1: Western Scholarly Networks and Debates. Leiden: Brill. p.399.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 King, Evan (2019). Reading Proclus and the Book of Causes Volume 1: Western Scholarly Networks and Debates. Brill. ISBN9789004345102.
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