The aim of this study is twofold: to identify the theological purpose underlying the depiction of angels at certain key points in the history of their use, and to explore how far that deeper theological rationale can be re-appropriated for our own day. This study first traces the progression of the angelic motif in the Hebrew Scriptures. By examining numerous pericopes in the Pentateuch, major prophets and Daniel, I demonstrate that the metamorphosis of higher-order beings like the angel of the Lord, cherubim and seraphim, is directly related to the writers' desire to enhance God's transcendence. Next, I evaluate pseudo-Denys' hierarchical angelology, which prominent theologians like Luther and Calvin condemned as little more than a Neoplatonic scheme for accessing God through angels. I propose that not only has pseudo-Denys' Neoplatonism been overstated, but that his angelology is particularly noteworthy for the way it accentuates Christ's eucharistic immanence to the Church. Then I maintain that because assessments of Aquinas' angelology are often based upon the Summa Theologiae, his views are wrongly portrayed as overtly philosophical, rather than biblical and exegetical. In his lesser-known biblical commentaries, however, Aquinas pushes the semantic range of the word ‘angel' to include aspects of the physical world, which unveils an imaginative, Christocentric, and scriptural dimension of his angelology that is rarely acknowledged. The conclusion considers how contemporary figures and movements relate to these three angelologies. Barth emphasises the transcendent God but unlike Hebrew Scripture, weakens connections between God and angels. New Ageism affirms the immanent angel but unlike pseudo-Denys, does so at the expense of Christology and ecclesiology. Contemporary ecological discourse generally lacks Aquinas' appreciation for an imaginative, supernatural approach to the world. Finally, I ground the angels' relationship to transcendence, immanence and imagination in an experiential, eucharistic context.

The Lofoten Maelström in Norway, one of the world’s most powerful systems of tidal eddies, has been a locus of terror and imagination for centuries. First depicted in renaissance cartography, the myth of the vortex was propagated through the occult science of Athanasius Kircher and found its most current expression in Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Descent into the Maelström”. This thesis is a work of exegesis. That is, a work of interpretation that leads out of a text, or a site, towards another level of meaning. Poe’s text refers to the geographic site of the thesis but also becomes a site in itself. It is out of this text/site that the author unfolds a series of exegetical pathways, constructing an ambiguous ground between the real and imaginary dimensions of the Maelström. This thesis is also a work of synthesis. It explores how the speculative architectural proposition can crystallize subtle conceptual material in ways that text and image alone cannot. While the thesis is heavily invested in various modes of representation, architectural and otherwise, it also acts as a critical investigation into the nature of representation itself. The document is composed as a performance in three parts. Each part broadly engages a fundamental binary that is latent in the work of architecture: 1) history and fiction 2) figure and ground 3) ritual and design. Part I introduces the site through various historical and fictional portrayals of the Maelström which have contributed to the co-authorship of its mythologized identity. Part II consists of a suite of three discursive essays that address the sublime, the death instinct, romanticism, negative theology, the chora, and 20th century performance theory. This material is organized under the umbrella of three figure/ground conditions: the figure against the sublime ground of the romantic-era painting, the negative ground of medieval mysticism, and the ritual ground of the Greek chorus and its spatial counterpart, the chora. Finally, Part III includes two movements: the design of a wave energy research facility, and a series of episodic vignettes that subvert the intentions of the designer by re-casting the facility as a place of ritual. With the Maelström as a backdrop, the architectural proposition offers itself as the stage upon which this struggle between design and ritual is enacted.

