Theologians in Conversation; Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa

John Milbank and Simon Oliver discuss the significance of the work of Blessed Nicholas of Cusa (1401-1464) for the way we do theology today. Nicholas, in challenging the role of the Principle of Non-Contradiction can help us to have a fresh appreciation of what we mean by ‘truth’ in theology and to make a more realistic assessment of what we can say about God. We must learn to live with learned ignorance.
You may also like to watch;
2013 Bonaventure Lecture
• Professor Johannes Hof...

[@Joey-fq5rr]

I'm a simple man, I see John Milbank, I click.

[@nicoladisvevia]

John Milbank has admirably succeeded in interesting me in Nicolas of Cusa's thought, the depth and complexity of which I am (as yet) shamefully ignorant.

[@careyvinzant]

I am disappointed that there was no mention of Nicholas' documented debt to Eriugena. The idea that ousia is unknowable is present in the Periphyseon (where Eriugena brings it up with a verbatim quote from Gregory of Nyssa making this exact point). Also, Nicholas' apophaticism is not merely a trope. It seems an unfortunate choice of words to say "forget mysticism" in connection with Cusanus.

[@ewigerschuler3982]

L + ratio + didnt read

[@Mdeil20]

Nicholas of Cusa's thought is an actual inspiration (Spirit) of the Truth par excellence. He belongs to the Apophatic tradition so common in Christianity, and yet he seemed to reach just a bit further than most of his predecessors. God bless this man.

[@fr.larryyoung4222]

Well done! Really enjoyed that. So glad I found this channel.

[@tonydecastro6340]

Cusa stands very high indeed in Balthasar's theological aesthetics...The Cusan coincidentia oppositorum is more eminently an aesthetic category rather than a logical one... The other category is expressiveness: the finite world is expressive of infinite being...

[@richardemerson8381]

Excellent talk, thank you!

[@christophmahler]

Observant and _balanced_ _introduction_ by John Milbank into the intellectual pathways of Nicholas Cusanus - *relevant* beyond mere theological interests. 14:16 One remark may be at place when it comes to the notion of Cusanus as an example of some _'Germanic'_ tradition and how he may differ from modern 'German' idealists: the 'Holy Roman Empire of German Nation' was not defined as an _ethnic_ polity. It's _elected_ imperial court granted privileges to Slavic speaking pricipalities in the East (i.e. Bohemia) and to French and Italian communities in the West (i.e. Burgundy, Provence), therefore it could rather be termed a *'culture* *state'* , united by a Latin heritage - much like _Mandarin_ writing in ancient 'China'. Therefore the geographic term *'Central* *European'* may better characterize the intellectual stance of Cusanus within the historical _struggle_ _between_ _'Latin'_ _and_ _'Greek'_ _theology_ - after all, Cusanus travelled to Constantinople in 1438 for negotiating a re-unification of the churches (actually a repeated Byzantine stratagem in order to rally Latin support against the ever encroaching Ottomans). If something similar can be said of German Idealists, for example Kant, arguably a crypto-theologian who tried to reconcile Hume's sceptic empiricism with Descarte's rationalism, or if it holds true of the medieval 'German' Albertus Magnus for that matter who utilized topics of the artistic 'quadrivium' for the purpose of 'visualizing' statements of doctrine (as it became 'fashionable' in Chartres), then the geographical term *'Central* *European'* , possibly with a leaning towards conceptual *synthesis* - may prove indeed as a useful _category_ in *'cultural* *history'* .

[@gosia58136]

thank you

[@kaimarmalade9660]

Hare Krsna! (I am held because I have no qualification. All glory to God.)

[@alifazel9252]

Great explanation 🙏🏼

[@jeffreykalb9752]

With all the approximation, I wish that Milbank could be just a little more proximate to the truth.

[@pasquino0733]

Eloquant and brilliant!

[@northstar92]

I've always been awestruck by contradiction