Marcia L.Colish THE MIRROR OF LANGUAGE cA Study ite the Mediewal Theory of Knowledge ‘Revised Edition University of Nebraska Press Lincohe London& Preface, vit of the Word, 7 The Definition of the Word, 55 3. Whomas Aquinas: ‘The Conception cf the Word, 110 4, Dante: Poce of Rectitude, 152 Conclusion, 221 8 228 Notes, 229 Bibliogtaphy, 289 Index, 329 Contents L@ Pee eaeeeeeeaeangegneaeaeaggadgePreface ise autem fia ad fae, {1 Gor. 3:12] Penple who read books en the medieval mind ere frilise with the dictum asually found on page one of any book an this subject: “Medieval man then! in cere of symbols." People who wrice bocks vn che medevdl rine x tdge she symbslié mencality of the period with impartial and relentless Gequency. Wheche cited 10 atest ¢9 the chinvayance of obs-utantism, the subtleryot primitivisn, theunigueamasor the univesalcy of ce Middle Ages, the symbolic attributes of rhe medieeal mind have by now acquired the wocogitaeed and presciprive stucus of an fale rar. The assertinn that medicral men thought in teeres of symbols is wsually created 28 a.canon of explanasion. Ie has rely been created as susceptible ofexplenaninn itself, More iLhave rose wh stucy the place of syrnbals in medieval epistemtogy anschronistlc or otherwise ex: Taseous terms. “Ue erudy which follows is © partial accerapt so temedy chis Sixuation, My aim chroughoat Fas been ewafo'd, 1 hace cried tn examine hase four orajor medicssi fguces acwally though: that signs functioned ie. the ud have soughi © phe thie contest of their specif innereet, ways nts, Tae thesis which this cxaminstion es yielded will be demonsereed ‘oroughour the book, bue {would like also to srate ie briefly in these preitary semocks. To begin wit, many western medieval thinkers fit the pacisci: period uacid the vise of prep hus ow principal Garures: ie teats sys coc metely as insremene shut as indices of realities ehar exist oaczideof and prior to che keswing subjce, and ie eegusds sigas as findamenvally verbal in tative. These charac: teristic: venue fora « blending oF classical ant Ideas. The Seoic and Aristotelian conteibusions ce sign cheory end epistemology. cacted as they atewit Prete sn anetmpirical approach to human krowledge, were of particular imperrace jn tae developmen of his theory, For the Stois, al ea beings are corporca Words, being phyically peaduced and physically eceived, ae cheratleet compere sod accurse signs of the reatios they mmprsene. Aristotle also che ceder of being ige was one char the Periparcics shared with ce 1s. The ractaphysicl bias thacthiswiew entaile wo ten of sigas found in of arciene-ehoughe they peefer seve time, while datsicsl philesephers carainly discussed the theme of sign theveies were nor particularly verde incriemration, They A monde a signs as one species within che breader genus of Gn the exher hané, Augustine and the medieva, inkers influenced by bien tended co view signification pet se in primarily verbal Spgs ay words was expresced, ‘These foums wete che verbal disciplines of the ci ing of grammar, sherorc, nod dislectc. ‘a cheonzing Row words (uneeloved as cognitive intermedianies ject ane between spear and sudience, The vane basic old Fe expressed chough any af the shes modes of the tums during the Midele Ages it was expressed theough Preler be of knewledge other than God or the cancents . fan ahnkers chey were. abus finced co gray had ace bese on tke agenda of che chica philosophers. A same time, Christanigy sel supplied them with a nusaber of doctrines swongly soppored the plensibillgy ofa verbe chicory of knowkedge, Th 4 chat aacurally sgoify ehe physic and Aniscotelian certaingy that pparlleled by che scriptural asserions chat God oan be Jenon threogh hic ‘qeacign, which he is believed to resemble, Yet, the Kind cf koowledge af God signs ar guealam in aexipoaie, Siyns, they held, would always be Limited is their cepnitive fonction, both in che degese to which they could represen the transcendent Goel at all and in the degree t0 eric they could convey che instance. They almeays from Ged bimsclf. ‘They becweea sign and object. They ; noone, they bel, cou yas che doctrine aman faculty of speech could now pactiipate Irelping co spaced the Worx Profice andDacce—areaparcact ine and expressed by tim Augustice osigicaly ferca of hovosie; Ansele recess it in tors of 2 mode of dalecic; and Dante presents heeouica cexms. These differences common conception ofwcrdsm signs ia by his suceessrs ae; Aquinas dapleys isin che mode of 2 poetics conceived in