The Lofoten Maelström in Norway, one of the world’s most powerful systems of tidal eddies, has been a locus of terror and imagination for centuries. First depicted in renaissance cartography, the myth of the vortex was propagated through the occult science of Athanasius Kircher and found its most current expression in Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Descent into the Maelström”. This thesis is a work of exegesis. That is, a work of interpretation that leads out of a text, or a site, towards another level of meaning. Poe’s text refers to the geographic site of the thesis but also becomes a site in itself. It is out of this text/site that the author unfolds a series of exegetical pathways, constructing an ambiguous ground between the real and imaginary dimensions of the Maelström. This thesis is also a work of synthesis. It explores how the speculative architectural proposition can crystallize subtle conceptual material in ways that text and image alone cannot. While the thesis is heavily invested in various modes of representation, architectural and otherwise, it also acts as a critical investigation into the nature of representation itself. The document is composed as a performance in three parts. Each part broadly engages a fundamental binary that is latent in the work of architecture: 1) history and fiction 2) figure and ground 3) ritual and design. Part I introduces the site through various historical and fictional portrayals of the Maelström which have contributed to the co-authorship of its mythologized identity. Part II consists of a suite of three discursive essays that address the sublime, the death instinct, romanticism, negative theology, the chora, and 20th century performance theory. This material is organized under the umbrella of three figure/ground conditions: the figure against the sublime ground of the romantic-era painting, the negative ground of medieval mysticism, and the ritual ground of the Greek chorus and its spatial counterpart, the chora. Finally, Part III includes two movements: the design of a wave energy research facility, and a series of episodic vignettes that subvert the intentions of the designer by re-casting the facility as a place of ritual. With the Maelström as a backdrop, the architectural proposition offers itself as the stage upon which this struggle between design and ritual is enacted.

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[pt] Esta tese parte de uma provocação enunciada pela personagem Alcibíades em seu discurso no diálogo Banquete de Platão: Nenhum de vocês o conhece bem. Esta frase versa a respeito da ininteligibilidade e consequente incomparabilidade de Sócrates, identificada pelo simposiasta como atopía, um não-lugar. Partindo, então, deste termo, buscamos aqui analisar as pistas que a personagem que discursa sobre o filósofo apresenta acerca dele, correlacionandoas a outras que ocorrem na obra platônica em geral e que consolidam a atopia de Sócrates. Assim, desenvolvemos uma análise de Sócrates enquanto um ser atópico tanto em sua fisionomia, como em seu comportamento e palavras, sendo estas três áreas da vida do filósofo o que chamamos nesta tese de eixos, bases metodológicas segundo as quais desenvolveremos a análise da sua atopia. Como fio condutor principal de todos estes eixos, teremos a presença central das figuras divinas de Eros e Dioniso, ambas apresentadas no Banquete como sendo os principais referenciais a partir dos quais Sócrates viverá a sua atopia. No campo de Eros, analisaremos o fundamento da narrativa de Diotima acerca deste deus, com seu caráter intermediário e daimônico, que será associado a Sócrates de forma evidente na fala da sacerdotisa de Mantineia. Já quanto ao aspecto dionisíaco, ele surgirá permeando todo o diálogo, mas será encontrado, em especial, na figura dos sátiros e silenos, seres mitológicos do círculo dionisíaco que serão associados a Sócrates por Alcibíades. Postulamos, assim, como tese central deste trabalho, que Sócrates é atópos porque a sua filosofia será um exercício integrado de seu corpo, de seus atos e de suas palavras, como partes de seu ser erótico e dionisíaco. / [en] This thesis is part of a provocation enunciated by the character Alcibiades in his speech in Plato s Symposium dialogue: None of you know him well. This phrase concerns the unintelligibility and consequent incomparability of Socrates, identified by the symposiasta as atopy, a non-place. Beginning from this term, we reach to analyze the clues that the character speeches about the philosopher presents about him, correlating them to others, that occurs in the Platonic piece in general and that consolidates the atopy of Socrates. Thus, we developed an analysis of Socrates as an atopic being both in his physiognomy as in his behavior and words, these three areas of the philosopher s life being what we call this thesis of axes, methodological bases according to which we ll develop the analysis of his atopy. As the main thread of all these axes, we will have the central presence of the divine figures of Eros and Dionysus, both presented at the Symposium as the main references from which Socrates will live his atopy. In Eros field, we will analyze the foundation of Diotima s narrative about this god, with his intermediate and daimonic character, which will be associated with Socrates in an evident way in the speech of the priestess of Mantineia. In the matter of the Dionysian aspect, it will appear permeating the whole dialogue, but will be found, in particular, in the figure of the satyrs and silenos, mythological beings of the Dionysian circle that will be associated with Socrates by Alcibiades. We postulate, therefore, as the central thesis of this work, that Socrates is atomic because his philosophy will be an integrated exercise of his body, his acts and his words, as parts of his erotic and Dionysian being.

