Pico's Heptaplus and biblical hermeneutics / by Crofton Black.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Black, Crofton.

Series:

Studies in medieval and Reformation traditions ; v. 116.

Studies in medieval and Reformation traditions, 1573-4188 ; v. 116

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Creation--History of doctrines--Middle Ages, 600-1500.

Creation.

Bible. O.T. Genesis I, 1-27--Criticism, interpretation, etc--History--To 1500.

Bible.

Bible--Criticism, interpretation, etc--History--Middle Ages, 600-1500.

Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni, 1463-1494. Heptaplus.

Pico della Mirandola, Giovanni.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (284 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Leiden ; Boston : Brill, 2006.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This is the first full-length study of the Heptaplus , the commentary on the creation narrative of Genesis 1 by the celebrated Italian philosopher Giovanni Pico della Mirandola. It focuses on Pico's theory of allegory. This theory was fundamentally dissimilar to mainstream medieval and Renaissance approaches to biblical interpretation. Rather than use the standard four senses of Scripture, Pico adopted an esoteric hermeneutic stance characteristic of Neoplatonic and kabbalistic exegesis, and developed an allegorical theory based on epistemology and the idea of intellectual ascent. The exploration of this theme makes it possible not only to interpret the Heptaplus in relation to Pico's other works, but also to assess its role as a response to the contemporary philosophical controversy surrounding the intellect.

Contents:

Acknowledgements

Preface

Abbreviations

Introduction

1. Pico's Life and Works

2. The Heptaplus in Outline

3. Exegetical Contexts

4. The First Proem: Traditions of Esotericism

5. The Second Proem: Pico's Cosmic Model and Exegesis as Anagogy

6. Knowledge, Felicitas and Hermeneutics

7. The Beginning and the End: Bereshit and the Sabbath

Appendix to Chapter 7

Conclusion

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

Based on the author's thesis (doctoral)--University of London, 2004.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [241]-255) and index.

ISBN:

1-281-40009-2

9786611400095

90-474-1064-5

OCLC:

290584523

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789047410645 DOI