Consensus and Representation in the De concordantia catholica of Nicholas of Cuse
Abstract
This article places Nicholas of Cuse’s work, De concordantia catholica, within the frame of the councilistic tradition of the Low Middle Ages. It shows how Cusa finds the possibility of a concordance –by definition always provisory and “conjectural”– among the members of the Christian society (unitas fidelium). In that sense, it reconstructs the articulation between a theocratic or descendent scheme of temporal power and the doctrine of consent. The article also illustrates the fact that, having that combination as its source, a particular conception of representation results: Council and Empire, ultimate organisers of the spiritual and social needs of the unitas fidelium are, respectively, the representatives of God and popular consent.Downloads
References
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