This thesis examines the relationship between speech and action in Dionysius' Antiquitates Romanae. It consists of five main chapters, an introduction and a conclusion. In the introduction I establish the status quaestionis and consider different modes of presenting discourse. Chapter 2 is an intertextual analysis of Dionysius' first preface, AR I.1-8, exploring Dionysius' engagement with his Greek and Roman predecessors. I take one modern theory, concerning Dionysius apparent 'idealisation' of the Roman past, in order to examine the relationship between the Antiquities and Dionysius' rhetorical works. In the four chapters that follow, I trace the changing texture of narrative across the Antiquities, sinking shafts at moments to examine closely what is going on. First (ch. 3), I analyse speech in the Regal Period, focusing on the story of Lucretia and Brutus (AR IV.64-85), and the way that Herodotean allusion meshes with intratextual devices to narrate the fluctuations of the Regal Period. Chapter 4 is a paired reading of (4a) the story of Coriolanus' trial (VII.21-66) and (4b) the story of Coriolanus' encounter with his mother (VII.39-62). Ch. 4a concentrates on Thucydides and Isocrates, and how Coriolanus' trial binds the Greek literary past to the first-century Roman present. In 4b, I examine how Dionysius manages the shift between high politics and family relationships. Chapter 5, on the decemvirate (X.50-XI.44), explores again Roman tyranny, this time in a Republican frame; the power of the senate is consequently in point here. Chapter 6, on AR XIV-XX, probes the questions of Greek and Roman ethnicity and the individual which had arisen in the earlier chapters. In the conclusion I consider the precise question of Dionysius' Augustanism, relating it to Dionysius' apparent status in Rome.

La présente recherche porte sur la théorie des parties du discours dans l’Antiquité grecque et plus particulièrement sur la réflexion entourant les conjonctions. Le premier chapitre se concentre sur la définition de la conjonction trouvée dans la Poétique d’Aristote, de même que sur les autres passages du corpus aristotélicien qui permettent de mieux cerner les contours d’une entité grammaticale encore mal définie. Le second chapitre porte sur la conjonction dans les recherches logico-grammaticales de l’école stoïcienne. La définition stoïcienne de la conjonction, de même que les différentes catégories de conjonctions identifiées par les Stoïciens sont examinées. Le rôle central des conjonctions au sein de la théorie stoïcienne des propositions complexes est souligné et met en lumière l’interrelation étroite entre la logique et la grammaire à ce point du développement de la théorie grammaticale. Le chapitre final porte sur la définition et les catégories de conjonctions trouvées dans la Tekhnè grammatikè, un bref manuel de grammaire attribué au philologue alexandrin Denys le Thrace. L’influence de la théorie stoïcienne des propositions complexes sur cette première tentative de systématisation grammaticale est mise en lumière, de même que l’interférence de préoccupations philologiques. / This research is concerned with the theory of the parts of speech in Greek antiquity and more precisely with the topic of conjunctions. The first chapter examines the definition of the conjunction given in Aristotle’s Poetics, as well as the other texts of the Aristotelian corpus which allow us the get a better grasp on a still ill-defined grammatical entity. The second chapter deals with the conjunction within the logico-grammatical researches of the Stoic school. It examines the Stoic definition of the conjunction, as well as the various categories of conjunctions that were identified by the Stoics. The central role of conjunctions in the Stoic theory of complex assertions is emphasized, thus showing the close interrelation between logic and grammar at this point in the development of grammatical theory. The final chapter is concerned with the definition and the classes of conjunctions given in the Tekhnè grammatikè, a short grammatical treatise ascribed to the Alexandrian philologist Dionysius Thrax. It shows the influence of the Stoic theory of complex assertions on this first attempt at grammatical systematization, as well as the interference of philological concerns.

