The Definition of “man” and the Structure of the Liber differentiarum II of Isidore of Seville

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34096/petm.v41.n2.9378
Keywords: Isidore of Seville, Augustine, differentiae, Late Antiquity, Chain of Being

Abstract

This article deals with the structure of the Isidorian treatise called Liber differentiarum II (Diff. II). Up to now, researches about the content of the work and its distribution have explained its structure according to considerations that it could be called “external”, as they are based on general ideas around text genre or logic. However, I aim to offer an “internal” explanation of such a structure based on its conceptual content. The hypothesis holds, then, that the basis for articulating the entire work is the definition of “man” that Isidore develops in Diff. II.13, as well as its place on the chain of beings (Diff. II.16). Indeed, the special position of the human being, who is considered both by Isidore and by his sources as a universal creature intermediate between God (pure intellectual spirit) and material beings lacking reason, is of capital importance for understand and structure the work.

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Published
2020-11-30
How to Cite
Vorontsov, S. (2020). The Definition of “man” and the Structure of the Liber differentiarum II of Isidore of Seville. Patristica Et Mediævalia, 41(2), 103-116. https://doi.org/10.34096/petm.v41.n2.9378
Issue
Vol 41 No 2 (2020)
Section
Articles

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