vasying biscorica alsa imporzant to shew haw each work asa practicing cheoleyian or mran of terres, tad in itself than wishaddressing the questiors whose solution prosopted chein to speculare en signs io che fast place Ac the same time, i¢ has nox proved possible co hese ths applicarian was mace, Aesthetic cheory, sicramé the purtof Greek Chr if remus ibe tury sided by their standing as cnponeas of te creda ive cenories ae ng exemplar he oe: of he -ryium intheseucion of tologkal prolens. Yéteren while iceadieegng dha dame them wer fr move inBoatat dan oter in tbisconnecion, La yo rare Dune produced nacew Middle Ages achieved 10} fue very ditfer by a srany dive my, easons fer emphasizing the icerophasis ic quite delibeese, end it dec wha think is a cew approach to che ceetrrent of classical inflaenes in medieval thought. Oneof the mas equenely encountered megieval miod has keen eo seek, cw the elstical backgrounds of red Chnsttan ations, cancor be cyeaced in exactly the same way 16 cis metaphysical idess. Macieral mon were not as free to accept ot other aspects of the classical (urn was.as much spare of chet mentait Price snedes of the crviam emenged as cal options only when medieval hough was cn the vege of sing Jes emphasis cwsatmort of the triacs io yeu as ike wo cal ee ead cousiruc de ur major seco of rgoaizrien of these oc with Augustine and Arsel, particular works of theirs ae singled ou for coomencary o: ae mace che pune dappad ofthe chepces. With Dante, the deveupment of hit idaus on Signifcation hae been studied chronolog th Aguinss, thavesetempted 10 sleet thuce ideas ofis which are fe act invariably parallel. [n che actions dealing the historical ciecumacances and general enn of arcanging che material, no he seope and emphas sughe the ¥orls of their authors, ro be compared shveracted fcr dae works of other chinkers, as if¢hough: existed in a 1 mena whose ideas om sigat Tam conceraed he range ofthe the emoven sao cae kiad oC rmportnce they sccord to Sign theary, ate ia says that dary i I have pelaced mny trentment of Augustine with philsophy and dvecoric pertinear to his sig cheory. ‘The new e boole fas eoshled me eo rectify my endiee ‘of the nic cerapones this Cesta! Buckgrcund, which was sorionsly deficient in the frst edition, At below, Ihave used the Coafavoss of Augustine as tne erganising principle of Chapter 1, and fer che tame reasons: ving the Ieee, wend dectoy dhe 3 io fiom cheseaodpcice of Augtst provides a cogent war to clate the pottions ofthe work ceding Wi fee his conversion to che more ovestly aucobivgrmphicol meteriel fine books. contents, Seoping el the role of gremma: in the mutha and to the question of why, despiee the techniqoy #0 the thought of the next genention, his appe ic whi wnughe. It is chus far berer axis arcund which co han could be provided hy 2x abstract logical arrangeneato! Finally, dae sign cheery he perio che Fst fi Bangnenrarawrpta awe, e171 eg ee eaaneannan4aeepistemaingy indepen wdha phitosoplay vo hin by er 3 was orginally wrieren, a cess was vierual- thas broker he hald of che y Thoms of dae scaice obvervance ond Sas encoussged a view of Thomas's par of Thomas scholars prompeedl seventh cenonary of his death in 1974, These charges nec! r logic, my approich to Thorns in cae sltored very litle ig Dacte's poetic ehenry anc a Coady. Tas chaprer aubci rooobagicn de Dame's theological poetics during the coune of his career throug ‘vol tuectise: and Ips poser, ing newer and better Dantes won for some of te teas ein to hove eo nute che Feptiinsoes am of the intervening years. Daw bernen tha eed 196, Conseqners ‘who have waeching genuinely new w sey, and wl provide useful guides co thestuclies published during char peciod pertinent to the diese tented in this Bere leeving the inser a word of eantion ees losophical or Literary, ncceed with cave. I have exprets'y avoided using pbilosaphical and ficersey ccs with she technical meanings and comotations that cootemporiry Pheu them, The et ns given ra themn by the clas evasion, Where mo such definoi Pres eplscnological“ening in a general, oot ¢ technical, serme, This peoceduce hy lack che verbal incase 2 ers. Ts impece x modern syle of verbal precision noe have been partéularly prone eo it is sacking a past philowypher for answers to que Jorone renon oranarher, i neve oc rary critics who may conceivably be ‘wading this bool, The cole excepcion to my 4 the cen should urederstand the tem simply as ‘psculation on krowlaige, not recesarly oe a spate, technical