Cette thèse est consacrée à une analyse doctrinale et philologique du commentaire de Thomas d'Aquin sur la distinction 35 du premier Livre des Sentences de Pierre Lombard. Le sujet de cette distinction est la science que Dieu a de lui-même et des autres choses. La première partie de notre travail est une présentation conceptuelle et historique de l'arrière-fond de cette distinction. Elle est divisée en quatre étapes. Dans la première, nous nous sommes interrogé sur la science divine dans une perspective linguistique. Dans la seconde, nous avons discuté le rôle de l'autre, en tant qu'objet, dans la connaissance divine. Dans la troisième,nous avons étudié la synthèse chez Thomas des éléments aristotéliciens et pseudo-dionysiens, comme la notion d'actus purus et la notion d'esse. La quatrième étape, présente brièvement le contexte historique pour comprendre la méthode du commentaire des Sentences, ainsi qu'un bref panorama de l'Université de Paris au XIIIe siècle. La deuxième partie de la thèse offre une édition critique de la distinction 35. Après avoir collationné les témoins manuscrits selon les critères de la Commission Léonine, nous avons présenté le texte avec une introduction où nous établissons les différentes familles de la transmission textuelle. / This dissertation provides a doctrinal and philological study of Aquinas' Commentary on Book I, dist. 35 ofPeter Lombard's Sentences. At issue is the knowledge that God has of Himself and of the things other thanHimself. The first part of the dissertation investigates the conceptual and historical background of dist. 35. Itdivides into four sections. First, we approach the topic of the divine science from a linguistic perspective.Secondly, we examine the role of things other than God as objects of the divine knowledge. Thirdly, we drawattention to Aquinas' synthesis of Aristotelian and pseudo-Dionysian elements, namely the notions of actuspurus and esse. The fourth section provides an overview of the historical context and the XIIIth-centuryUniversity of Paris, in order to better understand the method of commentaries on the Sentences. The secondpart of the dissertation intends to provide, for the first time, the critical edition of Aquinas' Commentary onBook I, dist. 35 of Peter Lombard's Sentences. The manuscripts are collated according to LeonineCommission's criteria. The critical text is introduced by a philological study in which we investigate the textualtransmission of dist. 35 and we propose a stemma.

