El tratado anónimo <i>De spiritu et anima</i>: ¿mediador de la concepción de <i>anima</i> de Hugo de San Víctor para Nicolás de Cusa?

Abstract

This article tackles the issue, if and to what extent it can be stated, that Nicholas of Cusa, in his dialogue Idiota. De mente, recibes the influence of the conception of animaproposed by Hugh of Saint Victor, through the anonymous work De spiritu et anima. The conclusion of the first part is that, despite some terminological and conceptual differences, the core of Cusanu’s anthropology also applies for the anonymous treaty: man, when he knows himself, recognizes that he is dependent and image of the principle. This coincidence should not be striking, when we consider that both are influenced by Neoplatonism and Augustinian tradition. In the second part we confirm, that the triple meaning of anima presented in De spiritu et anima agrees with Hugh of Saint Victor’s proposal in his Didascalion. Both understand the soul as a simple spiritual reality endowed with three powers. On the basis of the conclusions of both sections we may infer, that Nicholas would recieve the inflluence of the Hugh of Saint Victors’ conception of anima through the anonymous treaty. Nevertheless, this assertion should be nuanced with the observation that De spiritu et anima has multiple sources.