bandh of philosophy i the mca tense. Usoaht nexelie eo cominent onthe bibliogpical orfentathvatthebook, ‘hich oe for the senna ae fe the b cbapten [ devece onsierabte arceion boch inthe ex ata in issues bared in che eerscae on wick Augustine Is not chart ‘ontroveny surrounding be located at pin jn Chapter 1. On the sare wcasiens where [98h to yueline osorecw have aot nce she is edition wa published iv and somecimes not. The placing of the ton makes no distinction heeween authoes influenced by my wort acd those who arcive ax similar coacl 1c comming to the ene of this preface, I weuld like wv reoew d ‘stcoded 10 che institutions and individuals mentioned io che prctice co Pete sil fase edicion, The debts | owe chem have deepened vyene, ond it isa slexsace co acknovedge then once again. L Would cord the new ccs dace are aided 10 the ot, mast expecially co the reviewers ad ‘whose coonbination of generasity ang oxigence hasbs ‘edlesses, umissions, and carers found th the ‘Who, athe tame zime, hive emboldened me 09 thi woald continue cobe of use, Equal Vale U Pack, Noh Camnlina, has provided a rengull and ig for the process of ‘As beiuse, Lalone Blof the views expeesied in rhe book ond for any Oust mayo mE £E CC CC Cr rritrterceececaeanaanfens of the eitteenth cen assed by this study, westera European thinkers produced a ber of ciferene yee reciprocal expressions of one basic cu fnis menrél universe embodied cersin stendatd preconceprions at tare of raticy which in cusn encailed stendaed preconcepcions abo nature ard méthodology of lenowledge. ft will be useful a the enumerate shese precanceprions, We may i ‘ofllow by comsideting here ene fundamental episcecnal few thinkers ducing eheve centuries Mest of the clissical philosophies whom the Middle Ayee knew and ‘egsided asauchotitacive held cha dheee was eo objec phils easel te aw ofan episternalgy gtr elad in snd coneellc its cers of huowledge with equat asirince and viger, And, nvewithstanding the tie demand fara rhooe of cognition explaining oan’s kauwodge afte ‘world of rotate, the object to wh emclves was tae weld of soitual cs Goi. "The theory af kaomlalge profes chi seudy ‘wis a direct consecvence of thi rdically nealgical emobasi. Epistemalogy was conse a a fantion of meraphyoics. The estence of in d>ctne nde of being was the primary conditine which was beld ro rise Inuan thought possible at all Furcetrncre, mec] thinkers idea being pr exe vith the Gud of tae Bible, Thus, rey hel guanine, the criterion, a the moni sine qua sin Uf whacever men might ‘know about him, or about angehing els - “The ectsticnship becween man a8 keower and God as object of knowledge depended not only en God's abeolace and canscet He creaied fe caplicidly to cope with che Knowledge and expresion of the Word in and igh human store With che sign theory elaboreted by Augustine ia snsgist, and De dacriva crisiana ch Canfeion, wes ides whict he shows himself peeform Aaaring chritiana, ws we have seen, Augustine lays down taprctarion of che Bible, Scriptural cxzgesis is undaubtedly ave of hie it does che wast bulle of his collected se is alsa one of the in on of the Confeaian devocet cu bis clezteal careet. The ast books ofthe Craps ur It eel anu! snagogical yet of che Sse few chapeess of Genesis, ‘This text was evidently one of fs, ora eatt onc chat te cocsidered problematic ot imp 1 pokemical rewons, fo: tha Os Genet andor Mi the De Cont ae? caabled scudencs of his hetmeneaticel A mere 10 « less Big Cintesins devo aac jor ‘Teacher im dhe study. Augustine’ interpreation of Genesis in che Cenfasias is alse the setving for s discussion of time, 2 passage which, like che passage aa memory, ‘ex been cegerded ax profound bur icrelenac co ehe work, His analysis of tomever, is cleurly connected ta his exegesis of Genesis, for 19 deal wi answers thar God lives in the id noc exist before the exeation, af that pucseat, ah ‘question i hence Ibesice Angutine 47 ee parts, the Past, the pres ived idea is embedded i 's presece stcentieny and the faruse ‘8 wue-for men, be conctucks, idea of che erecnal present ir eo anpeeciare ee i Jreraly, pausing co discuss tte nacute of cine, an anagegical t The {one ofthe three figurative levels of meaning which ‘patristic und mielidvil exegeees saw in cinent of the samme ce ce between the atdinary run uf Augustinian de inh art his eypolugicat signs. Typologieal sige. like ‘igia Pandata, involve the metaphorical teanserence of eesnings Eee one : nt atin involve the transference of m mode of discouise © ano Inthe case ef Megorical ang aragagica icerpeettions, all eat és fokved ence of meaning i rime. The allegorical method views pane vemos i de Ole Testamene os types of parvo, sng, and e date, in New Testarvent endot cine, In checase of 12 of meanieysin time unt the rermae uf discourse to another are involved, The moral stare of the believer in Pretent time is the point of reference, and thai a uch is subjece re change. Hence there is a creosference of rhetorical styles, usually ft the expository 1 the hortatory, Imporeant 38 ie is, Aggustine doe which men can kro God in the Cri 19¢ sce the Dibte as the only means by ie. Noe does he emphasize Holy8 Augustine Sccipnte co the extenc of thinks should! be as krowledge to 9g ion of sigas co words or co figus far beyond the science of hermene of men’s knugdedge of Ged in the Life of ith ean be cated according ro the very same principle of explanation. When com- munication beeween God anut msc takes place by means of what Augustine segards as words, ax in prayer, medic comersaciog, the Wi Guspel dheough preaching cally, Wher the kal such as che 1d che witness f Christian example, Aupus- ras opersting gurstively. Whether leer or Egurative, be holds, the verbal knowlege of God is correlative to the believer's moral tearsfornia- Clon in Chaise. The ansgogical interp Jase book of the Case ussion of the evangel Iieargical, sel charicable functions of the ion of Ganesie with Kis who tived ia this wood "gy and who believed that He would cont church oa earth i Faiehéial co» abaces vision of Gud, thzough the medium of langage ™ Aswe Achnition of language is x broad ove, This, for August exension of the Word liga the present, provides a va verbal interrlationship of Ged nt of the lier and figura ith ace modes of ine can profess die fa ‘hrough prayer, chrough biblical ting, expeundiag, eliseuss inthe coma! exctifice coweh in knowledge, Augustine states, em which shovkd be enantiested by a vit! e of the Eucharist. matched by moral nurifica Aug good of the church, as a whele and in all her members, This son be expresied through charity. exemplary behavicr, works of mercy. and che witness «@ God commensurate co one’s vucation in abe chuich. All These practices, he aye, serengrhen the brethcen and chow forth to the world the chings of Goel.“ Chriscian vireve, be thinks, includes ebedience he senie of the nonin of faith. The believer should subs ays Augustine, even when he does 0: undewrnd love of Gost ne veckal signs of one kind or ancth According to Augustine, then, the whole of the with che hacwleetge of God fer spear incense," Many "ware sad Ogurctive, as ac work i this process, ‘out oné for very exe ne, presents us with che docttine of the Te of view of Augus the De magiti and the De daring bvisiane, tree works is imporrane enough co warrant extsnded discussion righ. Also, cach of thera has a limited episcemological objective, [a ae: © these soul, Concesned solely with Wie the Dp magivie and che De drcrine ddteccly. Fo the brsefouree invageof Geostand thet Got cbe human soul Hghtea Us as tothe uncreaced Trinity which they signify. Then, in the tase book, immasizing, his previous argu anerus, he systematically biceks down atl50 Anguctine established, theicby erupiussizing che ides that Gad traascends all compati- Augustine opens the De irinitate witha caveat, eeminding the reader af che uiffcoly of coxpacheading the changelcss Godhead thoogh changeable Imman speech and seessing the need & recourse 10 Holy Scripeure.!”? Books f “ positive exposition ef the doctrine of te lly documented from The Old and New Testaments, Aker describing the nature of the Trinicy jue src guoad res, Augustine devotes the ses ofthe treatise ro tho questien of how the Tunity can be knows. Th Uae Dente is that roan, since he mide in the image of God, cae team about God by emai ‘Augustine supports chisaserticn bp oethning a series of Jinthe human soul. ‘Te frst one that he paescars is the snalogy of tater We casmot love God unless we love our neighbor, Auguseine nutes Jove, dough une, 1s bso three: “Now love i te action of lover a whoa ove Joves anorher per scum © be reducible to tro, By claboricing, ton of the Tria think or 10 calk abou eh oc sensible. fe gains I ! i | Angasioe St term that Augustine fenage of any ache: ob) brine of Sec der /. When the thinker wishes co com- the rensible gseech mich Augus he acw thevelons che theme accounts ctmninology involved, interplay of loveand Lnoycledge is Augustine's point cf depasture for nis (itd “Trinitarian analogy, thac of umn, melts, and salen, Ta t, and the will operate in and through aud she roul Rnows arxl loves eself curough sto chee, The soul, he ins knowledge ‘im che activites of its mercory, tcurunlly contained io each other. ro know, and t0 remember, Each: faculty ly equal rothe other ewo, andeach asa whele sequst ws, concludes Augustine, the three are one! One the De irmmate Augustine hax concentrated his enowledge end love of other men arid of iself. Now he ‘Rots on to note hat che soul cen also know and love the created univerte aad God. According to Augustine, che soul, for the most part, comes into roncact ICEL ECC ELL TLLApArRrABRrerBraAD amas32 Augustioe with the created paysical aaruee, ual Properly spesking, chemore, man's knowledge and love of through his physical seeses cannoe he created as an analogy of the Trinity, ‘Nevercheless, Auguste Gods i: pussible 1 suggest fo the case of sensory ‘experience tve partial and very weak analogica which are because they inclu thrice terms which fanction 28 one erates and modulates the chery afsens ferse thnmph senveny reperienee, He stresses chat ian, only is passage oF ee e's cheary of knowledge, or facultics of the soul are employed when it loviagly geasps or Jovingly concern sensible object of knowledge When che soul geasps ¢ physical objece, recs the senses co form a seasible image af ic, The three e image from se, che swivdom (uphnwis), in contras: to knowledge li the knowledge and love of cecaced chings. 8 id eat relative, and they asc achieved cheeugh knowledge. taroation, for Cod offers in Ch "For Christ is ou knowvletge( He engnts fateh in us th ofrernal things, Through Hin we wwe aspire to wistom through knowledge Bue we do a transformation in. Christ, For Augustine it ough words te the translinguistc vision of Gua, and ofall things ia the arace of beatizude, chen, the humun woul eeseenbles the Teinicy Ged through God hienself ‘Having built up che foreguiny snatogies with great care and profundity, 's use of the term wig be eomembered thar Ciet this coanection is quite importace. It Sidfene an cena ava ge oFapecch, Atte re eeacer thu wr erin i a gary. "He , butobscureand dificult ta uals i wel aenigesat we andeeeard he anced are actomnsodated ¢0 our urderstar of porch go, aneipmataate uimiteedly dithcult co geacp Ti sery obscarity may also enable chem te function as accurate signs. For August sigas, whether fepresent reilly existing shings. White express fain steuiphtforw sulted co express sealitice chet ave theruselvca metaphorical signiticat cally obs An senigne, lice any other Byore oF speech, analogy of the Trinity as be places oe words Hence he circumscribes the soul as created, met34 Angustiog g Kk SZGTLULLTETCE FTE RTA RAaTERLERARAR the fullest knowledge of God d knowledge, be hastens co add, which would for the action of God himsdlf within the knower, Asa meas of suramatizing the powers are] Limits that he ascribes t0 speech in the knowtedgeo' God, Augustine scares onc ofthe central poredones io his theory ofknowledge at the end ofthe Di ‘We can knew God ashe Bonly fee he says} aad we can become ike hima This appeacs eo be a macolagy, lopporcunity, an appar Anselm: Lhe Definition of the Word ‘appear ia wesc. Butope si he Caclingian age «0 | inertance fully his wm, to Eethink ie tretively, apd to ecg. IF he tinbvations seem impressive for shsie jstins Arselm addvessed can be nurabeced aang the ptea medieval Caciscian choognt—ibe existence of Gri, the ogy dhe frekuowedge and wa also to the reader, ina spirit of prayer. of expressing the inexpy cw ic, sum up his nicitade towed redeemed chet would have beea Impossible fur him co have been a Christin o a theclogian without che oderstanding of che Ges betwee of is personal life gave b moved (0 formvalsee i doing this, he fused # cass through the Incaraarion, wae both necessuey and aa knowledge of God. This constellation of ideas is nasi © Augustine’ epistemology, ond it wa to becocne authoritative to macy ater - aad royal theorists cn the knowledge of Goel and the preblem of rheological discourse. in aseries of Avyastine coaccired this linguistic epstenclogy, and, a the same tine. he roits 96 3 Benedictine mea. the prot and aoe ofthe Nonran cxeniplie i inthe mode of shot weitiogs, an i the aschbishop of Caccerbuey, a political exlle owing 10 Af he crown over lay invescicure, ond o feading pect vad the Byzantines in che wake of the schisca choscker, ‘Another characteristic feature of Anselm's thouxht, cereal rouge