Este trabalho sustenta que o teólogo cristão do início do século VI conhecido como Pseudo Dionísio Areopagita exerce profunda influência no pensamento do teólogo e filósofo medieval Tomás de Aquino (1225-1274). Essa influência se dá principalmente em dois temas fundamentais da filosofia tomasiana: negatividade e participação. Negatividade diz respeito ao caráter de mistério que envolve as essências mais íntimas dos seres desde a natureza visível e o homem até o princípio de todas as coisas, Deus e que, portanto, não são plenamente compreensíveis para o entendimento humano. Participação se refere ao fato de que, por outro lado, o mundo participa do ser de Deus e, por isso, revela traços do divino, ainda que de modo deficiente e remoto. Dada essa influência de Dionísio, Tomás de Aquino não pode ser considerado um pensador racionalista, com respostas definitivas para todos os problemas da existência, como costuma ser visto por epígonos o que constitui uma deturpação do pensamento tomasiano, marcado pela consciência da insuficiência da razão. Para Tomás, não é possível aos homens ter clareza absoluta sobre qualquer assunto, daí, por exemplo, a necessidade de eles se conduzirem segundo a clássica doutrina cristã da prudência a virtude de agir corretamente, com base no límpido conhecimento da situação presente. Tendo em vista a negatividade e a participação, para o acesso às realidades mais profundas impõe-se o uso de metáforas, alegorias e símbolos, capazes de algum modo de se aproximar do que, afinal, é incognoscível. No que se refere ao conhecimento de Deus, a via de acesso é a mística entendida como uma experiência com o Absoluto que se dá num plano além da razão, e não aquém , uma vez que todo discurso racional, afinal, fala mais do homem do que de Deus. Como conclusão, este trabalho propõe que o pensamento negativo do Pseudo Dionísio Areopagita e de Tomás de Aquino precisa ser mais conhecido também por educadores, pois ele permite uma visão diferente da realidade, uma visão menos lógico-racionalista que tantos problemas tem trazido à sociedade contemporânea e mais sensível, lúdica e profunda, portanto, mais humana. No anexo, é apresentada a tradução, direta do original grego, do livro Da teologia mística, do Pseudo Dionísio Areopagita. / This dissertation argues that the Christian theologian of the early sixth century known as Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite exerts profound influence on the thought of medieval theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274). This influence is mainly on two major topics of Aquinas philosophy: negativity and participation. Negativity means the character of mystery that involves the most intimate essence of beings from the natural world and man to the cause of all things, God and therefore not fully comprehensible to human understanding. Participation refers to the fact that, on the other hand, the world participates in the being of God and, therefore, shows traces of the divine, even in a poor and remote way. Given the influence of Dionysius, Aquinas can not be regarded as a rationalist thinker, with definitive answers to all problems of existence, as is often seen by followers which is a perversion of Aquinass thought, marked by awareness of the insufficiency of reason. For Aquinas, it is not possible for men to have absolute clarity on any issue, then, for example, requiring them to conduct themselves according to the classical Christian doctrine of prudence the virtue of doing right, based on clear understanding of the current situation. Given the negativity and participation, accessing deeper realities requires the use of metaphors, allegories and symbols, which are able somehow to get closer to that, after all, is unknowable. With regard to knowledge of God, the way of access is the mystique understood as an experience of the Absolute that is given beyond reason, and not short , since all rational discourse, after all, speaks more about man than about God. In conclusion, this study suggests that the negative thought of Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite and Thomas Aquinas should be more well known by educators, because it allows a different view of reality, less logical-rationalist that has brought many problems to contemporary society and more sensitive, playful and profound, therefore, more human. The annex includes a translation directly from the original Greek of The mystical theology, by Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite.

The sequence commentary emerged as a new branch of medieval commentary literature in the twelfth century. The sequence itself, sung in the Roman Mass, was a hugely influential genre—several thousands of sequence texts are known today—but the fact that the Middle Ages also produced commentaries on this liturgical poetry has been hitherto practically unknown and very few commentary texts have been edited. The present work is the first attempt at a broader presentation of the sequence commentary genre. It makes available in modern editions seven previously unedited expositions on the sequence Ad celebres rex for the feast of St Michael. Introductions to each edition discuss the motifs interpreted, the commentary technique used and the sources drawn upon. Manuscript interrelations and textual problems are also treated here. Editions of four prologues introducing collections of commentaries are also included. These texts, though not specifically tied to the commentaries on Ad celebres rex, are presented here since they provide useful evidence of the interpretative frameworks chosen by the commentators. The complex textual transmissions of these texts have required three different editorial methods, which are discussed in a separate chapter. A general introduction surveys the sequence commentary material found to date. From these textual witnesses—nearly a hundred manuscripts listed in an appendix—we may conclude that the genre flourished mainly in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Most manuscripts present large collections of commentaries on sequences for the whole liturgical year, generally preceded by a prologue and sometimes accompanied by a corresponding group of hymn commentaries.