Folia Theologica 16. (2005)
Pál Bolberitz: The Beginnings of Hungarian Philosphy (The Reception of Nicholas of Cusa in the work of "De homine" by Peter Monedulatus Csokas Laskoi)
THE BEGINNINGS OF HUNGARIAN PHILOSOPHY 21 To Laskoi's opinion man is a small world, a microcosmos. The spirit of life and the mud of earth are mixed up in him, furtherly soul and flesh-body together have been corporated in a person. God - who cannot be acquired by the "sky of skies" - nevertheless embodied in man, incorporating his Son, Jesus Christ. The author can find seventeen similar features between the macro and microcosmos. The most important similarity is the second one. The analogy is the following: "As in the universe the rational spirit is regarded the motive power, the same happens in the human being, as well."31 The rest of the analogies for exploring this similarity, seems to be very artificial: e. g. "the shape of the world is spherical, like man's figure in case the final points of his stretched arms and legs are bound in a curved line.32 According to Peter Monedulatus the most essential parts of human being is the clever-intelligent soul (anima intellectiva) and the sensual body. Regarding the constitution and operation of soul, he usually quotes - besides other, primarily Patristic authors and the Holy Bible - Philon, Athanasius, Pythagoras, Varro, Plato and Aristotle, and - several times - St. Thomas Aquinas, which shows that he had been aware of the medieval Scholastic authors, as well. According to Laskoi's view rational soul is not body, and furthermore it is not involved in the Divine essence. It had not exist before the creation of the world, it is passed into the human body either by transmittance (per traducem), or God Himself breathes another rational soul into each, newly born human being. That is Laskoi proclaims the seperated creation of the personal human soul. The residence of the rational soul is the human brain, but he does not exclude the possibility, that it is situated in the human heart.33 Rational soul preserves its immortal and imperishable existence and strength even after death. Peter Monedolatus Csókás Laskoi refuses the transmigration of soul, since according to him each of men has his own (seperate) soul. This personal, rational soul does not miserted that faith itself is enough for salvation, so metaphisical, philosophical establishing is not necessitated at all. Nevertheless the Bible does not forbid to enlight the content of faith by ratio. 3 I Cp. LASKAI. De homine, p. 34. 32 Cp. LASKA1, De homine, p. 31. 33 Cp. I. m. p. 138.
