The Scholastic Background of Marsilio Ficino with an Edition of Unpublished Texts

Abstract

The traditional view which emphasized the contrast between the Aristotelianism of the Middle Ages and the Platonism of the Renaissance can no longer be maintained in the light of recent studies. Aristotelianism continued to exist throughout the Renaissance and afterwards, and on the other hand, Platonism, in the form of Augustinianism, dominated occidental thought up to the twelfth century and remained a powerful current even during the later Middle Ages. The attempt to ascertain the medieval sources of Renaissance Platonism thus assumes an increased significance. However, it would be quite wrong to conclude that Renaissance Platonism, because it was preceded by some kind of medieval Platonism, was merely a copy or continuation of that earlier phase of Platonism. The history of Platonism, like that of every living tradition, must not be conceived as an endless repetition of identical doctrines, but rather as a continual adaptation and transformation of certain basic ideas. “Platonism” is not a label that establishes a simple equation between various thinkers classified as Platonists, but a kind of general orientation which assumes a new meaning in each particular case, and each representative of Platonism must hence be understood in his own right before his dependence on, or his difference from, other, earlier Platonists can be properly evaluated. Moreover, in the process of its history, Platonism is always exposed to the direct and indirect influence of other, different currents or traditions, and the continual transformation of Platonism is due not only to the original thought of its various representatives, but also to the influence of outside sources. The study of the medieval sources of Renaissance Platonism thus cannot be separated from a genuine understanding of Renaissance Platonism itself, and on the other hand, the medieval background of Renaissance Platonism consists not only of the Platonism or Augustinianism of the earlier Middle Ages, but also of the Aristotelianism of the later Middle Ages.

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